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Published On January 15, 2010
CLINICAL RESEARCH
Getting Out the Gout
An underdiagnosed condition gets its first new drug in 40 years.
An ailment that usually strikes during ages of opulence now afflicts 5.1 million Americans. The return of gout, which is caused by uric acid crystallizing in the joints, is linked with the obesity epidemic. The overweight produce too much uric acid and don’t excrete it well. Though gout has been around for millennia, the condition is still often underdiagnosed and mismanaged—more’s the pity, now that the FDA has approved Uloric (febuxostat), the first new gout drug in 40 years, which lowers uric acid more effectively than previous treatments.
Dispatches
COVID-19 On Purpose One sure-fire way to test vaccines and treatments is to deliberately infect volunteers. Once unthinkable, the idea is quickly gaining steam.
Flash Radiotherapy Is (Finally) on the Way Since the 1960s, the dream of ultra-fast high dose radiation promised better cancer treatment with fewer side effects. Will the reality measure up?
A Pandemic of Sitting Around? More time on the couch—the byproduct of stay-at-home measures—carries its own danger. The “exercise sprint” and other workarounds may save us.
The Autoimmune Whodunnit Autoimmune diseases are on the rise. The hunt is on to find their causes—including bacteria that may trigger the body to pick a fight with itself.
How Do You Measure Mindfulness? A calmer brain can lead to a healthier body. Researchers are beginning to pinpoint just where those benefits are coming from.
A Corner Turned for Crohn’s Disease? A milestone vaccine will soon move forward in clinical trials. But does its target—the MAP bacterium—actually play a role in the condition?
The New Vaccines: A Visual Primer More than a hundred COVID-19 vaccines are in development, and many use new technologies never tried on a grand scale. Here’s how each is supposed to work.
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