FDA Panel Favors Dropping OTC Decongestant
Hundreds of allergy and cold medicines on retail shelves contain oral phenylephrine, with brands including Sudafed PE and Suphedrine PE totaling over a billion dollars in sales each year. However, that oral decongestant — the only one available outside the pharmacy — doesn’t work, an FDA advisory panel said. All 16 voting members of the […]
One PrEP Regimen Linked to Higher Risk of Hypertension, Statin Use Over Another
Use of tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was associated with an increased risk of hypertension and the initiation of statin use within 2 years compared with the use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF; Viread), especially for people over age 40, a retrospective cohort study found. In a cohort of patients without […]
Patients With Narcolepsy Face Mood and Pain Disorders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — People with narcolepsy frequently had mood and pain comorbidities that complicated diagnosis and treatment plans, observational data showed. In a propensity-matched cohort analysis of more than 4,000 individuals, people with narcolepsy were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.86-2.40, P<0.001) or chronic pain syndrome […]
Lorundrostat Stands a Chance Against Obesity-Related Hypertension
Among selected people with uncontrolled hypertension, blood pressure (BP) could be successfully reduced with a highly selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor, a phase II dose-finding trial found. In hypertensive patients with suppressed renin — theoretically the group most likely to benefit from reining in aldosterone production — reductions of automated office systolic BP reached up to […]
Delayed-Release ADHD Therapy Slightly Mitigates Slowed Growth in Kids
NASHVILLE — Youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) saw mildly different growth trajectories with certain popular medications, researchers reported. Compared with youth prescribed lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX; Vyvanse), those who took delayed release/extended-release methylphenidate (DR/ER-MPH; Jornay PM) saw a greater weight trajectory in the first year after starting treatment (estimated post-index slope 2.65 for LDX vs 7.22, […]
Standard Lymphoma Therapies Tied to Higher Risk for New Malignancies
Use of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) for patients with aggressive lymphoma was associated with an increased risk of certain second primary malignancies (SPMs), according to a retrospective Danish population-based cohort study. The overall SPM rate was higher among lymphoma patients compared with matched controls from the general population (HR 2.35, 95% […]
Women with PCOS on keto diet may see improvements in fertility
The ketogenic (keto) diet may lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a new paper published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. PCOS is the most common hormone disorder in women, affecting 7-10% of women of childbearing age. It can cause infertility and raises the risk of developing diabetes, […]
Common Food Additives Singled Out for Cardiovascular Risk
Food additive emulsifiers were individually associated with modest increases in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a large French epidemiological cohort, researchers found. Various types of emulsifiers — widely used to keep oils and water mixed together and prolong the shelf-life of processed foods — were positively associated with higher risks of CVD and coronary heart disease […]
You’re Probably Carrying Your Laptop Wrong — And It Could Actually Hurt You
Vera Vita via Getty Images If you like to carry your laptop with one hand, or with the keyboard open, you’re carrying your laptop all wrong, and your body is paying the price. If you notice that your wrists and back are aching constantly, the culprit could be how you carry your laptop. These slim […]
Prostate Cancer Is Not Just an ‘Old Man’s Disease’
Gabe Canales’ experience with low-risk prostate cancer nearly matches mine — with a couple of caveats, including a 27-year difference in the ages at which we were both diagnosed. I was 62 years old with a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, close to the average age of diagnosis. Canales was just 35. Canales, author of […]