‘Concerning’ Opioid Prescribing in Patients With Cirrhosis
Nearly one in five patients with cirrhosis were prescribed opioids during outpatient visits, more often than not by a primary care physician (PCP), according to a national analysis of over 10 million ambulatory visits. From 2006 to 2016, 17% of all outpatient visits for patients with cirrhosis resulted in an opioid prescription, usually a refill, […]
Tranexamic Acid Eased Blood Loss During Myomectomy
Among women with large uterine fibroids, the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) reduced blood loss during myomectomies, according to a retrospective cohort study. Patients who underwent a myomectomy to remove uterine fibroids with a total weight greater than 173 g had lower estimated blood loss after receiving TXA compared with those who did not (205.6 […]
Keeping chocolate milk smooth, stable without carrageenan: Unique high-pressure jet processing of chocolate milk may reduce the use of the controversial emulsifier
Fat-free chocolate milk processed for the first time with high-pressure jet technology exhibits enhanced viscosity, stabilizing cocoa particles in the fluid and eliminating the need for adding a controversial emulsifier. That’s the conclusion of a team of Penn State researchers, whose study suggests that the new technology can preclude the use of carrageenan in chocolate […]
Persistence pays off in the human gut microbiome
The human gut microbiome is a complex community of trillions of microbes that are constantly interacting with each other and our bodies. It supports our wellbeing, immune system and mental health — but how is it sustained? Researchers in the UK and Germany, alongside other international collaborators, have investigated the evolution of bacteria in the […]
Managing Agitation in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
For patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who exhibit agitation, suboptimal treatments have been overused while better-tolerated and possibly more-effective interventions have been underused, according to findings reported at Psych Congress, held virtually and in San Antonio. In this first of four exclusive episodes, MedPage Today brought together three expert leaders in the field — […]
Coffee Causes This One Arrhythmia, Trial Shows
Coffee consumption had a complex relationship with arrhythmias, a randomized trial with real-time electrocardiography patch monitoring showed. Premature atrial contractions weren’t caused by coffee consumption, whereas premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were, reported Gregory Marcus, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, at the American Heart Association (AHA) virtual meeting. PVCs were 54% more likely […]
Iron Load in NAFLD Tied to Higher Liver Cancer Risk
Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) had a significantly higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on elevated biomarker levels of serum iron or transferrin saturation, a researcher reported. In an analysis of over 18,000 NAFLD patients, elevated serum iron levels over 175 μg/dL were associated with a more than two-fold higher risk […]
How Did the COVID Pandemic Affect Liver Transplant Outcomes?
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on liver transplantation outcomes, with lower graft survival and patient survival at 90 days post-transplant versus a pre-pandemic time period, a researcher said. Graft survival was significantly lower during the COVID versus pre-COVID period (95.2% vs 96.0%) and there was a significant decline in patient survival (96.0% vs […]
Researchers find benefits and drawbacks to two-step surgical approach for ‘leaky heart valves’: Study finds better short-term outcomes, but increased need for a pacemaker
Patients with mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation, a condition sometimes called “leaky heart valves,” appeared to do better after two years if they had a tricuspid valve repair at the time of mitral valve surgery, according to a study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes […]
Sleep Apnea Tied to Risk for Severe COVID-19
Sleep-related hypoxia was associated with worse outcomes in COVID-19 patients, a retrospective study found. In the case-control study involving patients in the Cleveland Clinic Health System, sleep-related hypoxia was linked with greater COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality (adjusted HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08-1.57, P=0.005), reported Reena Mehra, MD, MS, of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute […]