The drug approval process must determine efficacy validly, detect risks prudently, and do both in a timely and efficient way. Several high-profile medication withdrawals in recent years have refocused attention on the difficulty of the US healthcare system in meeting these goals. Rofecoxib (Vioxx, Merck) was taken off the market in September 2004 after 5 years of use by 20 million people, when ...

Brachioradial pruritus is characterized by the presence of pruritus on the lateral aspect of the arms. The etiology of this enigmatic entity is the subject of some debate some authors claim that brachioradial pruritus is a photodermatosis whereas others attribute it to the presence of underlying cervical radiculopathy. In these case reports, we present our experience with brachioradial pruritus...

We read with great interest the recently published brief commentary by Onat and colleagues entitled “Ultrasound-Guided Diagnosis and Treatment of Meralgia Paresthetica”(1). In this paper, the authors presented an ultrasound (US) assessment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN), whose entrapment is known as meralgia paresthetica (MP). They correctly determined that diagnosis of MP is sub...

Let G be a complex semisimple simply connected algebraic group. Given two irreducible representations V1 and V2 of G, we are interested in some components of V1 ⊗ V2. Consider two geometric realizations of V1 and V2 using the Borel-Weil-Bott theorem. Namely, for i = 1, 2, let Li be a G-linearized line bundle on G/B such that H (G/B,Li) is isomorphic to Vi. Assume that the cup product H1 (G/B,L1...

Notalgia paraesthetica is a neuropathic pruritus on the back. The aim of this retrospective study was to examine patient characteristics in a consecutive cohort from Brazil and Germany. A total of 65 patients (49 women, 16 men; age range 25-80 years, mean 56.2 ± 12.7 years; median 57.0 years) were investigated in order to determine the spinal or peripheral origin of notalgia paraesthetica. Prot...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of the novel Kinesio taping treatment approach on meralgia paresthetica (MP) symptoms. DESIGN Repeated measurements, feasibility study of 1 intervention. SETTING Referral private physical therapy clinic. PARTICIPANTS Men (n=6) and women (n=4) with clinically and electromyographically diagnosed MP. INTERVENTION Application of Kinesio tape, twice a week for ...