Overdose Death Notices Plus Guidance Sink Opioid Prescribing
Physicians who received a letter from a medical examiner about a patient’s fatal overdose — along with suggested guidance for future visits for pain — prescribed fewer opioids, according to a cluster randomized controlled trial. Doctors who received the death notice plus guidance had a drop in weekly morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) pre- to post-intervention […]
Some Health Workers See Double the Risk for Fatal Drug Overdoses
Certain healthcare workers including registered nurses (RNs) were at increased risk for fatal drug overdoses, a longitudinal study from 2008 to 2019 found. After adjustment for various factors, the risk for overdose death was more than twofold higher for RNs (HR 2.22, 95% CI 1.57-3.13) and social or behavioral health workers (HR 2.55, 95% CI […]
Researchers leverage cell self-destruction to treat brain tumors
Glioblastoma is the most common type of brain tumor in adults. The disease is 100% fatal and there are no cures, making it the most aggressive type of cancer. Such a poor prognosis has motivated researchers and neurosurgeons to understand the biology of tumors with the goal of creating better therapies. Dominique Higgins, MD, PhD, […]
Opioids Most Common Substance in Young Children’s Fatal Poisonings
Opioids were the most common substance contributing to fatal poisonings among children age 5 years and younger in recent years, researchers reported. Examination of 731 poisoning-related fatalities from 2005 to 2018 in young kids reported to the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS), showed that opioids were involved in 346 of the fatal cases (47.3%). […]
Scattered Brain Bleeds, Vasculitis in Alzheimer’s Trial Death
A fatal bleeding event in an Alzheimer’s clinical trial participant may have been linked with the investigational anti-amyloid agent lecanemab, a case report suggested. However, drug trialists are not willing to assign blame yet, especially as lecanemab’s fate hangs in a potential FDA approval for early Alzheimer’s disease later this week. Information about the case […]