Hospital Medicine

The FDA accepted the NDA for NKTR-181, a drug with slowed entry into the brain that attenuates the dopamine release underlying euphoria.

If these results are confirmed by future research, the use of blood eosinophil count tests could improve patient care and reduce asthma-associated healthcare costs.

At the 100-week mark, 89% of participants taking dolutegravir/rilpivirine (Juluca) maintained viral suppression, with viral loads of < 50 copies/mL.

A study of pediatric patients with asthma admitted to emergency departments has determined that while rhinovirus is the most prevalent infection, it is the non-rhinovirus pathogens that are associated with an increased absolute risk of treatment failure.

Researchers found that just 18.4% of young women diagnosed at pediatric emergency departments with pelvic inflammatory disease received HIV and syphilis screening, despite their higher risk for those sexually transmitted infections.

The PocketECG Cardiac Rehabilitation System provides electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring and alerts during cardiac rehabilitation.

Researchers found that enhanced disinfection with UV light in targeted rooms led to a decrease in hospital-wide incidence of C. difficile and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

A review of literature on depression and anxiety in patients with heart failure reports that 21.5% have depressive symptoms and 19% meet the criteria for a depressive disorder&mdash;2 to 3 times higher than rates in the general population.

One phase 2 study showed that RBX2660, a microbiota-based drug comprised of human stool, was effective in 77.8% of patients.

Perhaps surprisingly, patients admitted during periods of higher occupancy had 15% lower odds of contracting Clostridium difficile infection.

The UCSF group of Vikram Rao, MD, PhD; Paul Garcia, MD; Edward Chang, MD; and Robert Knowlton, MD, have found a means to achieve seizure remission&mdash;and even predict future seizure activity.

A probiotic hygiene system resulted in a greater reduction of healthcare-associated infections and surface bacteria than chlorine-based cleansers, including a 66.6% reduction of C. difficile.

Certain lots of the therapy, distributed under the Actavis label in the US, have been detected to have trace amounts of probably human carcinogen NDMA.

An examination of trials supporting the 46 therapies approved via the Breakthrough Therapy designation has shown that fewer data supports their approval than what may be believed.

Researchers compared the cost-effectiveness of vancomycin, fidaxomicin, and bezlotoxumab with vancomycin as treatments for treating the first recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection.

Fecal microbiota transplant and oral metronidazole are equally effective and tolerated for C. difficile treatment.

Holidays and special events can cause increased likelihood of status epilepticus, possibly due to alcohol consumption and withdrawal, changes in sleep patterns, and non-compliance with anti-seizure drugs.

Where does current research focuses its resources, and what may the future of such research involve?

The medical director of the Baylor AT&T Memory Center explains how in-house biomarker testing could improve opportunities for clinical drug research.

The virus was deemed eradicated by the World Health Organization in 1980. But there remains public concern of its use as a bioweapon.

The CDC finds that substantial numbers of persons unaware of their HIV infection report missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis.

A single session with a therapist significantly reduced depression for up to 3 months and dating violence perpetration for up to 12 months. The computer-based intervention reduced both for 6 months.

The Cleveland Clinic’s pioneer of minority programs plans to end health disparity.

Analysis of data from the Danish Birth Registry showed that tonsillectomies were associated with nearly triple relative risk of disease of the respiratory tract.

Currently, FDA-approved fluoroquinolones include levofloxacin (Levaquin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), ciprofloxacin extended-release tablets, moxifloxacin (Avelox), ofloxacin, gemifloxacin (Factive) and delafloxacin (Baxdela).

The issuance was in response to a request by the DoD, and after the FDA received a declaration from the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

An analysis of pediatric ICU interactions found that physicians are far more likely to get a beneficial response from families when they show empathy to their emotions.

People of good conscience, including many physicians, are sharply divided on the ethics of MAID/PAS. Unfortunately, much of the support for this practice is founded on several myths and misconceptions regarding existing MAID laws and practices, according to Ronald Pies, MD.

Researchers found that patients with a documented penicillin allergy were at increased risk of developing MRSA (60%) and C. difficile (20%), in part due to alternative antibiotic use. However, when tested by an allergist, 95% were not actually allergic to penicillin.

Targeting metabolism with therapies such as metformin has shown in clinical settings to affect aging itself. In IPF, it could influence the rate of aging as well.