Simple test predicts if a steroid shot will ease neck pain

Epidural steroid injections are a common treatment for neck pain, but they don't help everyone. A new test can predict who will get relief.

Kristen Crocker-Johns Hopkins • futurity
Feb. 15, 2023 • ~7 min

How do painkillers actually kill pain? From ibuprofen to fentanyl, it's about meeting the pain where it's at

Different painkillers provide relief in different ways. The most effective medication is the one that best targets the type of pain you’re experiencing with minimal side effects.

Benedict Alter, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences • conversation
June 24, 2022 • ~11 min

Daily steroids are safe for kids with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Daily steroids are not only safe for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, they also slow the disease's progression, a new study shows.

Mark Michaud-Rochester • futurity
May 5, 2022 • ~5 min

6 COVID-19 treatments helping patients survive

A year after it became clear that COVID-19 was becoming a pandemic, there is still no cure, but doctors have several innovative treatments. Some are keeping patients out of the hospital entirely.

Tomeka L. Suber, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
March 1, 2021 • ~10 min

What monoclonal antibodies are – and why we need them as well as a vaccine

Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic molecules manufactured in the lab. But do we need them if a vaccine is on its way?

Rodney E. Rohde, Professor Clinical Laboratory Science, Texas State University • conversation
Nov. 16, 2020 • ~9 min

Why the FDA is warning pregnant women not to use over-the-counter pain relievers

Popular pain medicines sold over the counter could be bad for a developing fetus. A pharmacologist explains why, and why the FDA is warning pregnant women to avoid these drugs.

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut • conversation
Oct. 21, 2020 • ~6 min

Kids on steroids for asthma have increased blood pressure risk

Children who take oral steroids for asthma or autoimmune diseases have a higher risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood clots, a new study shows.

Patti Verbanas-Rutgers • futurity
Sept. 17, 2020 • ~4 min

Steroids cut COVID-19 death rates, but not for everyone – here’s who benefits and who doesn’t

Three new studies show corticosteroids can reduce deaths in critically ill COVID-19 patients. But what about other patients?

Bryan McVerry, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Sept. 4, 2020 • ~8 min

CRISPR can help combat the troubling immune response against gene therapy

The immune system is trained to destroy viruses, even when they carry therapeutic cargo as is the case in gene therapy. Now researchers have figured out how to dial down the immune response.

Samira Kiani, Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Sept. 3, 2020 • ~7 min

Treatment significantly reduces symptoms of psoriasis in mice

Researchers have created a treatment that when applied directly to the skin in a mouse model of psoriasis, significantly reduces levels of inflammation and symptoms of psoriasis without systemic side effects.

Lindsay Brownell • harvard
July 22, 2020 • ~9 min

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