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News Less is Sometimes More – How Generic Substitution Can Affect Patient Adherence
It is undisputed that the use of generic drugs saves the healthcare system significant costs. Although doctors should certainly care about the health of the system, they primarily care for the health of individual patients – and for them, generic substitution may not always be the best choice. For instance, it is now known that it is not ideal for drugs with a narrow therapeutic range, such as antiepileptics, antidepressants, or antiparkinsonian drugs. But does this mean that generic substitution is always a welcome choice for other drugs?
News Biological treatment of psoriatic arthritis in the 1st line – results of the SPIRIT-H2H study after 1 year of follow-up
The SPIRIT-H2H study compared the efficacy of ixekizumab and adalimumab, either as monotherapy or with concomitant methotrexate (MTX), in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who had not been previously treated with biologics. The results of the recent work presented below after one year of follow-up suggest that the efficacy of ixekizumab remains the same regardless of the use of MTX, while the efficacy of adalimumab increases in combination with MTX.
News How do patients perceive the treatment of ITP with romiplostim?
Romiplostim, along with eltrombopag and avatrombopag, belongs to the group of thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RA) used in the second line of treatment for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Its efficacy and safety are confirmed by numerous studies, but how do patients perceive its use and to what extent does it improve their quality of life? This was the focus of a review article by authors from the American Baylor College of Medicine.
News Europe and Tooth Decay: The Situation is Improving Thanks to Fluorides and New Technologies
How to prevent tooth decay? This question has been addressed by doctors for several centuries. A major breakthrough occurred in the 1960s when the effect of fluorides was discovered. However, the positive trend later stalled. Why is this and what are the other avenues in modern oral health care?
News Over the Last 25 Years, Latanoprost Has Changed the Paradigm of Glaucoma Treatment
An important milestone in the treatment of glaucoma was the introduction of latanoprost with an entirely new mechanism of action compared to previously used antiglaucoma medications. Prostaglandin analogs (PGAs) have become the first-line treatment for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) primarily due to their efficacy, once-daily dosing, and minimal systemic side effects. The following recent review briefly summarizes the impact of the introduction of PGAs 25 years ago on current clinical practice in the treatment of glaucoma.
News Modern Techniques and MRI Markers in Multiple Sclerosis Imaging or How to Increase Specificity and Sensitivity of Examinations
MRI is a key component in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, despite significant progress in imaging methods, specificity is still not optimal. The current trend is to refine and clearly define MRI criteria for diagnosing multiple sclerosis and distinguishing it from MS-mimicking white matter lesions.
News COMMENTARY FROM PRACTICE: On Some Aspects of Care for Patients with Parkinson's Disease
What issues do we still encounter in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease even today, despite medical advancements? How to fine-tune the management of care for these patients, facilitate their path to effective therapy, and improve their quality of life using current possibilities? What can their treating neurologist do for them, when is it necessary to consult a specialized center without delay, and how to mitigate the stigmatization associated with this disease? These aspects are also considered in the following commentary from practice.
News ESC 2022: Initiating Gliflozin in HFpEF During Hospitalization Can Benefit the Patient. This is Also Evidenced by Experience from the USA
Based on evidence from clinical studies, gliflozins are currently being introduced into practice for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) as early as hospitalization. Sharing experiences is therefore very valuable. Several symposia at the ESC 2022 congress focused on the issue of introducing these drugs into HF treatment, some of which also included illustrative case studies. For example, the case of a patient with HFpEF from the USA demonstrated the early initiation of empagliflozin during hospitalization.
News Impact of Chronic Urticaria on Patients' Quality of Life and Society
An international team of dermatologists has mapped out the impact of chronic urticaria on various aspects of patients' lives and the economic burden this long-term disease, without available causal treatment, represents for society, according to available literature.
News When Teriflunomide and Interferon Join Forces
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a nightmare for all doctors prescribing disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis. How Swiss colleagues dealt with this situation is illuminated by the following case study.
News Treatment of a patient with colorectal cancer after kidney transplantation – case report
Patients after organ transplantation currently live to an older age thanks to advances in surgery and pharmacotherapy. However, the longer a person takes immunosuppressants, the more they are at risk of developing malignant disease. The case report of Hungarian doctors from the university hospital in Pécs illustrates what the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) after kidney transplantation can look like.
News Early Intervention in the Early Phase of Psychosis
A meta-analysis of 10 randomized studies examined whether early intervention in the initial phase of psychosis in patients with schizophrenia is associated with better outcomes than usual care.
News New Antidiabetic Drugs in Cardiovascular Prevention in International Recommendations
Results from studies on new antidiabetic drugs showing cardiovascular (CV) benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i, gliflozins) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) have led to efforts to create new recommendations for their use in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for primary and secondary CV disease prevention. A recent review by American experts succinctly summarizes what current guidelines from American and European professional societies say on this subject.
News Proposal of a New Treatment Sequence Algorithm for Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction
John McMurray and Milton Packer published a proposal for a new treatment sequence algorithm for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) based on current findings in the 2021 issue of Circulation. This procedure consists of three steps and, according to the authors, should be initiated in patients who have achieved euvolemia through the use of diuretics.
News When to Consider Gaucher Disease and How to Diagnose It Early and Correctly
Considering Gaucher disease (GD) as a cause of a patient's problems, especially in the case of splenomegaly and bleeding manifestations, is very important, regardless of age. Screening using the dry blood spot method is available and very simple.
News Targeted Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Severe AD – Case Studies
The results of therapy with dupilumab in children and adolescents with severe forms of atopic dermatitis (AD) are very good even after a short period, not only from a health perspective but also in terms of the social aspect of the disease and the quality of life of patients. This is illustrated by the following two case studies – an 8-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy – from the Center for Biological Treatment at the Dermatovenerology Clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and Bulovka University Hospital.
News Statin Therapy May Reduce Mortality in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19
In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, intensive research is ongoing to understand the impact of patients' chronic medication on the prognosis of the disease. A recently published Spanish study evaluated the effect of pre-existing statin therapy on the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
News How and with What the National Registry of Primary Immunodeficiencies Benefits Specialists and Patients
Primary immunodeficiencies constitute a very heterogeneous group of congenital diseases. They affect both specific and nonspecific immunity and are classified accordingly. The care for patients with antibody production disorders and hereditary angioedema (HAE) is economically the most demanding and relatively specific. Can a specialized registry help improve this care?
News Can Antihypertensives Reduce the Risk of Dementia? The Answer Suggests the Angiotensin Hypothesis and a Post-Hoc Analysis of an Observational Study
The use of antihypertensives that do not reduce angiotensin II levels, such as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs, i.e., sartans) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs), has been associated with a lower risk of dementia in studies. In the research cited below, the authors aimed to determine whether this effect persists longer than the follow-up period in previous studies.
News Tofacitinib Helps Restore Intestinal Epithelial Barrier
The Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) tofacitinib was relatively recently approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, but its effect on the intestinal epithelium remains a subject of research. The objective of the study presented below was to determine how tofacitinib aids in the repair of the cytokine-damaged intestinal epithelial cell barrier.
News Can tofacitinib have a positive impact on the mental stress of patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
In the population of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there is a higher incidence of depression and anxiety compared to the healthy population. These psychiatric comorbidities can lead to a reduced quality of life and a poorer response to treatment. The aim of the post-hoc analysis presented below was to monitor the effect of tofacitinib on improving anxiety and depression in patients with RA.