Diagnosis, Death in Pulmonary Fibrosis Seen Earlier in Black Patients
Black patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) consistently experienced poor outcomes associated with their disease at earlier ages than other groups, including hospitalization and death, according to U.S. registry data spanning nearly two decades. In an analysis from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Registry (PFFR) from 2003 to 2021, a PF diagnosis in Black individuals occurred about […]
First Treatment Approved for Rare Genetic Neurologic Disorder
The FDA approved trofinetide (Daybue), the first drug to treat adult and pediatric patients age 2 and older with Rett syndrome, drugmaker Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced Friday. “Now, for the first time after decades of clinical research, healthcare providers finally have a treatment option to address a range of core behavioral, communication, and physical symptoms for […]
Immediate Complete Revascularization Non-Inferior to Staged Procedure
NEW ORLEANS – Immediate complete revascularization was non-inferior to staged complete revascularization in patients who presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and multivessel disease, according to BIOVASC trial findings. In the prospective, open-label study, the composite primary outcome occurred in 7.6% of 764 patients in the immediate complete revascularization group and in 9.4% of 761 […]
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 […]
Pembrolizumab Active in BCG-Unresponsive Papillary High-Risk Bladder Cancer
SAN FRANCISCO — Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) monotherapy showed encouraging antitumor activity in patients with papillary high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HR NMIBC) that was unresponsive to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment. In a cohort of patients in the KEYNOTE-057 study who had 45 months of follow-up, those treated with pembrolizumab (n=32) had an estimated 12-month disease-free survival (DFS) […]
Chest CTs Reveal Abnormalities 2 Years After Severe COVID
Two years after hospitalization for severe COVID-19 illness, more than a third of patients from the pandemic’s early days had lingering pulmonary abnormalities on chest CT scans, according to a prospective study from Wuhan, China. The incidence of persistent interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) fell over follow-up after hospital discharge from Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, dropping from […]
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 […]
Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain, Not Full Agonist Opioids, New VA Guidance Says
Buprenorphine, rather than a full agonist opioid, should be used for patients taking daily opioids for chronic pain, given its lower risk for overdose or misuse, new guidelines from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) recommended. But “the guideline development group does not recommend use of opioid analgesics in the […]
Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Proves Mettle in Minor Stroke
DALLAS — Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) proved non-inferior to IV alteplase in Chinese patients with minor non-disabling stroke, a researcher reported. In the ARAMIS trial of patients with acute minor stroke who presented within 4.5 hours of onset, and had no “clearly disabling deficit,” functional outcome was similar between the two methods, according to Thanh […]
Oral Drug Shows Benefit for Notalgia Paresthetica in Mid-Stage Trial
A selective kappa opioid receptor agonist in patients with notalgia paresthetica led to “modestly” greater improvements in itchiness over placebo, but was associated with adverse events, a randomized phase II trial showed. At 8 weeks, improvements in average itchiness was significantly greater with oral difelikefalin (Korsuva) versus placebo on the Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale […]