COVID-19: Persistent Cognitive Effects, Uptick in Alzheimer’s Biomarkers
Cognitive impairment was correlated with persistent anosmia in older adults recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, initial findings from a large international consortium showed. Severity of cognitive impairment was significantly correlated with severity of olfactory dysfunction (χ2=13.82, P=0.003) but not with the severity of acute COVID-19, Gabriel de Erausquin, MD, PhD, MSc, of the University of Texas […]
New study reveals serious long-term complications in youth-onset type 2 diabetes
Phil Zeitler, MD, PhD, has been treating youth with type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. He and a team of researchers published a paper today on the TODAY2 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on the long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. (TODAY stands for Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes […]
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 […]
New dietary treatment for epilepsy well tolerated and reduced seizures, study finds
The first clinical trial of a new dietary treatment for children and adults with severe forms of epilepsy, co-developed by UCL researchers and based on the ketogenic diet, has been successfully completed. For the study, published in Brain Communications, clinicians evaluated the use of K.Vita®, (also known as Betashot), an oral liquid dietary supplement developed […]
If You See Me In A Tank Top, Please Don’t Ask Me Where I Got My Scars
Warning: This essay includes descriptions of self-harm. Post-vaccination, I met up with a friend in a park. True to Austin weather, it was hot and humid. Sweat dripped down my back. As we chatted, I noticed my friend staring at my left arm at the scars that begin at my wrist and continue up to […]
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, […]
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 […]
FDA OKs First Drug for Symptoms of Rare Liver Disease in Kids
The FDA approved odevixibat (Bylvay) for treating young children with intense itching caused by progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), manufacturer Albireo Pharma announced on Tuesday. Odevixibat becomes the first therapy for the rare disease and was approved to treat pruritus in all PFIC subtypes for patients ages 3 months and older. It was described as […]
HIV Independently Tied to More Severe COVID-19
HIV was independently associated with a higher risk for severe or critical COVID-19, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis. In a study of people living with HIV in Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America who also were hospitalized for COVID-19, HIV infection was linked with an increased risk of severe or critical COVID-19 […]