Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a prototypical organ-specific autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies unfold their blister-inducing potential by triggering an Fcγ-dependent inflammatory reaction. The study by Iwata et al. in this issue provides the first direct evidence that IgG autoantibodies from BP patients…

MedWire News: Having a neurological or psychiatric disorder, being bedridden, or being a chronic user of various drugs significantly increases the risk for bullous pemphigoid (BP) in elderly individuals, say researchers. “A rise in the incidence of BP was documented…

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is the most severe autoimmune blistering disorder of the skin that is mediated by circulating autoantibodies against desmoglein 3 (Dsg3). It has been reported that in Jews the associated haplotype in PV is human leukocyte antigen (HLA)…

Your doctor may have told you to take calcium supplements to protect your bones and reduce the risk of fractures. A new study in the British Medical Journal may turn that advice upside down.

It’s not often that commerical insurers get a pat on the back, but a recent Government Accounting Office study that compared home infusion coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and commerical insurers comes pretty close. Read more at: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/medimedia/managedcare_201007/index.php?startid=8#/12/OnePage

Dosage and indication “creep” with the new biologics to treat inflammatory diseases have payers enforcing strict utilization policies. Physicians counter that payers can’t dictate treatment. With even more biologics on the horizon, and drug spend spiralling upward, both sides need…

In the latest effort to break up the often cozy relationship between doctors and the medical industry, the University of Michigan Medical School has become the first to decide that it will no longer take any money from drug and…