Oct 3rd, 2022 - Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure with use of a novel, disc-like occluder (the Leftear device [Pulse Scientific]) has demonstrated a high rate of procedural success, and satisfactory safety and efficacy for stroke prevention among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). These findings were published in the journal JACC: Asia. Researchers sought to explore the effectiveness and s...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Topline results were announced from a large global phase 3 confirmatory study of lecanemab for the treatment of early Alzheimer disease. Lecanemab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that works by selectively binding to, neutralizing, and eliminating soluble toxic amyloid beta aggregates. The investigational agent was by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2022 for the treatment of mi...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - The Kardia Mobile 6-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) device is superior for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) when compared with a pair of single-lead smartwatches according to cardiologists’ interpretation. These findings were published in the American Heart Journal. A prospective, nonrandomized study compared ECG-based devices for AF detection at a nonacademic, regional hospital in Blaricum, the...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Increased levels of air pollution were linked to a slight uptick in new diagnoses of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in California residents, according to an ecologic study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. “These data provide support for the role of environmental pollutants, especially air pollutants, in the development of IBS,” Philip N.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Patients with alopecia areata (AA) prefer to make treatment decisions with their dermatologist with use of shared decision making (SDM), researchers reported in a study published in JAMA Dermatology. The findings are based on a cross-sectional study that used an online survey to assess patient preferences in SDM during AA treatment decision making and to determine which aspects of their involve...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is not associated with an increased risk for venous thromboembolism events, and neither are JAK inhibitors when used to treat AD, according to data from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Dermatology. Investigators conducted a comprehensive literature search on electronic databases for cohort studies analyzing the association of AD with incident venou...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Young children and adolescent patients present differently with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), according to study results published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. For the study, researchers sourced data from the European Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Registry (pEEr) registry, which was initiated in 2015 by the Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Working Gr...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - While great strides have been made in children’s leukemia care during the past 50 years, statistics have remained grim. For acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common type, 5-year survival rates were just 69% for children younger than 15 between 2009 and 2015.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Patients undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy who develop potentially serious neurotoxicity from the therapy show elevated plasma levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) prior to the treatment, suggesting a possibly important predictor of risk for the side effect. “This is the first study to show NfL levels are elevated even before CAR T treatment is given,” first author.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - According to research published in Lancet Haematology, a novel approach to haploidentical bone marrow transplantation results in excellent overall survival (OS) with minimal graft vs host disease (GVHD) in patients with relapsed or refractory severe aplastic anemia and may now be considered a standard salvage treatment for the disorder. The researchers reported the outcomes of BMT CTN 1502, a s...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - The association between increasing age and risk for type 1 myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with HIV is more significant among those with vs without hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection, suggesting that HCV status should be considered when evaluating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in this patient population. These study findings were published in The Journal of the American Heart Associ...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Historically, psychology and psychiatry have mostly focused on negative emotions and pathological states. However, during the last few decades, new developments in both disciplines have created novel vistas for a more comprehensive understanding of human behavior.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - FIRST OF 4 PARTS What does wellness mean to you? A 2018 survey posed this question to more than 6,000 people living with depression and bipolar disorder. In addition to better treatment and greater understanding of their illnesses, other priorities emerged: a longing for better days, a sense of purpose, and a longing to function well and be happy.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - According to the second law of thermodynamics, it is inevitable that entropy will continue to increase over time. 1 Entropy is a measure of disorder, which can eventuate in chaos and lead to profound uncertainty, with serious psychological consequences.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Murray et al have written a timely, thoughtful, and useful article (“Smoking cessation: Varenicline and the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events,” Current Psychiatry, July 2022, p. 41-45) about the role of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist varenicline for helping patients stop smoking, which is still the main preventable cause of morbidity and premature death.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an essential barrier of closely spaced cells that regulates entry into the CNS. What passes should be highly regulated to protect the brain from potentially harmful peripheral cells or molecules from the rest of the body.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - SECOND OF 2 PARTS For patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the intensity, duration, and frequency of an individual’s anxiety and worry are out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of an anticipated event, and they often find it difficult to prevent worrisome thoughts from interfering with daily life. 1 Successful treatment for GAD is patient-specific and requires clinici.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Ms. D, age 45, has major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), migraines, and hypertension.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Medical record documentation serves as a reminder of previous discussions with patients and what happened during their visits, a reimbursement justification for services, a communication tool to coordinate care with current and future clinicians, and a basis for defense in legal or regulatory matters. 1,2 Documentation should be thorough, accurate, timely, and objective, with the ultimate goal o.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - The current academic psychiatry paradigm reinforces that lithium reduces suicide risk, more so than other medications, including valproate. However, data from multiple sources contradict this “evidence-based” belief.