SPOTLIGHT -
Barriers Remain for Better Hepatitis C Virus Care
Treatment initiation was lower among Medicaid and private health insurance recipients aged 18-29 years, compared with patients aged 50-59 years.
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Diabetes Medication Associated with Lower Risk of Eye Diseases
The meta-analysis included more than 11,000 patients with between 8 and 9 years of mean follow-up periods.
Presence of Residual Subretinal Fluid May Be Linked to Better BCVA in nAMD Treatment
However, the presence of residual IRF was associated with substantially worse BCVA at last study observation and less improvement of BCVA from baseline.
Campaign to Inform Low-Dose Aspirin Use for CVD Prevention Found Unsuccessful
The media campaign to improve aspirin use included billboards, radio ads and print articles, in addition to a dedicated website.
Mortality and Hospitalization Rates Post-Acute MI Improve, But Not for All
The study authors used data from Medicare beneficiaries who survived a heart attack between 1995 and 2019.
Does Telemonitoring Blood Pressure Help Time to Detection of Gestational Hypertension?
The participants included more than 2,000 pregnant individuals at higher risk of preeclampsia.
Heart Failure Risk Estimates Shift for Black Men, White Women
Study investigators used data from midlife checkpoints and late life checkpoints for participants without heart failure.
Can Dried Blood Spot Testing Increase Retention in Care for Hepatitis C?
The study authors said that decentralizing dispensation of hepatitis C treatment re-engages patients.
Barriers to Hepatitis C Medication Adherence
Raising awareness about proper treatment adherence is one method of working toward eliminating hepatitis C.
Prognostic Biomarker after Therapy for HCC
“[sCD163] showed a significant decline in eradicated cases of HCC after treatment,” the study authors wrote.
Severe Ulcerative Colitis Management During COVID-19
Changes have been made to managing acute severe ulcerative colitis during COVID-19, including intravenous steroids, rescue therapy, and surgical approaches.
Predicting C diff Infection After Heart Surgery
Investigators determined that acid-base disturbances like lactate clearance influenced C diff infection after cardiac surgery.
Oral Vancomycin Prophylaxis Successfully Used to Prevent C diff Infection in Transplant Patients
A small study found oral vancomycin prophylaxis prevented C diff infection in thoracic transplant patients.
Risks Associated with Pegylated Interferon plus Ribavirin Treatment for Hepatitis C
The investigators monitored any retinopathy events in hepatitis C patients, including those that were untreated and those being treated with PegIFN/RBV.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Common in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
NAFLD can be common among those with diabetes or those who are obese.
New C diff Risk Factors Revealed in Mexico
Patients in mature adulthood may have different risk factors for recurrent C diff infection than their elderly counterparts.
Elevated Risk for C diff with Proton-Pump Inhibitor Use
Exposure to PPIs was associated with a moderate increase in the risk of community-acquired C diff infection, even after treatment discontinuation.
White Blood Cell Count Elevation Not Enough for C diff Testing
“A high or rising white blood cell count in isolation is not a sufficient indication for C diff infection testing,” the study authors said.
PPI Use Does Not Lead to Bacterial Overgrowth
The findings should assuage concerns about small intestinal bacterial overgrowth when prescribing treatment with proton pump inhibitors.
Effect of Vitamin D Supplements on Hepatitis C Patients
Vitamin D supplements did not change the biochemical markers significantly for hepatitis C patients with vitamin D insufficiencies.
Sepsis Among Common C. Diff Complications During One-Year Follow-Up Period
Patients with 3 or more C diff recurrences also had the highest health care resources utilization and total, all-cause, direct medical costs.
Differences in Metabolic Alterations for IBD Patients
Crohn’s disease patients and ulcerative colitis patients showed changes in energetic metabolism in plasma and biopsy samples compared to a control group.
Adverse Events Associated with Influenza Vaccine, by Vaccine Type
After 7 days post-vaccination, some common adverse events of interest included wheezing, nasal congestion, and cough.
Risk for Crohn’s Disease Diagnosis After Proctocolectomy
A related editorial noted the study authors’ numbers were higher than those of the Mayo Clinic.
Are Biologics Safe for Pediatric IBD?
About half of patients experienced adverse events, and two-thirds of those events were likely related to inflammatory bowel disease medications.
Geriatric C diff Infection Outcomes
It’s possible that C diff could be a marker for frailty in geriatric patients.
Risk for Hospital-Acquired AKI and C diff with Antimicrobials
Using piperacillin/tazobactam increases the risk for acute kidney injury, and this risk can be exacerbated by concurrent vancomycin.
Anastomotic Leak Possibility Increased with C diff Infection
Anastomotic leak can increase morbidity, mortality, and length and cost of hospital stays.
Updated C Diff Guidelines Boost Ability to Predict Mortality
Investigators compared the 2010 and 2017 IDSA and SHEA guidelines to identify which better predicted C diff patients’ severity and mortality.
No Relationship Between Recurrent C Diff and Anti-Toxin Antibodies
The investigators called their findings the “opposite of what was expected.”