Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels Increase Pack-Hiding Behavior
But... graphic labels didn’t increase smoking cessation
06/02/2022
Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Those graphic health warning labels that may soon appear on cigarette packs in the United States are designed to scare smokers into quitting and keep...
AREDS2: Follow-Up Study Shows Reformulated Supplement Effective for Preventing AMD Progression
Findings confirm benefits of swapping beta carotene with lutein/zeaxanthin
06/02/2022
John McKenna, Associate Editor, BreakingMED™
The reformulated Age-Related Eye Diseases Study 2 (AREDS2) supplement is safe and also appears to be effective in the prevention of progression of age-related macular...
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: What Is the Optimal Dose for Lowering BP?
Meta-analysis suggests 2-3 g/d
06/02/2022
Candace Hoffmann, Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
Intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 PUFAs)—docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—has been associated with blood pressure lowering in individuals who take supplements...
Risankizumab As Induction, Maintenance Tx for Crohn’s Now Supported by Three RCTs
ADVANCE, MOTIVATE, and FORTIFY all showed better remission rates
06/02/2022
Liz Meszaros, Deputy Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
In patients with Crohn’s disease that is moderately to severely active, treatment with risankizumab—a monoclonal antibody—was effective and safe as both induction and maintenance treatment,...
Prenatal Exposure to Some Epilepsy Drugs Tied to Autism, Intellectual Disability
Risks high for topiramate, valproate, and some duotherapies
06/01/2022
Paul Smyth, MD, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Prenatal exposure to valproate, topiramate, and some duotherapies used for seizure control were linked with an increased risk of child neurodevelopmental disorders, a Nordic register-based...
FDA Pulls Approval of Umbralisib Over Safety Concerns
The agency decided that a possible increased risk of death outweighs the drug’s benefits in treating lymphoma
06/01/2022
Scott Baltic, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED
Based on safety concerns, the U.S. FDA has withdrawn its recent approval for umbralisib, a cancer medication used to treat two types of lymphoma: marginal...
Montana Hires a Medicaid Director With a Managed-Care Past
06/01/2022
Katheryn Houghton and Tony Leys, Kaiser Health News
Montana, one of only about a dozen states with a fully government-run Medicaid program, has hired a new Medicaid director who oversaw managed-care programs in...
AAP: Routine Use of Postnatal Steroids in Preterm Infants Not Warranted
’Evidence remains insufficient’ policy statement concludes
06/01/2022
Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Updated guidelines for preventing life-threatening lung complications in preterm infants, released Tuesday, May 31, by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommend against the routine...
CVD Risk Higher in Patients with Primary Glomerular Disease
Risk of CVD events 2.5-fold higher compared with general population
06/01/2022
Liz Meszaros, Deputy Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
The absolute risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with primary glomerular disease is 2.5-times higher than that of the general population, according to results...
New Kind of T-Cell Therapy Promising Against Pancreatic Cancer
But evidence thus far rests on a single patient with a deep response
06/01/2022
Crystal Phend, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
A new approach to T-cell immunotherapy showed promise against the "deadliest of all common cancers:" pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Researchers reported a case of progressive metastatic pancreatic...
Risdiplam Approved for Use in Infants from Birth
SMN2 modifier now approved for Tx of spinal muscular atrophy in all ages
05/31/2022
Scott Baltic, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED
The FDA has approved a label extension for risdiplam to include babies under 2 months old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Risdiplam is now approved...
Covid-19: Racial Bias in Pulse Ox Led to Undertreatment of Blacks
Treatment delays reported in Black, Hispanic Covid patients
05/31/2022
Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Long-recognized racial and ethnic biases in pulse oximetry have contributed to delays in treatment and overall undertreatment of Black and Hispanic patients with Covid-19 in...
More Evidence Links Gait and Dementia Risk
Greatest risk when changes involve both gait and memory
05/31/2022
Paul Smyth, MD, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Older people with worsening of both gait speed and cognition had an increased risk for incident dementia compared with people who had no worsening in...
Novel Dilated Cardiomyopathy Subtypes Differentiate Prognosis
Three subtypes can be determined based on five clinical parameters
05/31/2022
Crystal Phend, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
A novel set of three subtypes for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) based on clinical parameters improved prognostication, researchers found.The three subtypes — profibrotic metabolic, mild nonfibrotic,...
Covid-19: Racial Bias in Pulse Ox Led to Undertreatment of Blacks
Treatment delays reported in Black, Hispanic Covid patients
05/31/2022
Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Long-recognized racial and ethnic biases in pulse oximetry have contributed to delays in treatment and overall undertreatment of Black and Hispanic patients with Covid-19 in...
More Evidence Links Gait and Dementia Risk
Greatest risk when changes involve both gait and memory
05/31/2022
Paul Smyth, MD, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Older people with worsening of both gait speed and cognition had an increased risk for incident dementia compared with people who had no worsening in...
Novel Dilated Cardiomyopathy Subtypes Differentiate Prognosis
Three subtypes can be determined based on five clinical parameters
05/31/2022
Crystal Phend, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
A novel set of three subtypes for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) based on clinical parameters improved prognostication, researchers found.The three subtypes — profibrotic metabolic, mild nonfibrotic,...
Complicated Carotid Plaques After Ischemic Stroke Associated with Higher Recurrence Risk
MRI successfully IDs patients at highest risk
05/31/2022
Liz Meszaros, Deputy Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
Patients with ischemic stroke with complicated nonstenosing carotid artery plaques (cCAP) ipsilateral to acute ischemic anterior circulation stroke (icCAP) are at an increased risk of...
Pediatric Neuroblastoma Survival Linked to Race/Ethnicity and Poverty
Disparity persists even when treatment is the same
05/30/2022
Peggy Peck, Editor-in-Chief, BreakingMED™
CHICAGO—A retrospective study by researchers with the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) suggests that poor Hispanic children with high-risk neuroblastoma are less likely to survive for...
Metastatic Breast Cancer: Too Few Black Patients in Clinical Trials
Many Black patients never asked to participate in trials
05/30/2022
Peggy Peck, Editor-in-Chief, BreakingMED™
CHICAGO—Black women with metastatic breast cancer are rarely participants in clinical trials because in many cases they simply aren’t asked to participate. But, if they...
ASCO Is Back with First In-Person Meeting Since 2019
More than 30,000 expected to attend
05/30/2022
Peggy Peck, Editor-in-Chief, BreakingMED™
CHICAGO—More than 30,000 oncology professionals are expected here next week for the first in-person American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting since 2019, an event...
Retinal Imaging Shows Promise As Dementia Biomarker
Study adds to mixed evidence linking RNFL thickness and cognition
05/30/2022
Paul Smyth, MD, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
A cohort study with both cross-sectional and longitudinal components added to the growing but mixed evidence that retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured with...
Long Covid: As Many as 1 in 5 Adult Covid Patients Affected
Vaccination no guarantee of protection against long Covid
05/30/2022
Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED™
Vaccinated people with breakthrough cases of Covid-19 who experience mild symptoms of the disease often develop long Covid, according to new research on more than...
Can AI Lend a Hand in Assessing Bias Risk for Systematic Reviews?
Machine-learning assisted assessments found to be non-inferior to traditional assessments
05/30/2022
John McKenna, Associate Editor, BreakingMED™
Supplementing human-led risk-of-bias (RoB) assessments with a machine-learning program led to non-inferior accuracy compared to reviews conducted without the program’s assistance, suggesting that machine-learning assisted...
Is Lower BMD Inevitable for Patients with T1D?
EDIC study finds 3 independent risk factors
05/30/2022
Candace Hoffmann, Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
Is lower bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) related to the disease itself or other comorbidities? According to the Epidemiology...
ASCO: Telemedicine No Panacea for Disparities in Oncology Care
Pandemic boosted use of telemedicine, but not across the board
05/26/2022
Peggy Peck, Editor-in-Chief, BreakingMED™
Beginning in early 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic necessitated the widespread use of telemedicine across many medical specialties, and medical oncology was no different—but what was...
Ivosidenib-Azacitidine Combo Approved for Newly Diagnosed AML
This latest approval encompasses patients 75 and older or those with problematic comorbidities.
05/26/2022
Scott Baltic, Contributing Writer, BreakingMED
The FDA approved ivosidenib plus azacitidine for newly diagnosed IDH1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as detected by an FDA-approved test, in adults 75 years or...
