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News Augmentation of Clozapine with Lurasidone in Resistant Schizophrenia in Real Practice
Treatment-resistant schizophrenia remains a clinical and pharmacological challenge. Clozapine remains the gold standard in these cases. Unfortunately, a significant portion of patients respond only partially to it. The solution is often an augmentation strategy with another atypical antipsychotic. According to current findings, adjunctive therapy with lurasidone appears promising — two recently published studies have brought interesting data.
News Initiation of Sacubitril/Valsartan After Acute Decompensation of Chronic Heart Failure: The Sooner, the Better
The recently published analysis of data from the extended open-label follow-up of participants in the PIONEER-HF study clearly pointed out the difference in outcomes and prognosis of patients, which is led by the initiation of the combined drug during hospitalization compared to its initiation shortly after discharge.
News ESC 2022: SGLT2 Inhibitors as Hope for HFpEF: How to Implement Them in Practice?
Patients with heart failure (HF) can significantly benefit from the inclusion of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i, i.e., gliflozins) in their treatment strategy according to current findings. This also applies to patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF). At the ESC 2022 congress, useful information for practical applications was presented in addition to study data. For illustration, we bring a case study from a German practice.
News Results of Levothyroxine Treatment in Pregnant Women with Recurrent Pregnancy Losses with Subclinical Hypothyroidism or Anti-TPO Antibody Positivity
A recent meta-analysis of 15 studies involving a total of 1911 women with a history of recurrent pregnancy losses and positivity for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) or subclinical hypothyroidism showed the benefits of administering levothyroxine on pregnancy outcomes. Women with TPOAb experienced reductions in preterm births, miscarriages, premature rupture of membranes, and fetal growth retardation. Women with subclinical hypothyroidism saw an increase in live births and a decrease in miscarriages.
News Is the Quality of Life for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure Comparable When Treated with Bisoprolol and Digoxin?
The British RATE-AF study, published in December 2020 in the JAMA journal, compared the impact on improving the quality of life in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) and symptoms of heart failure when administering bisoprolol and low-dose digoxin.
News Socio-economic Benefits of Using Obinutuzumab in 1st Line Treatment of Follicular Lymphoma
Pharmacoeconomic analyses remind us that our patients' diseases affect not only themselves or the healthcare system, but also have an impact on the entire society. Patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) are also life partners, parents, relatives, and household members, and last but not least, they are also employees or service workers. How treatment success can reflect in these aspects is suggested by a German study.
News Which biomarkers can be used for risk stratification in ATTR cardiac amyloidosis?
Effective treatment for patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis requires timely diagnosis and precise risk stratification to identify patients at higher risk of cardiovascular events, heart failure progression, and death. Currently, there are several scoring systems based on commonly available laboratory parameters. Here is a brief overview.
News Recommended and Not Recommended Physical Activity for Individuals with Hemophilia
Physical activity is now considered a fundamental prerequisite for maintaining the health of individuals with hemophilia. The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) also recommends it to improve fitness and neuromuscular health. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity can help enhance the effectiveness of hemophilia treatment and prevent bleeding episodes. In older individuals, including those with hemophilia, a lack of physical activity increases the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and osteoporosis, along with subsequent fractures and complications associated with hemophilia.
News How Do Vaccinated MS Patients Fare with COVID-19 Antibodies?
Which disease-modifying drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) reduce the humoral response to COVID-19 vaccination? And does the quantity of post-vaccination antibodies vary depending on the specific vaccine?
News Current View on Obstacles in Proper Use of Antibiotics and the Role of Biomarkers in Infection Diagnosis
In the fight against antibiotic resistance, principles for the proper use of antibiotics (ATB) have been introduced globally. The following overview briefly describes the obstacles in leading rational antibiotic therapy and considers the use and benefits of biomarkers.
News Effect of Etanercept on Structural Changes in the Sacroiliac Joint in Patients with Early Axial Spondyloarthritis
Currently, there is limited evidence regarding the effect of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors on structural lesions in patients with early forms of axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). The aim of the study presented below, published in January 2021, was to evaluate structural changes in the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 2 years of treatment with etanercept within the clinical study EMBARK in patients with early AxSpA compared to a control cohort not treated with biologics (DESIR) and to assess the relationship between MRI changes and disease activity according to ASDAS.
News Long-term results of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency treatment – RAPID program
RAPID/RAPID Extension is the largest clinical program to date that has confirmed the benefit of alpha-1-antitrypsin inhibitor in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with its deficiency.
News Current Data of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of IBD: What Improvements in Endoscopic and Histologic Outcomes Can Be Achieved?
The oral Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) tofacitinib is currently approved for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC). Its efficacy and safety in this indication have previously been investigated in randomized placebo-controlled trials. However, the study discussed below examined the drug's impact on the endoscopic and histological progression of the disease and fecal calprotectin levels.
News Case Study of a Patient with NSCLC − with Voting
Presented by: MUDr. Leona Koubková,
Pneumology Clinic, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital in Prague
News Sport and Physical Activity Benefit Hemophiliacs
Sport and physical activity are beneficial for individuals with hemophilia. This statement was confirmed by a study conducted by German and British authors published in the journal Haemophilia.
News Fixed Combination of Tramadol/Paracetamol in the Treatment of Chronic Lower Back Pain and Its Effect on Apathy in Chronically Algic Patients
Long-term chronic pain is associated with apathy, loss of motivation, and depression in patients. However, these comorbidities of chronic pain and their interconnections are still insufficiently explored. The aim of the Japanese study was to evaluate the prevalence of apathy in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) and the therapeutic efficacy of the fixed combination of tramadol/paracetamol in treating this pain and its effect on apathy in LBP patients.
News Romiplostim Before Splenectomy in a Patient with ITP - Case Report
In the following case report from authors at a university hospital in Barcelona, the successful use of romiplostim as a second-line treatment before planned splenectomy in a patient with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), liver cirrhosis, and iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome is demonstrated.
News Incidence of Secondary Malignancies in CLL Patients on FCR Regimen in Central Europe
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) represents the most common type of leukemia in Western countries with closely related incidence in Central European states. Since 2000, new therapeutic regimens have been explored and applied in an effort to improve patient prognosis, including the combination of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR). However, the development of new therapeutic regimens is also associated with concerns about the risk of secondary malignancies.
News Efficacy of Romiplostim in Children with Persistent or Chronic ITP
The effect of the thrombopoietin receptor agonist romiplostim in adult patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is well known. Equally important, however, are data on its treatment in children — presented by a study whose results were published in the journal Lancet.
News Self-administration of alpha-1-antitrypsin can significantly improve patients' quality of life
Treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) requires lifetime administration of weekly intravenous infusions of this substance, mostly in medical facilities. The possibility of AAT application at home is being discussed. This topic was also addressed at a symposium held during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) congress, which took place in November 2019 in Madrid.
News Clinical Characteristics of Trauma Patients Requiring Dosing Adjustments of Enoxaparin in TEN Prevention
Injuries and trauma surgical procedures represent a significant risk factor for the development of thromboembolic disease (TEN). Routine thromboprophylaxis is thus recommended for trauma patients, often in the form of low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), including enoxaparin. A recently published study evaluated factors associated with the need for higher dosing of enoxaparin to achieve effective prophylactic levels.