New classification criteria released for research on Sjogren’s Syndrome

An international team of researchers released new classification criteria for the common autoimmune condition Sjogren’s syndrome. Classification criteria are the consensus opinion of a group of experts that researchers use in clinical studies to confirm a previous diagnosis and/or subclassify patients who have the same type of a given condition.

Test links strains of common parasite to severe illness in U.S. newborns

Scientists have identified which strains of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, the cause of toxoplasmosis, are most strongly associated with premature births and severe birth defects in the United States. The researchers used a new blood test developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of … Read more

Avastin and Lucentis are equivalent in treating age-related macular degeneration

At two years, Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lucentis (ranibizumab injection), two widely used drugs to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), improve vision when administered monthly or on an as needed basis, although greater improvements in vision were seen with monthly administration for this common, debilitating eye disease, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of … Read more

Anti-HIV drug use during pregnancy does not affect infant size, birth weight

nfants born to women who used the anti-HIV drug tenofovir as part of an anti-HIV drug regimen during pregnancy do not weigh less at birth and are not of shorter length than infants born to women who used anti-HIV drug regimens that do not include tenofovir during pregnancy, according to findings from a National Institutes … Read more

Project REACH App Challenge (Monetary Prizes)

This challenge calls for an app that provides access to information about the availability of shelters, free clinics, and other social services used by America’s homeless. Volunteers and outreach workers should be able to use this app to easily share information with those in need. The Department of Veterans Affairs will award $10,000 to up … Read more