Francesco Pata, MD, PhD, of Università della Calabria in Rende, Italy, and his team were faced with a diagnostic dilemma when a 70-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting for the past 3 days. The patient had a medical history of high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure. However, she had
Health
Dr. Pieter Cohen of Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Massachusetts, has expressed concern over the high rate of mislabeled melatonin gummies. He warns that melatonin should not be considered equivalent to a warm glass of milk. Doctors Tend to Be More Neurotic A study conducted by health economist Dr. Mehdi Ammi of Carleton University in
The American Heart Association recently released a scientific statement that ranked the top 10 popular diets based on adherence to its 2021 dietary guidelines. The organization gave a low ranking to several diets that claimed to be good for the heart. Christopher Gardner, PhD, of Stanford University in California, who chaired the committee that wrote
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis have shown that intravenous sodium thiosulphate is ineffective in treating calciphylaxis in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study, which consisted of 12 clinical trials, found no significant difference in skin lesion improvement between patients who were treated with sodium thiosulphate and those who were not. Furthermore, 15
At a hearing on healthcare transparency and competition, both Republican and Democrat House members expressed concern over the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent decision to restrict access to Alzheimer’s drug treatments aducanumab (Aduhelm) and lecanemab (Leqembi), which inhibit amyloid. They argued that the decision hinders early intervention with the progressive disease and
A phase II study has found that adding a postinduction course of blinatumomab (Blincyto) to chemotherapy is safe and highly effective for treating an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants. The study, conducted by researchers from the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, the Netherlands, found that the regimen, which
A randomized trial from Italy showed that two types of bariatric-metabolic surgery are more effective than lifestyle modification plus best medical care in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In the study, over 200 patients with obesity and biopsy-confirmed NASH who completed the trial were assigned to Roux-en-Y and sleeve gastrectomy. The primary endpoint of histological resolution
Xavier Becerra, former HHS Secretary, testified before Congress and was questioned about the implementation of the No Surprises Act. The Act was passed in 2020 to prevent surprise medical bills and ensure fair negotiations between insurance companies and healthcare providers. However, there have been many challenges with its implementation. Senator Michael Bennet criticized the implementation
A clinical trial has found that using hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with mitomycin C alongside surgery for locally advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) has significantly reduced the risk of locoregional recurrence. At the end of three years, patients who underwent cytoreduction plus HIPEC with mitomycin C had a 10% increase in locoregional control compared to those
Tofersen (Qalsody) has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with SOD1 gene mutations. This marks the first time an ALS drug has been approved under the accelerated approval pathway, and the second ALS drug approved in under 12 months. Tofersen is an antisense oligonucleotide that targets SOD1