Ivermectin Works! (For River Blindness in Nigeria)
Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin appeared to interrupt transmission of onchocerciasis, or river blindness, in several Nigerian states, and may have eliminated it altogether in other parts of the country, researchers said. With a consistent MDA program, transmission of river blindness was “suspected” to be interrupted in four states in southern Nigeria, and transmission […]
Short DAPT Just as Good for High-Bleeding Risk Stenting After MI
For high-bleeding risk patients, a shorter duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) appeared just as safe for those getting novel stent after acute myocardial infarction (MI) in the MASTER-DAPT trial. Stopping anticoagulant at 30 days didn’t yield significantly different outcomes whether patients had a prior MI or not, reported Pieter C. Smits, MD, PhD, of […]
COVID Prevention Tx Safe, Shows Efficacy in High-Risk Groups
A monoclonal antibody cocktail designed for COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis was safe, and appeared to be effective across populations at risk of severe COVID and who may have a subpar response to vaccination, a researcher said. AZD7442 (tixagevimab/cilgavimab) met its primary endpoint, reducing the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 among high-risk populations by 77% (95% CI 46%-90%), […]
Lower Linezolid Doses Effective Against Highly Resistant TB
Various doses of the potent antibacterial linezolid (Zyvox) appeared to have similar effectiveness in clearing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) infection in patients who have developed multidrug resistance to the infection, researchers reported. In a four-arm study that compared linezolid doses of 600 and 1,200 mg given for either 2 or 6 months — along with standard […]
On-Demand PrEP Surpasses Daily Use Among Chinese MSM
Event-driven HIV prevention regimens appeared to have a better protective effect, and a better trend of medication adherence, than daily regimens in a real-world setting among men who have sex with men (MSM), a researcher said. In four cities in China, MSM who opted for event-driven pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) — that is, that they only […]
Liver Fibrosis Linked to Lower Response to COVID Vaccine
An evaluation of antibody titers developed in response to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine appeared to show a correlation between low response and advanced liver fibrosis, researchers from Israel reported. In a cohort of 140 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the more advanced the fibrosis was, the less of a response patients had to […]