Sleep Problems Tied to Increased Stroke Risk
Many symptoms of poor sleep may be linked to an increased risk of acute stroke, according to the case-control INTERSTROKE study. Stroke patients were more than twice as likely to report shorter sleep (less than 5 hours; OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.09-4.76) and longer sleep (more than 9 hours; OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.89-3.78) in […]
Maternal Mortality Rose Significantly in 2021, CDC Says
Maternal mortality in the U.S. significantly increased in 2021 compared with the previous year, the CDC reported Thursday. A total of 1,205 women died of maternal causes in 2021, compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019, according to the report from Donna Hoyert, PhD, of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The […]
Depressive Symptoms Linked to Higher Risk of Acute Stroke
Symptoms of depression were associated with an increased risk of acute stroke, according to an international case-control study. Among more than 26,000 participants in the INTERSTROKE study, self-reported depressive symptoms were associated with significantly greater odds of acute stroke (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.34-1.58), including ischemic stroke (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.32-1.58) and intracerebral hemorrhage […]
Use of Active Surveillance in Prostate Cancer on the Rise, but Highly Variable
While use of active surveillance for the management of low-risk prostate cancer has increased in the U.S., it still varies widely both at the practitioner level and even within urology practices, according to a cohort study. Looking at over 20,000 patients included in a quality reporting registry, the rate of active surveillance increased “sharply and […]
ICI-Related Myocarditis Deaths Down With Tailored Non-Corticosteroid Strategy
For immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated myocarditis, increased vigilance of respiratory muscle failure and initiation of JAK‐STAT pathway inhibition led to a jump in patient survival at a Paris hospital. Based on 40 consecutive cancer patients admitted to Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris with confirmed ICI-associated myocarditis, the incidence of related death dropped from 60% during the […]
Reassuring Findings on Bivalent COVID Booster in Hemodialysis Patients
Anti-spike IgG concentrations against BA.4/5 significantly increased in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) following a bivalent booster, particularly in those without a prior Omicron infection, a case series from Germany found. The study looked at 55 ESRD patients on hemodialysis who had received four prior doses of a monovalent vaccine, including about a third […]
Ultra-processed foods may be linked to increased risk of cancer
Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods may be linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from cancer, an Imperial College London-led observational study suggests. Researchers from Imperial’s School of Public Health have produced the most comprehensive assessment to date of the association between ultra-processed foods and the risk of developing cancers. Ultra-processed foods are […]
More Antipsychotics Given for Dementia During Pandemic
Antipsychotic drug prescribing rates among people with dementia increased markedly during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a multinational database study showed. Notably, those rates did not return to prepandemic levels after the acute phase of the pandemic had ended, Kenneth K.C. Man, PhD, of University College London School of Pharmacy, and colleagues reported […]
Adding Targeted Drug to Chemo Boosts Survival in Esophageal/GEJ Cancer
SAN FRANCISCO — Adding a Claudin (CLDN) inhibitor to chemotherapy significantly increased progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in locally advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer and CLDN 18.2 expression, a randomized trial showed. Median PFS increased from 8.67 months with modified FOLFOX chemotherapy to 10.61 months with the addition of investigational zolbetuximab. Median OS improved […]
IBD Risk Higher After Antibiotics
Antibiotics were linked with increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially among individuals 40 or older, in a population-based study conducted in Denmark. Of more than 6 million individuals followed for approximately 19 years, antibiotic use was associated with nearly 50% increased incidence of IBD in people ages 40 to 60 (IRR 1.48, 95% […]