Nov 21st, 2021 - Isatuximab is a CD38 monoclonal antibody approved for use in combination with pomalidomide plus dexamethasone to treat adults with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies. Because isatuximab is a relatively new treatment option, published guidelines for oncology nurses are limited. This article provides nurses with guidance on all aspects of isatuxima...

Sep 29th, 2021 - Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a previously unrecognized and potentially catastrophic illness that appears in children who have been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19. As healthcare agents and members of the community, nurses are positioned to assist in identifying children who may experience previously unrecognized complications of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Sep 14th, 2021 - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reaffirmed its 2014 guidance on recommending chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in all sexually active women ages 24 and younger, and for older women at increased risk for infection, regardless of pregnancy status (B rating). No luck for asymptomatic men, however, as there remain insufficient data on the benefits and harms of screening (I rating)....

Sep 1st, 2021 - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for most renal malignancies. This article, the last in a three-part series, presents treatment options for RCC using the American Joint Committee on Cancer Tumor, Node, and Metastasis staging system as a framework, as well as nursing-care options for patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy.

Aug 19th, 2021 - It’s imperative to stay diligent of the immune-related adverse events (AEs) that patients with cancer may experience from checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapy agents, especially with regards to treatment continuation and keeping hospitalizations low, according to Grace Cherry, RN, MS, NP, of the melanoma program at University of California Los Angeles. If you're an oncology nurse, y...

Aug 16th, 2021 - No significant increased risk of Bell's palsy was seen after the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, but risk did increase for people who received the CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech) shot, a vaccine that uses an inactivated virus, an analysis in Hong Kong showed. Compared with the background population, the age-standardized difference for Bell's palsy incidence was 41.5 (95% CI 11.7-71.4) per 100,000 per...

Aug 9th, 2021 - Two widely used rapid screening tests for COVID-19, which check for SARS-CoV-2 antigens, missed a significant fraction of infected individuals when used in a real-world setting, researchers reported. Among 2,215 "all-comers" tested at a German diagnostics lab, with 338 ultimately showing positive results with PCR testing, Roche's SD Biosensor and Abbott's Panbio rapid antigen tests showed overa...

Aug 5th, 2021 - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for most renal malignancies. This article, the second in a three-part series, addresses how renal masses are classified, signs and symptoms of RCC, medical treatments for RCC, and priority nursing interventions for patients with RCC.

Aug 2nd, 2021 - Based on existing evidence, neurologists should recommend COVID-19 vaccination to their patients, a newly released American Academy of Neurology (AAN) paper said. "Barring the rare circumstance of an absolute contraindication to available vaccine formulations, it is the American Academy of Neurology's formal position that eligible patients should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine," wrote Elisabet...

Aug 2nd, 2021 - The FDA has approved the type 1 interferon receptor antagonist anifrolumab (Saphnelo) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus along with standard therapy, reported manufacturer AstraZeneca. "This is wonderful, exciting news, and is great for the lupus community -- patients, family members, and clinicians who treat patients," said Richard Furie, MD, chief of rheumato...

Jul 31st, 2021 - To investigate the quality of life (QoL) impact on primary caregivers of children with esophageal atresia. We used a prospective cohort study design, inviting primary caregivers of children with esophageal atresia to complete the following questionnaires: Parent Experience of Child Illness (PECI), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety, PROMIS Depression, 12-I...

Jul 30th, 2021 - FDA expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the monoclonal antibody cocktail casirivimab and imdevimab, to include post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among certain people exposed to COVID-19, manufacturer Regeneron announced on Friday. Casirivimab-imdevimab (REGEN-COV) is the first monoclonal antibody treatment that can be used either as a treatment for COVID-19 or after exposure but pr...

Jul 30th, 2021 - Breakthrough infections were responsible for three-quarters of COVID-19 cases in an outbreak during large public gatherings on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and nearly all sequenced cases were the Delta variant, researchers found. Of 469 cases linked to multiple summer events and large summer gatherings in a small town, 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated people, and almost 80% of those cases wer...

Jul 30th, 2021 - Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Israel approved a third shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for citizens over 60 years of age. (Times of Israel) Shortly after President Biden urged the Defense Department to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for military personnel, the Pentagon said it would start talks on exactly that. (The Hill) As of Friday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unoff...

Jul 29th, 2021 - Total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), in addition to chemotherapy, significantly improved overall survival (OS) in patients with newly diagnosed uterine cancer and distant metastases, a large retrospective analysis showed. The survival hazard decreased by more than 40% with the addition of TAH, and a propensity score-matched analysis showed almost a 9-month gain in median OS. Landmark analyses fo...

Jul 28th, 2021 - Breakthrough COVID-19 cases in fully vaccinated healthcare workers were rare, and generally were associated with the individual's immune response to the vaccine in the early days of infection, an Israeli study found. In 39 breakthrough infections of SARS-CoV-2 out of 1,497 fully vaccinated healthcare workers, neutralizing antibody titers were lower than uninfected controls during the "peri-infe...

Jul 28th, 2021 - Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Spurred on by the highly transmissible Delta variant and a flat-lined vaccination rate, the COVID-19 case count could reach 200,000 per day over the next 4-6 weeks, said former CDC director Tom Frieden, MD. (CNN) Officials at Biogen reportedly withdrew a paper on Alzheimer's drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) rather than agree to revisions r...

Jul 27th, 2021 - Nighttime sleep duration had a protective association against early beta amyloid accumulation in cognitively unimpaired older adults. (JAMA Network Open) Bone loss was linked to cognitive decline in women, independent of aging, with no evidence of one preceding the other. (Journal of Bone and Mineral Research) More cases of a Guillain-Barré syndrome variant that included bilateral facial weakne...

Jul 27th, 2021 - Individuals with a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had twice the risk of subsequently developing lupus, an analysis of a large diverse group of Medicaid enrollees found. The prevalence of PTSD was 10.74 (95% CI 9.37-12.31) per 1,000 among patients who were later diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with 7.83 (95% CI 7.42-8.27) per 1,000 among controls, acc...

Jul 26th, 2021 - Note that some links may require registration or subscription. The American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, and 55 other groups are calling for COVID vaccination mandates for healthcare and long-term care workers. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R), who leads one of the least vaccinated states in the country, didn't mince hers: "It's time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not th...