Novel Antibody for Chronic Hives Brings Relief in Mid-Stage Trial
WASHINGTON — Barzolvolimab, a first-in-class anti-KIT monoclonal antibody, reduced the severity of hives in adults with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) who remained symptomatic on antihistamines, a randomized phase II trial showed. Compared with placebo, several doses of the investigational drug produced greater improvement in the 7-day Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) from baseline to week 12: […]
Older Adults Should Get Another COVID Booster, CDC Advisors Say
Adults ages 65 and older should receive an additional dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine this spring, according to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Eleven members of the committee voted in favor of the recommendation, one member voted no, and one abstained from voting. Shortly after the meeting, CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, […]
Dietary Thiamine Linked With Cognition
Dietary thiamine (vitamin B1) intake was linked with cognition in older adults, a longitudinal analysis in China suggested. Over a median follow-up of 5.9 years, cognitive decline risk was minimal at dietary thiamine intake levels of 0.60 to 1.00 mg/day, reported Xianhui Qin, MD, of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, and co-authors. However, a J-shaped […]
Dementia Predicted 10 Years Before Diagnosis
Blood protein profiles predicted future dementia in healthy adults, a large longitudinal study showed. Blood samples from over 50,000 people in the U.K. Biobank showed that four proteins — glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light (NfL), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and latent-transforming growth factor beta-binding protein 2 (LTBP2) — consistently were associated with subsequent […]
Gun Violence Exposure Associated With Suicidal Behavior Among Black Americans
For Black adults, exposure to gun violence — including being threatened with a gun or knowing someone who had been shot — was linked with suicidal outcomes, a cross-sectional study found. Exposure to one type of gun violence was significantly associated with lifetime suicidal ideation (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.19-2.39, P=0.003), according to Daniel Semenza, […]
Even With Alzheimer’s Pathology, Healthy Lifestyles May Preserve Cognition
Cognitive function was better for older adults with healthy lifestyles even if they had Alzheimer’s or other dementia-related pathologies, autopsy data showed. A 1-point increase in a healthy lifestyle score was associated with better cognitive performance proximate to death (β=0.216, P<0.001), reported Klodian Dhana, MD, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and co-authors. […]
One Class of Antidiabetic Linked With Lower Kidney Stone Risk
One class of glucose-lowering agent may help lower the risk of kidney stones in adults with type 2 diabetes, a cohort study suggested. Adults who newly started on an SGLT2 inhibitor had a 31% lower risk of nephrolithiasis compared with those starting on a GLP-1 receptor agonist (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.67-0.72), found Julie M. […]
Potent Benzodiazepine Masquerading as Xanax Hospitalizes Three in Chicago
Three young adults in Chicago who thought they were taking alprazolam (Xanax) actually ingested the unapproved and far more potent bromazolam, requiring an intensive care unit stay, public health officials warned. The “designer” benzodiazepine derivative that was synthesized in 1976 but never approved for therapeutic use has been on the rise across the world and […]
Trio of Eye Diseases Linked to Falls, Fractures in Older Adults
Older adults with cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma are all more likely to have falls or fractures compared with those without these eye diseases, a population-based cohort study suggested. While the findings don’t definitively prove that vision problems cause these accidents, an analysis of health records in England revealed higher risks of falls […]
Dr. Barbie Will See You Now, but Only If You’re a Pediatric Patient
Barbie can be a doctor, but she rarely specializes or works with adults, and she almost never meets clinical safety standards for clothing or personal protective equipment (PPE), a quantitative study found. Of 80 Barbie medical professional dolls, 53 (66%) worked with children as a pediatrician, pediatric dentist, or even a pediatric ophthalmologist, Katherine Klamer, […]