Ravulizumab Showed Preclinical Promise for ALS. What Happened?
Ravulizumab (Ultomiris), a terminal complement C5 inhibitor, did not improve functional status and survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the phase III CHAMPION-ALS trial showed. No significant difference between ravulizumab and placebo emerged in Combined Assessment of Function and Survival (CAFS) scores at week 50 (mean difference of 5.5 points, 95% CI -15.7 […]
Testosterone Loss in Older Men: Factors Beyond Age in the Mix
Numerous factors — including body mass index (BMI), lifestyle, relationship status, and a number of disease states — were tied with declining testosterone levels in men over 70, researchers found. In a meta-analysis including about 25,000 men, testosterone levels were fairly stable from ages 17 to 70, but then started to significantly drop after that […]
Symposium on Monkeypox Stigma Interrupted by Protesters
MONTREAL — A symposium on the status of the monkeypox outbreak at the International AIDS Conference was briefly interrupted by protesters demanding that the U.S.’s stockpile of smallpox vaccines, which could be used to prevent monkeypox, be released to the world. A group of about 50 activists mounted the stage with whistles, shouts, and signs, […]
What Is Included in a Mental Status Examination? 5 Categories
A mental status examination is an assessment of the patient’s behavioral and cognitive functioning, which may include the following elements. A mental status examination includes: General observations made during the clinical encounter: Appearance: Body habitus Dressing/grooming Hygiene Grooming Posture General behavior: Eye contact Cooperativeness Defensiveness Irritability Shyness Relaxed Resistant Withdrawn Level of consciousness (state of […]
Humans managed shellfish and their predators for millennia
Due to their protected status, sea otter populations have rebounded across the Pacific Northwest Coast following their near elimination during the historic maritime fur trade. But the recovery of these shellfish predators and the federal laws now protecting them challenge local Indigenous communities who hold constitutionally protected rights to harvest those same shellfish but who […]