No Excess Pregnancy, Infant Risks With Ocrelizumab for MS
Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated with ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) had no increased risk of adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes, prospective data showed. Cumulative data did not suggest an increased risk of preterm birth, major congenital anomalies, or other adverse outcomes with ocrelizumab in utero exposure and were consistent with epidemiological data, reported Celia […]
Ivermectin: Still on a Losing Streak as COVID-19 Treatment
WASHINGTON — There were no differences in relief from mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms for patients on ivermectin versus placebo, according to the ongoing ACTIV-6 trial. Among >1,000 vaccinated and unvaccinated patients, the median time to recovery was 12 days for those in the ivermectin group and 13 days in the placebo group, reported Matthew McCarthy, MD, […]
Cutting Unneeded Urine Cultures a Good First Step to Less Antibiotic Use
WASHINGTON — Michigan hospitals were able to cut down on unnecessary treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) thanks to better diagnostic stewardship, according to a study. The percentage of patients with a positive urine culture who had ASB fell from 34.1% in the year 2017 to 22.5% in 2020 in a consortium of 46 hospitals. That […]
Traumatic Experiences Tied to Lower Estrogen Levels in Menopause
ATLANTA — Traumatic life experiences were linked with lower levels of estrogens in menopause, especially for women who got fewer hours of sleep. The finding “underscores the importance of considering trauma in relation to endogenous estrogens, which have implications for women’s midlife health,” researchers noted. In the MsBrain study, postmenopausal women who experienced a traumatic […]
Allergy Meds May Make Drug Overdoses More Dangerous, CDC Says
Antihistamines were involved in at least 15% of recent overdose deaths, according to 2019-2020 data from 43 states and the District of Columbia. Of 92,033 overdose deaths during this time period, 14.7% were antihistamine-positive and 3.6% were antihistamine-involved, reported Amanda Dinwiddie, MPH, of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in Atlanta, and […]
Higher CRP Levels Tied to Cognitive Problems in Older Breast Cancer Survivors
Higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with cognitive problems in older breast cancer survivors, a longitudinal analysis showed. Among participants of the Thinking and Living With Cancer study, breast cancer survivors with higher CRP levels than others reported statistically worse cognition (P=0.040) — a relationship that was not seen in women with no […]
Opinion | ‘We’re So Hungry for Organs Right Now’: What We Heard This Week
“We’re so hungry for organs right now that we are pushing all the limits.” — Wes Ely, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, on transplant surgeons experimenting with a kind of partial resurrection of deceased patients in attempts to harvest more organs. “There’s no world in which sexual abusers should be doctors.” — Carmen […]
CDC: Unvaccinated 14 Times More Likely to Catch Monkeypox
Men eligible for the monkeypox vaccine who did not receive one were roughly 14 times more likely to catch the virus, early real-world effectiveness data from the CDC showed. During the week of August 28, for example, incidence of monkeypox was 230 per 100,000 for those who did not get vaccinated, as compared to 15 […]
What To Do If Your Child Talks About Suicide
No parent is prepared to hear the words, “I wish I were dead,” or “I don’t want to be alive anymore.” When a child says something so shocking, it can be tempting to believe they don’t really understand what they’re saying, or they couldn’t possibly be serious. But if your child expresses thoughts of suicide, […]
Depressive Symptoms in Moms Linked to Unhealthy Behaviors in Teens
Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with an increase in the number of unhealthy adolescent behaviors, a 15-year longitudinal study showed. While unhealthy behaviors were found to be common among adolescents in general, with two out of three engaging in at least one, higher levels of maternal depressive symptoms during a child’s middle childhood and adolescence […]