‘Where does it hurt?’ predicts chronic pain outcomes, study shows
Pain distribution as reported on a body map, on its own, can be used to assign patients to distinct subgroups that are associated with differences in pain intensity, pain quality, pain impact and clinically-relevant three-month outcomes, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Benedict Alter of University […]
How to Stop OCD Cleaning: Treatments for Germaphobes
Patients can stop obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) cleaning through various treatments, such as different therapies, stimulants and medications. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, often debilitating condition characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted and cause anxiety or distress. Compulsions (also called […]
AAN Issues Formal Position Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine
Based on existing evidence, neurologists should recommend COVID-19 vaccination to their patients, a newly released American Academy of Neurology (AAN) paper said. “Barring the rare circumstance of an absolute contraindication to available vaccine formulations, it is the American Academy of Neurology’s formal position that eligible patients should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine,” wrote Elisabeth Marsh, […]
More Data Support Active Surveillance for Small Renal Masses
Patients with small renal masses avoided interventions in 70% of cases during about 3 years of active surveillance that had a standard protocol to identify progression requiring intervention, investigators reported. During 31-34 months of follow-up, 37 of 123 patients met criteria for intervention, and 29 of the 37 underwent delayed intervention. The cohort had a […]
No more finger pricks: A continuous glucose monitor benefits patients with diabetes in more ways than one
A 15-center study of 175 patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in JAMA found that continuous glucose monitoring, compared to blood glucose meter monitoring, or finger pricking, significantly decreased their hemoglobin A1C over eight months (-1.1% versus -0.16%, respectively.) Although the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring for patients with diabetes has been demonstrated before, […]
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, […]
To Pay or Not to Pay: Medicare’s Big Aduhelm Decision
In June, the FDA approved aducanumab (Aduhelm) to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease using the agency’s accelerated approval pathway, despite significant concerns about the evidence regarding the drug’s safety and effectiveness. The agency’s approval decision contradicted the recommendations of its own advisory committee, which voted overwhelmingly against the evidence presented in support of the drug. […]
Novel Drug Helped HIV Patients Achieve Viral Suppression
More than 80% of heavily treatment-experienced HIV patients with multi-drug resistance who received long-acting subcutaneous lenacapavir along with an optimized background regimen experienced viral suppression at week 26, according to results of an ongoing randomized phase II/III trial. Overall, 81% of patients randomized to the investigational agent lenacapavir with an optimized background regimen of antiretroviral […]
Novel autoantibody adds fuel to COVID-19 ‘firestorm’ of inflammation, blood clots: The finding will likely help physicians develop targeted therapies for future COVID patients
Researchers at Michigan Medicine have discovered yet another functional autoantibody in COVID-19 patients that contributes to the disease’s development and the “firestorm” of blood clots and inflammation it induces. A growing body of studies suggests COVID-19 emulates many aspects of systemic autoimmune disorders, including the release of a flurry of overactive immune cells that produce […]
Half of Severe COVID Patients Developed New Medical Issues
Nearly half of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 experienced at least one complication, researchers found in a prospective study. There were 49.7% of patients overall who developed one or more COVID-19 complications, and 43.5% of survivors with a minimum of one complication, reported Ewen M. Harrison, MBChB, PhD, from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and […]