National Database Study Finds Higher Risk for Barrett’s Esophagus in IBD
ORLANDO – People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) faced higher odds of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and BE without dysplasia, but not BE-linked malignancy, according to a cross-sectional study. Among patients diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), the prevalence of BE was 0.077%, while the prevalence of BE in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) came in at […]
Insurance Loss After Pregnancy Tied to Less Postpartum Prescription Contraception
BALTIMORE — Women who lost insurance coverage shortly after pregnancy had lower odds of prescription contraception after giving birth than women with continuous insurance, survey data from nearly 250,000 people showed. Compared with continuous insurance, the likelihood of postpartum prescription contraception was 26% lower with loss of insurance 2 months or more after delivery (adjusted […]
E-Cigs in Early Adolescence Tied to Heavier Smoking Later On
Use of electronic cigarettes during early adolescence appeared to increase the odds of any smoking and more frequent tobacco cigarette use in later adolescence, according to longitudinal data from two large-scale cohorts in the U.K. and U.S. Among youths who began smoking before age 15, the odds of later adolescent smoking were significantly higher for […]
Healthcare Workers Who Wear Better Masks Get Less COVID
Healthcare workers had better odds of outmaneuvering SARS-CoV-2 infection while wearing a respirator mask rather than a surgical mask, an observational study showed. Among workers exposed to COVID-19 patients, those who always donned a respirator mask had a lower likelihood of infection (21% vs 35% for those that did not; OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.39-0.61), […]
$150K Prostate Cancer Drug Draws New Attention to ‘March-In’ Rights
In the ongoing debate about how to address skyrocketing prescription drug prices, experts are at odds over whether the federal government should grant “march-in” rights for patents on the prostate cancer drug enzalutamide (Xtandi). Supporters, including prostate cancer patients who are currently petitioning HHS for a hearing on the matter, say granting march-in rights to […]
Black Prostate Cancer Patients Less Likely to Go Under the Knife During Pandemic
The odds of undergoing surgery for prostate cancer were significantly lower for Black patients compared with white patients during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a retrospective cohort study. Just 1% of Black men with untreated nonmetastatic prostate cancer underwent prostatectomy from March to May 2020 compared with 26% of white men, […]