Sacral Neuromodulation Promising in Neurogenic Lower Urinary Dysfunction
Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is effective — at least in the short term — for patients with a type of urinary tract dysfunction, according to Swiss investigators. In a sham-controlled, double-blind study, 60 eligible patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) — i.e., with urgency frequency syndrome, urgency incontinence, or chronic urinary retention — had […]
Methadone ODs Didn’t Rise in Pandemic, Supporting Use as At-Home Treatment
Latest Mental Health News THURSDAY, July 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) Giving more patients at-home access to the opioid addiction treatment drug methadone during the COVID pandemic did not lead to more overdose deaths, a nationwide study shows. The research, which covered the period from January 2019 to August 2021, found that the push to let […]
How Realistic Is Radical Prostatectomy Without Prior Biopsy?
In patients with a high suspicion of prostate cancer as determined by molecular imaging, avoiding biopsy prior to radical prostatectomy appeared to be feasible, and “might represent a valid option in well-counseled, selected patients,” according to German researchers. In a case series of 25 men who underwent primary radical prostatectomy without prior biopsy after an […]
Long COVID Patients Turn to ‘Blood Washing’ Procedure
With long COVID patients becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of available treatments, some have now taken to traveling to Cyprus, Germany, and Switzerland for experimental “blood washing,” according to a recent investigation by The BMJ and ITV News. Over the past year, people experiencing this often debilitating condition have visited private clinics for apheresis, […]
Opinion | ‘Don’t Let Me Die in Pain,’ My Patient Pleaded
I still recall the look on my patient’s face and her words 2 years later. “I am done with this life,” she told me. “Don’t let me die in pain,” she added as she folded her hands to physically plead with me. I simply cannot convey in words how painful it was to witness the […]
Recent Monkeypox Symptoms Differ From Those of Prior Outbreaks
Latest Infectious Disease News MONDAY, July 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) – The symptoms of patients with monkeypox in the United Kingdom differ from those in previous outbreaks of the virus, a new study shows. It said there have been fewer reports of fever and tiredness while reports of skin lesions in the genital and anal […]
First-Time Cesarean Deliveries Increased in Recent Years
Cesarean deliveries have increased in the U.S. over the last few years, driven by a rise in patients who underwent first-time C-sections, according to a CDC report. While the rate of primary C-sections fluctuated from 2016 to 2019, it increased from 2019 to 2021 among women in all age groups, reported Michelle Osterman, MHS, of […]
Therapeutic Use of Cannabis: Risks, Benefits, Legality
ORLANDO — As more patients seek cannabis products for pain relief and other indications, clinicians’ knowledge of the products, risks, and benefits becomes paramount in guiding safe and effective use, a primary care practitioner in pain management said here. As many as 80% of patients who seek medical cannabis want it for pain, and about […]
Genotype Tied to Azathioprine Discontinuation for Toxicity
Patients with inflammatory conditions who have the CC genotype were at greater risk both for discontinuing the use of azathioprine (Imuran) due to hematopoietic toxicity and for needing to switch to lower doses, a retrospective cohort study found. In a competing-risk analysis involving over 1,400 such patients starting on azathioprine, those who carried the CC […]
MRI-Guided HIFU Effective in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
MRI-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is effective in patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, researchers reported. According to the team’s multicenter, single-arm, phase IIb study of 101 patients who received the treatment, 96% had no evidence of grade group 2 or higher prostate cancer on 6-month MRI-targeted and systematic biopsy in the treated area of the […]