HPV Immunization Program Slashed New Cervical Cancer Cases
The introduction of a human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program in England substantially reduced cases of cervical cancer and incidence of grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN3) in young women, particularly those who received the vaccine at the age of 12 or 13, researchers found. In their register-based population study, estimated relative reductions in cervical cancer […]
Remdesivir Appears Effective in COVID Outpatients, Too
Remdesivir (Veklury) reduced risk of hospitalizations by 87% compared with placebo in outpatients at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, a researcher said. While the raw numbers were small — two in the remdesivir arm versus 15 in the placebo arm — the remdesivir arm had a significantly lower risk of hospitalization (0.7% vs […]
Healthy changes in diet, activity improved treatment-resistant high blood pressure
People with treatment-resistant hypertension successfully reduced their blood pressure by adopting the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, losing weight and improving their aerobic fitness by participating in a structured diet and exercise program at a certified cardiac rehabilitation facility, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal […]
Benefits of Adjuvant Radiation in DCIS Persist Out to 15 Years
Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for good-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) reduced long-term ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) by more than 50% compared with observation, results of a large intergroup study showed. RT, following surgery with or without tamoxifen, decreased 15-year IBR from 15.1% with observation to 7.1%. RT also reduced the odds of invasive local […]
Deadly Arrhythmias Less of a Risk for HF Patients on Dapagliflozin
An SGLT2 inhibitor seemed to offer protection from reduced ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure patients, according to a post hoc analysis of DAPA-HF. In that trial, the cohort randomized to dapagliflozin (Farxiga) had a reduced first occurrence of any ventricular arrhythmia, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or sudden death (5.9% vs 7.4% for placebo group; HR 0.79, […]
Fertility and Fatherhood: Don’t Wait Too Long
Increasing paternal age reduced the chance of achieving live birth following assisted reproductive technology (ART), according to a retrospective study. After adjusting for maternal age, the probability of a successful live birth through in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) decreased with paternal age over 50 versus age ≤35 (OR 0.674, 95% CI […]
Support for MRI-Targeted Biopsy in Prostate Cancer Screening
A prostate cancer screening strategy using MRI with targeted and standard biopsy reduced the detection of clinically insignificant cancers as well as unnecessary biopsies, researchers reported. Such an approach was also as effective as a standard biopsy strategy in detecting clinically significant cancers, said Tobias Nordstrom, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, in […]
Migraine Frequency, Severity Drop Substantially With Diet Interventions
A diet higher in two omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), reduced headache frequency and intensity and lowered levels of pain-related lipids in migraine patients, a randomized controlled trial showed. Compared with people on a diet higher in linoleic acid (omega-6), people who consumed more EPA and DHA experienced 30% to […]
Tenofovir Treatment Lessened Risk of Severe COVID Infection in HBV
Treatment with tenofovir reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), a researcher reported. In the database study of adults with HBV already on tenofovir (Biktarvy) or entecavir at 28 Spanish hospitals, patients on tenofovir had a 6% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 versus 36% of those […]