SPT Staff

A new study has called for increased awareness and education of fulminant myocarditis (FM) among health providers, according to 

. FM, a rapidly developing rare condition that induces severe inflammation of the heart, can lead to a high risk of death caused by cardiogenic shock, fatal arrhythmias, irregular heartbeat, and multi-organ failure. In their scientific statement, the research team detailed the resources necessary to manage the spectrum of FM, including extracorporeal life support, percutaneous and durable ventricular assist devices, and specialists in advanced heart failure, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac pathology, and immunology. 

The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in children is associated with a significant increase in risk of blood clots compared with central venues catheters (CVCs), according to 

. A multicenter cohort study of more than 1900 newly placed PICCs and tunneled line(s) indicated children between 6 months and 18 years of age were 8.5 times more likely to develop venous thromboembolism if they received a PICC compared with a tunneled line. Investigators noted the most common type of tunneled line during the study was a port-a-cath and the most common placement for tunneled lines were the internal jugular vein and subclavian vein.

A medical care coordination (MCC) program has been found to be a cost-effective way to address the medical and psychosocial needs of patients with HIV, according to 

The study evaluated the impact and cost-effectiveness of the MCC program, finding that life expectancy increased from 10.07 to 10.94 quality-adjusted life-years, whereas lifetime medical costs increased from $311,300 to $335,100. At 2 years, viral suppression was 57% and retention in care was 72%, compared with 33% and 59%, respectively, for patients with no MCC. Further efforts to expand MCC programs to address the needs of patients with HIV are underway.

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Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

Trending News: Call for Increased Awareness, Education of Fulminant Myocarditis Among Health Providers

Recent data suggest that short sleep duration may be associated with the male gender, older age, low social status, and high coffee intake, according to 

. The study involved a cross-sectional analysis of 82,995 participants in the UK Biobank cohort, from which researchers collected sociodemographic and lifestyle data through the use of touch-screen questionnaires from 2007 to 2010. The researchers concluded that male gender, older age, low social status, and high coffee intake is associated with objectively determined short sleep duration.

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that cases of cholera, an acute diarrheal disease, are on the decline, according to 

. The new report indicates that the global incidence of cholera cases decreased by 60% in 2018. In total, there were 499,447 cases of the disease with 2990 associated deaths documented in 2018, as per reports from 34 countries. In 2019, nearly 18 million doses of oral cholera vaccines were shipped to 11 countries. Currently, there are 3 WHO prequalified oral cholera vaccines: Dukoral, Sanchol, and Euvichol-plus.

A combination of reduced-harm, non-cigarette nicotine products could provide a small improvement to a person’s smoking cessation efforts, according to

. The pragmatic, 3-arm, parallel trial included adult smokers who were naïve to e-cigarettes and who were motivated to quit smoking. When examining continuous abstinence from smoking, nicotine patches plus nicotine e-cigarettes were confirmed to be associated with long-term smoking cessation in 3 to 7 more smokers per 100 than alternative methods.

Trending News: Cases of Cholera on the Decline

CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid are pulling Zantac and the generic form of the popular heartburn medication from pharmacy shelves due to growing concerns that the products may contain small levels of nitrosodimethylamine, a possible cancer-causing chemical linked to liver damage, according to 

. The decision by the pharmacy giants adds to a flurry of worldwide concern about the drug. Major manufacturers of the generic form, ranitidine, have announced recalls and other countries have requested that companies halt distribution of the drug or issue recalls, according to the article. The FDA has been investigating the possible risk to patients, as well.

An experimental prostate cancer therapy may change the way patients are treated for the second-deadliest cancer in men, according to 

, the landmark phase 3 clinical trial demonstrated that olaparib is safe and effective in delaying disease progression in men with both metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer and mutations in their homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes. The trial included 387 patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and HRR gene mutations who were administered either olaparib, a type of targeted cancer therapy, or other drug treatments.

Vitamin D consumed through diet has been linked to a lower risk for squamous cell carcinoma, according to 

 The researchers used detailed health and diet data from 123,570 men and women participating in 2 long-term studies, which showed 3978 cases of squamous cell cancer over more than 26 years of follow-up. After controlling for various health factors, including age, other skin cancers, and the number of lifetime blistering sunburns, they found that compared with the one-fifth of people with the lowest intake of vitamin A, those in the highest one-fifth had a 17% reduced risk for squamous cell cancer.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape. 

Trending News Today: Zantac, Generic Form Recalled

A new study suggests that measurement of early levels of ustekinumab may successfully be used to direct treatment strategy for patients with psoriasis, 

 reported. According to the article, the study evaluated the clinical utility of drug monitoring for ustekinumab in 491 British adults with psoriasis. Overall, the results showed that early measured drug levels had a statistically significant association with 6-month response, indicating that adequate drug exposure early in the treatment cycle may help determine clinical outcome with ustekinumab, the article reported.

A World Health Organization report found that governments must invest in primary health care by at least an additional 1% of their gross domestic product to curb increasing out-of-pocket spending for patients, 

 reported. According to the article, the agency noted that public investment in primary health care close to home, including immunization, is key to extending coverage and saving lives. It would cost an additional $200 billion per year to scale up primary health care in low- and middle-income countries, the article reported.

A recent survey found that more than 1 in 10 US adults aged 18 to 34 years old with a medical condition smoke marijuana on a daily basis, 

 reported. According to the article, the study sample included 169,036 participants from the 2016 and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone surveys. Overall, the findings showed that adults with medical conditions were more likely to report marijuana use at each age category. Among the 18 to 24 year old age group, 25.2% reported use of marijuana within the last month and 11.2% reported using it on a daily basis, according to the results.

Top news of the day across the health care landscape.

Trending News Today: Early Levels of Ustekinumab May Determine Patient Response

Janssen Pharmaceuticals has submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the FDA for guselkumab (Tremfya) for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis, 

reported. According to the article, the submission for guselkumab is based on data from the phase 3 DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2 trials, which investigated guselkumab subcutaneous injection compared with placebo. The results showed that patients treated with guselkumab achieved patient response following 24 weeks of therapy, the article reported.

An independent expert panel to the FDA recommended approval of GlaxoSmithKline’s OTC nicotine oral spray developed for smoking cessation,

 reported. According to the article, the spray delivers 1 milligram of nicotine and is meant to be used within recommended limits of 4 sprays per hour and a maximum of 64 sprays per day when the individual gets an urge to smoke. The panel voted 9 to 6 in favor of therapy, indicating that its benefits as a smoking cessation aid outweighed risks, the article reported.

E-cigarette use has continued to increase among US teens, 

 reported. According to the article, researchers surveyed more than 42,000 students across the country in grades 8, 10, and 12. The study showed that approximately 25% of high school seniors surveyed this year said they vaped nicotine in the previous month, up from 21% the year before, whereas cigarette smoking declined from approximately 8% to 6%, the article reported.

Trending News Today: Janssen Submits sBLA for Guselkumab in Psoriatic Arthritis

Officials with the FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation to obinutuzumab (Gazyva, Roche) for adults with lupus nephritis, a potentially life-threatening manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, 

 reported. According to the press release, the designation was supported by data from the phase 2 NOBILITY study in adult patients with proliferative lupus nephritis. The results showed that obinutuzumab, in combination with standard of care, demonstrated enhanced efficacy compared with a placebo plus standard of care alone in achieving complete renal response at 1 year, according to the study.

Terazosin (Hytrin), a common prostate drug, may be able to slow the progression of Parkinson disease (PD), 

 reported. According to the article, the researchers found that terazosin could block cell death and that the cell-protective activity was due to terazosin’s ability to activate phosphoglycerate kinase 1, an enzyme critical for cellular energy production. Overall, patients taking terazosin had slower disease progression, decreased PD-related complications, and a reduced frequency of PD diagnoses, the article reported.

A new study suggests that a daily pill combining 4 drugs may help lower heart risks in low-income populations, 

 reported. According to the article, the study included approximately 300 individuals aged 45 to 75 years from a community health center in Mobile, Alabama. After a year, the study showed that the patients who took the polypill had lowered their blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein more than those who did not take the pill, the article reported.