Tag Archives: inflammatory bowel disease

Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) can now more reliably detect early stages of inflammation

GERMANY, Mar-30-2017 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the most common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Globally, more than 4 million people suffer from recurring inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. To date, non-invasive methods have not been able to detect these forms of IBD reliably. Researchers at the University Hospital Erlangen (Germany) have now shown for the first time how Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) can more reliably detect early stages of inflammation when compared with other non-invasive diagnostic methods. These results have recently been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Evaluating the inflammatory activity of the intestines early and accurately helps to prevent complications associated with IBD and guide an optimal therapy regime. Currently, doctors frequently rely on an invasive endoscopy procedure to assess the intestinal mucosa of patients with IBD. Additionally, non-invasive imaging methods are increasingly used in the clinic. For example, ultrasound allows clinicians to examine the structure, thickness and blood perfusion of the intestinal wall with changes in perfusion patterns indicating an onset of inflammation.

“With the MSOT procedure, we additionally use laser light, by which we can detect inflammation earlier than previously possible with ultrasound”, explains Prof. Dr. Maximilian Waldner, Professor at the University Hospital Erlangen. “The earlier we detect signs of an upcoming flare – i.e., a change in blood content – the quicker we can react and start a preventive treatment”. The MSOT technology was developed by iThera Medical in Munich, and was first used on IBD patients last year.

The researchers of the University Hospital Erlangen have recently published their results in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine. “We examined 108 patients with Crohn’s disease using the MSOT technology and compared the results to established non-invasive diagnostic procedures as well as endoscopy and histology”, says Prof. Waldner. “We were able to demonstrate that hemoglobin values in the tissue measured with MSOT indicate very accurately the inflammatory activity in the intestines. The method appears to be superior to other non-invasive procedures, as MSOT for the first time was able to detect even low levels of inflammation without having to perform endoscopy”.

Dr. Ferdinand Knieling, a physician at the University Hospital Erlangen, adds: “We are hoping that this principle can be applied to many applications and, in particular, also be used to enable safe evaluations of children and adolescents. With this new examination method, many of the currently invasive procedures might become obsolete.”

In optoacoustic imaging, the physician scans the intestines transabdominally through the skin, applying pulsed laser light in the near-infrared region. The energy of the light absorbed in tissue is converted into acoustic signals which are then acquired by an ultrasound detector. Christian Wiest, CEO of iThera Medical, comments: “MSOT is a new diagnostic imaging modality that can detect changes in tissue composition associated with a variety of diseases, without the use of contrast agents. The technology has already been applied in other clinical feasibility studies, e.g. for the detection of melanoma metastasis in sentinel lymph nodes or for the assessment of suspicious breast lesions”.

The results of the IBD study at the University Hospital Erlangen were published on March 30th 2017 in the New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 376, Issue 13, pg.1292-1294).

SOURCE: EuropaWire

New National Website Reaches Out To Millions Who Took Defective Acne Treatment Accutane

Since 1982, 5 million Americans and 8 million persons in other countries were prescribed Accutane to fight severe acne. In doing so, they were exposed to a defective drug that’s caused serious intestinal injuries requiring surgery – even colon removal. Now Accutane is off the market in America, and Americans have a fighting chance to recover their medical and other expenses via Accutane lawsuits which already are prevailing in courts.

To launch the process, new legal website Accutane-Lawsuit-Lawyer.com is reaching out to Accutane victims needing representation for Accutane lawsuits in all 50 states. Such suits already have made news this year with jury verdicts favoring plaintiffs, including an Alabama man who received over $25 million for his Accutane-caused inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which led removal of his colon.

Even Hollywood has entered the picture, via a recent Accutane lawsuit launched by actor James Marshall, star of TV’s Twin Peaks and the Oscar-nominated film A Few Good Men. After taking Accutane, Marshall, like many others, suffered an IBD and eventually had to have his colon removed. This severely impacted not only his health, but also his once-promising acting career.

The defective drug’s side effects even were referenced on a recent episode of the hit Fox TV series Glee.

Why has this happened? Indeed, why was it allowed to happen?

“Juries are finding that Swiss-based Roche Pharmaceuticals, creator of Accutane, knew that its product was unsafe but kept selling it anyway,” said a spokesperson for Accutane-Lawsuit-Lawyer.com. “Roche was making up to $1.2 billion per year in profits from Accutane. For Roche, eventual lawsuits were a trade off, and the human suffering was collateral damage.”

Juries are now holding that Roche did not adequately warn potential Accutane users of the drug’s serious side effects dangers. Thus, jury awards totaling more than $56 million already have been awarded in just a handful of Accutane lawsuits.

The Food and Drug Administration provides proof for such lawsuits. Though the FDA first approved Accutane’s use in 1982, the federal agency now calls Accutane’s active ingredient, Isotretinoin, “a potentially dangerous prescription medicine.” The FDA eventually required special warnings with Accutane.

Also in agreement is a Harvard University researcher who’s called Accutane “one of the most dangerous products on the market today.”

The FDA even has linked Accutane to such harmful side effects as severe depression, suicidal impulses and, for women who took Accutane during pregnancy, birth defects in babies. But for many sufferers, the problems involve an IBD such as Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis. Each is a lifelong, incurable and debilitating digestive disorder – not to mention a costly one in terms of medical bills, lost salary and pain and suffering.

To recover such costs via an individual lawsuit – not a class-action suit — Accutane-Lawsuit-Lawyer.com says it can provide victims with an experienced Accutane defective drug lawyer in all 50 states of America. Many such suits may be handled in out-of-court settlements without a jury trial.

The legal website also has produced a special video for persons suffering acne to see. It demonstrates how-to tips on covering up acne with makeup, and advises against treating it with defective drug Accutane. The video can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuptUKD_MGg

Via EPR Network
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