Practice Management
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved the new non-opioid analgesic suzetrigine (Journavx) to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults. Suzetrigine is an oral tablet that reduces pain by targeting the NaV1.8 pain-signaling pathway in the peripheral nervous system before the pain signals reach the brain. It is the first drug to be approved in this new class of pain management medicines, according to the FDA. Two randomized, double-blind trials of …
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A meta-analysis found that the global prevalence of reported penicillin allergy is 9.4% (ranging from 5-15%), as published in the Journal of Infection, however, much of the data could be skewed because it comes from high-income countries. Researchers analyzed 174 studies from 28 countries. Of those, 72% of the studies were conducted in the United States (95 studies), United Kingdom (18), and Australia (18). Even so, previous research has shown that 95% of people identified …
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While some health officials initially distinguished an emerging tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Kansas City as the largest documented TB outbreak on record in the United States, a report from the Associated Press indicates that it’s likely not the largest. A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the news outlet that there are at least 2 other larger TB outbreaks recorded. According to data from the Kansas Department of Health and …
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Patients are finding positive benefit in the use of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs across a wide range of health conditions, as published in Nature Medicine. An observational study of Veterans Affairs data for nearly 2 million patients found that over about 3 years, adults with type 2 diabetes who used a GLP-1 had significantly decreased risks for 42 outcomes, increased risks for 19 outcomes, and no effect with 114 other outcomes when …
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now require labeling changes for 2 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines to warn of the potential risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) associated with the vaccines. Postmarket observational studies suggest there is an increased risk of GBS during the 42 days following vaccination with Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine for RSV and GSK’s Arexvy vaccine for RSV. Both were approved by FDA in 2023, so they are relatively new in the …
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A group of 58 global clinicians has proposed a new way of identifying obesity that does not rely on body mass index (BMI) alone. They believe waist circumference and direct fat measurement should also be figured in, as well as other signs and symptoms of health, according to an online article in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Current BMI-based measures of obesity can underestimate or overestimate body fat and health status. The clinician group recommends that …
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Kids diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 infection recover fully within 6 months after infection, according to research presented in JAMA Pediatrics. Data came from more than 1,200 pediatric patients treated at 32 North American pediatric hospitals from March 2020 to January 2022. MIS-C is concerning because kids with the diagnosis are at risk for cardiovascular complications, meanwhile, the authors found that myocardial involvement occurred in 60.5% of patients studied. …
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Cases of norovirus are surging in some parts of the United States, with 91 outbreaks as of early December 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Norovirus is often transmitted through fresh food or water, and long-term care facilities, childcare centers, and cruise ships tend to be the most common settings of outbreaks. The most common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Each year, there are about 2,500 reported …
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Virtual appointments may not be the ideal channel for leveraging the Centor Criteria for tonsillitis, which calls for a clinician to check a patient for fever as well as tender and swollen lymph nodes. A cross-sectional study of 189 patients published in Infectious Diseases, analyzed digital assessments in comparison to physical examinations when used to determine clinical recommendations for treatment of tonsillitis. The study included 3 urgent care clinics and 6 primary care practices in …
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The effectiveness of the seasonal influenza vaccine for kids was more than 55% during the respiratory virus seasons from November 2015 to April 2020, according to a study in JAMA Network Open. The 15,728 US children ages 6 months to 17 years who were studied realized protection against emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalization with at least 1 dose of the vaccine. No difference in estimated effectiveness was observed based on varying levels of flu …
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