CDC: Children’s Brain Infections Rose Last Winter, But Remained Rare
Pediatric intracranial infections spiked recently and were associated with significant morbidity but remained rare, according to CDC researchers monitoring cases across the country. Hospitalization data through March 2023 from 37 hospitals in 19 states and the District of Columbia showed a “higher-than-expected number” of pediatric intracranial infections, particularly those caused by Streptococcus bacteria, beginning in […]
FDA OKs Olaparib-Abiraterone for Metastatic Prostate Cancer
The FDA has approved the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) in combination with abiraterone (Zytiga) for BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), the agency announced Wednesday. Adult patients should be selected for the combination therapy — which is given with prednisone (or prednisolone) — based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic test to detect deleterious or suspected […]
Genetic Risk Score Predicts Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
With new genetic variants identified for preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, researchers created polygenic risk scores (PRS) that may better identify candidates for prophylactic low-dose aspirin among pregnant mothers. There were 18 independent genetic loci significantly associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) — 12 of them new (i.e., MTHFR-CLCN6, WNT3A, NPR3, PGR, and RGL3) — […]
Long COVID Cognitive, Depressive Symptoms Tied to Brain Inflammation Marker
An index of gliosis was linked with persistent neurocognitive symptoms after mild or moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection, a small case-control study showed. Compared with healthy controls, PET measures of translocator protein total distribution volume (TSPO VT), a marker of gliosis, was elevated in people with ongoing cognitive and depressive symptoms after COVID-19 (mean percentage difference 17%), […]
Treating Early Hospitalization Blood Pressure Deemed a No-No for Patient Safety
For older people hospitalized with noncardiovascular diagnoses, intensive lowering of asymptomatic inpatient blood pressures (BPs) may constitute overtreatment and lead to harm, observational data suggested. U.S. veterans acutely treated for elevated systolic BP in the first 48 hours of hospitalization — without evidence of acute end organ damage — suffered more adverse events when counting […]
Certain Toxic Effects Higher With Newer Prostate Cancer Therapies
Second-generation anti-androgens (AAs) for the treatment of prostate cancer are associated with an increased risk of cognitive and functional toxic effects, according to results from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Across 12 randomized trials involving over 13,000 patients, increased risks of cognitive toxic effects (risk ratio [RR] 2.10, 95% CI 1.30-3.38, P=0.002) and fatigue (RR […]
Neurologic Events After COVID-19 Vaccines Assessed
All patients hospitalized with new or relapsing neurologic events after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at a New York tertiary hospital had one or more risk factors for their neurologic condition, a prospective study showed. The most prominent neurologic index events in these vaccinated patients were ischemic stroke (37.7%), encephalopathy (32.6%), seizure (15.9%), and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH; 9.4%), […]
FDA Approves First Oral Antiviral Drug for COVID-19
The FDA has granted full approval to nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) for treating adult outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at risk for severe disease, the agency announced on Thursday. “Today’s approval demonstrates that Paxlovid has met the agency’s rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness, and that it remains an important treatment option for people […]
No Access to Routine Healthcare Biggest Barrier to HPV Vaccination
BALTIMORE — People with access to routine healthcare were more likely to have received human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination compared with those who did not have this access, a retrospective analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data suggested. Among participants ages 12 to 26, those with health insurance and a routine healthcare provider had […]
Obesity-Related Medication Use Remains Low After Bariatric Surgery
Fewer patients with obesity used lipid-lowering, cardiovascular, or antidiabetic drugs after bariatric surgery compared with matched patients who did not have surgery for morbid obesity, a population-based cohort study in Sweden and Finland found. Bariatric surgery patients had a lower probability of receiving a prescription for one of the three categories of medication in all […]