Injectable Ketamine Shows Promise in Treatment-Resistant Depression
Twice-weekly subcutaneous ketamine helped alleviate symptoms of treatment-resistant depression, according to the phase III KADS study. Among those who received at least one flexible treatment dose (0.5-0.9 mg/kg), ketamine was more than 12-times better at inducing remission of depression than the benzodiazepine midazolam (remission rate 19.6% vs 2.0%, OR 12.1, 95% CI 2.1-69.2, P=0.005), reported […]
Fecal Matter Transplant Shows Promise in Cirrhosis
VIENNA — Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) helped reset gut microbiota, leading to strengthened gut barrier function and mucosal immunity in patients with cirrhosis, according to a U.K. trial. For this pilot study called PROFIT, 50 grams of liquid frozen fecal microbiota was transplanted into the jejunum via endoscopy in 22 patients while another 10 patients […]
Near 15% Weight Loss With Novel Oral GLP-1 RA in Phase II Obesity Trial
SAN DIEGO — Orforglipron, an investigational nonpeptide GLP-1 receptor agonist, helped people with obesity lose a significant amount of weight in a phase II trial. Tested at four once-daily doses — 12, 24, 36, or 45 mg — patients on orforglipron lost between 8.6% to 12.6% of body weight compared with a 2% change seen […]
High-Dose Leptin Reversed Severe Genetic Obesity in Two Patients
Personalized recombinant leptin treatment helped reverse severe, early-onset obesity in two children carrying rare antagonistic leptin genetic variants, a study showed. In the double case report, two unrelated children — a 14-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl — presented with what appeared to be leptin dysfunction, marked by intense hyperphagia, lack of satiety, and severe […]
Benefits of Parathyroidectomy Run Far Deeper Than PTH Normalization
SEATTLE — Parathyroidectomy helped reverse disrupted levels of inflammatory cytokines and vitamin D metabolites in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a researcher suggested here. After 50 patients, newly diagnosed with PHPT, underwent parathyroidectomy, serum intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels returned to the normal range within 3 months (115.6±38.9 to 42.6±24.5 pg/mL, P<0.001), said Xiangbing Wang […]
Exciting Early Results With Novel Cell Therapy for Focal Epilepsy
BOSTON — Implantation of so-called inhibitory neurons helped two patients with severe, drug-resistant focal epilepsy achieve marked reductions in seizure frequency, researchers reported. Prior to treatment, these patients were experiencing an average of 32 and 14 seizures per month, respectively, over many years, according to investigator David Spencer, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University […]
HIIT Workout Helps Walking Recovery After Stroke
High-intensity walking exercise helped chronic stroke patients regain walking capacity compared with more moderate training, a pilot randomized trial showed. While there was no significant difference between high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity aerobic training in 6-minute walk test distance changes after 4 weeks (27 vs 12 m, P=0.28), the more vigorous training had greater […]
How Much Did Celebrities Influence Public Opinion on COVID?
Through the use of social media, celebrities and other people in the public eye helped to shape the public discourse and opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic and public health efforts, according to an analysis of over 45,000 tweets posted from January 2020 to March 2022. While there were small differences in sentiment observed, a “broadly […]
No-Opioid Strategy Sharply Reduced Prescribing After Urologic Cancer Surgery
A protocol focusing on non-opioid pain control measures, as well as patient education, helped eliminate the need for post-discharge opioid prescriptions after major urologic cancer surgery, according to a cohort study. Among nearly 650 opioid-naive patients, the rate of opioid prescriptions at discharge was 57.9% for those who received an instruction sheet that explained the […]
Hormone Infusion Shows Promise for Low Sexual Desire
An infusion of the hormone kisspeptin helped improve low sexual desire in both men and women, two small trials found. In the 37-participant study of heterosexual men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), IV kisspeptin-54 significantly increased activity in key sexual-processing structures of the brain in response to viewing sexual videos compared with placebo (mean […]