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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 INFOGRAPHIC: Mavacamten in the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is most commonly caused by disorders of cardiac muscle proteins. How does targeted treatment for this disease work? We bring a concise, graphically processed overview of the efficacy and mechanism of action of the first selective cardiac myosin inhibitor.
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 What impact do the symptoms of primary biliary cholangitis have on the patient and their quality of life
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a serious chronic cholestatic autoimmune liver disease that predominantly affects middle-aged women and can lead to end-stage liver failure and the need for transplantation. Several studies published this year show a reduction in the quality of life of patients with this disease due to its accompanying symptoms.
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 Can We Reach Brain Metastases of Lung Cancer with Anti-EGFR Targeted Therapy?
Information on the penetration of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (anti-EGFR TKIs) through the blood-brain barrier primarily comes from preclinical testing. In clinical studies, its effectiveness in patients with brain metastases can be an indicator of its penetration. However, a truly robust analysis is lacking. Until one is available, we can preliminarily evaluate the available data.
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 Osimertinib in the Treatment of Patients with NSCLC with Secondary EGFR T790M Mutation – Case Study
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a genetically heterogeneous disease. Individualization of therapy based on the presence of specific tumor cell mutations is therefore crucial for choosing the optimal therapy for these patients. One of the targeted treatment options for patients with NSCLC with an activating mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI). We present a case study of a patient with NSCLC treated with osimertinib after disease progression due to a secondary EGFR T790M mutation resulting from afatinib therapy. The described case well illustrates the role of osimertinib in the treatment of NSCLC with secondary EGFR T790M mutation.
News Long-term effect of the triple combination of perindopril, indapamide, and amlodipine on left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension
A recent open-label interventional study aimed to describe the long-term effect of a fixed triple combination of perindopril, indapamide, and amlodipine compared to a free combination of a RAAS inhibitor, diuretic, and calcium channel blocker on the reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive outpatients.
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 Can Artificial Intelligence Help Personalize Treatment for Cardiology Patients?
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) claim an estimated 17.9 million lives annually worldwide, making them the leading cause of death. More than 4 out of 5 of these deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one-third occur in people under the age of 70. An innovative project called NextGen will newly address cardiovascular diseases. Its goal is to use artificial intelligence (AI) and patient health information and genetic profiles to personalize their treatment. The project received 7.6 million euros from the EU program Horizon Europe and will be led by a 21-member consortium including representatives from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
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.
News With MD Eva Drbohlavová on Innovations in the Treatment of von Willebrand Disease and Improving Patients' Quality of Life
Von Willebrand Disease (vWD), as the most common congenital bleeding disorder, remains underdiagnosed. However, thanks to new insights and advances in genetic testing, both diagnosis and long-term prophylaxis of the disease are gradually improving, leading to a significant reduction in bleeding and better quality of life for patients. We discuss this in more detail with MD Eva Drbohlavová from the Department of Clinical Hematology at the Regional Hospital Liberec.
News How Does the Long-Term Effect of Beta Blocker Use Affect Clinical Outcomes in Patients After Myocardial Infarction?
In patients after myocardial infarction (MI), beta blockers (BB) still hold an important place in secondary prevention according to recommended procedures. However, the question could be their long-term effect on clinical outcomes, as different results can be found in the literature – this fact led the authors of the work cited below to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies dedicated to this issue.
News Three tests to confirm the diagnosis of acquired hemophilia – infographic
Acquired hemophilia (AHA) typically manifests with spontaneous bleeding in patients with no prior personal history of significant bleeding.1–4 The cause of the bleeding is a significant decrease in FVIII activity induced by autoantibodies against coagulation factor VIII.5 In polymorbid patients, established antithrombotic therapy at the time of AHA diagnosis may also contribute to the bleeding.4
News Do Asthma Bronchiale and COPD Represent a Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 and Death?
It is well known that patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a higher risk of severe course of common viral respiratory diseases. A study by Belgian authors involving several hundred individuals evaluated the risk of ICU admission and death due to COVID-19 in patients with asthma and COPD compared to patients without these conditions. The other goal was to determine whether these risks are influenced by inhalation corticosteroid therapy or not.
News Cardiovascular Interventions with Continued Therapy with Dabigatran − Insights from the GLORIA-AF Study
An analysis using data from an international registry of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation evaluated the safety and efficacy of continued therapy with dabigatran during cardioversion or atrial fibrillation ablation, pacemaker implantation, and coronary angiography with possible stent implantation.
News Probiotic L. reuteri in combination with vitamin D3 and krill oil suppresses experimental intestinal inflammation
Previous placebo-controlled studies have shown that oral administration of a probiotic containing Lactobacillus reuteri is associated with a significant increase in plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. According to a recent experimental work, the combination of this probiotic with vitamin D3 and krill oil leads to the suppression of intestinal mucosal inflammation.
News Update of the Blue Book: What's New in the Treatment of Metastatic NSCLC with an ALK Gene Mutation?
As of March 1, 2022, the 28th update of the Blue Book by the Czech Society for Oncology of ČLS JEP was released. Let's take a look at what changes it has brought compared to the previous version in the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a driver mutation in the ALK gene.