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News Updated Recommendations for Treatment of von Willebrand Disease
In 2021, new recommendations for the therapy of von Willebrand disease (vWD) were published, based on a consensus by the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), and the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). The recommendations comprise a total of 12 points and address not only prophylaxis but also gynecological and obstetric issues, for example.
News Benefits of Combining Olopatadine and Mometasone in the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis
Ryaltris is indicated for adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older for the treatment of moderate to severe nasal symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis (AR). The active ingredient of the preparation is a fixed combination of locally acting antihistamine olopatadine hydrochloride and corticosteroid mometasone furoate. Its efficacy and safety have been confirmed by numerous clinical studies, compared to placebo, as well as other drugs used in the treatment of AR.
News INFOGRAPHIC: Diagnosis and Monitoring of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy – Current Guidelines
What examinations should be conducted when suspecting hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary disease caused by mutations in genes encoding cardiac muscle proteins? What is the subsequent procedure for monitoring patients and their at-risk relatives? The comprehensive infographic summarizes the current recommendations of American professional societies.
News Reduction of Inflammation in Vertebral Bodies and Posterolateral Structures of the Spine in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis Treated with Tofacitinib
A post hoc analysis of a phase II study with tofacitinib in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) evaluated the suppression of spinal inflammation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on the Canadian-Danish scoring system (CANDEN), which allows for the assessment of changes in posterolateral structures of the spine, characteristic of AS involvement.
News Expanded Vaccination Option Against Pneumococci Thanks to 15valent Vaccine
Our arsenal for preventing pneumococcal diseases has been expanded with a 15-valent conjugate vaccine that includes important serotypes causing invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD). The following text briefly summarizes basic information not only about IPD, their prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, but especially about the management of vaccination with the 15-valent vaccine in practice.
News Use of Testosterone Level as a Biomarker for Quality of Life in Patients with Prostate Cancer
In the treatment of prostate cancer, in addition to surgical treatment, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and hormone therapy are also used. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) blocks the action or production of male sex hormones and is indicated for the treatment of intermediate and high-risk prostate cancers, where it reduces the risk of metastasis and prolongs survival. The work of experts from several American institutions monitored testosterone levels during therapy and their connection to the development of quality of life scores.
News Effects of Metformin on the Cardiovascular System of Patients with Diabetes, but Also Without It
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered an independent risk factor for the development of ischemic heart disease (IHD). The prevalence of IHD is continuously increasing, making early detection of risk factors and their elimination crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality of all at-risk patients. Metformin is still recommended as the first-line drug for patients with type 2 DM by experts. In addition to its effects leading to a reduction in blood glucose levels, it also has a cardioprotective effect. Recently, studies focusing on primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention in patients with and without DM have been concentrating on it.
News Why does the heart enlarge? Myosin mutation and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may be the culprits
The genetic basis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was discovered only about a quarter-century ago. Since then, researchers have gathered a wealth of knowledge about the effects of causal mutations. Today, new drugs are available that directly target the molecular basis of the disease. The following text explains how mutations in heart muscle proteins are linked to myocardial hypertrophy.
News Metamizole vs. Tramadol in Postoperative Analgesia
Metamizole and tramadol are well-known analgesics that have been used in practice for a long time. Interesting insights into these substances were provided by the studies presented below. Spanish doctors evaluated the efficacy and safety of metamizole compared to tramadol in postoperative analgesia after abdominal hysterectomy. German researchers were interested in the possibility of applying a combination of these drugs in an analgesic regime controlled by the patient.
News Obstacle Called Vasospasm: Which Solution Is Most Effective in Microsurgery and How to Pharmacologically Assist It?
Turkish authors in their study focused on the use of metamizole in addressing vasospasm in microsurgery. Using an animal model, they sought to answer the question of how this drug compares to lidocaine and papaverine.
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 CASE STUDIES: Treatment Options for Wounds in Cancer Patients
Wounds arising due to generalized cancerous diseases or their treatments require specific procedures to support healing. To illustrate, we select three brief case studies from our practice, accompanied by rich visual material.
News Anticonvulsants Are Associated with the Least Impact on Sexual Function in Bipolar Disorder Treatment
It is known that in patients with bipolar disorder, in addition to the illness itself, sexual dysfunction is adversely affected by psychotropic medications. A study by Spanish authors recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine compared the treatment of different groups of mood stabilizers in patients with bipolar disorder in terms of adverse effects on sexual function.
News New drugs in CLL may also carry specific risks of adverse effects. How to minimize and manage them?
The possibilities for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have greatly expanded in recent years. Significant changes have been brought particularly by small molecule-based therapeutic agents (inhibitors), which have shown significant efficacy in both previously untreated patients and those who have relapsed from CLL. When choosing the best treatment strategy for patients with CLL, it is of course necessary to consider the specific adverse effects of both new and previously used drugs, the overall condition of the patient, comorbidities, and the so-called individual risk of serious side effects of the drugs.
News MS in the Digital Age: Doctor as a Lifebuoy in the Sea of Information
How to offer a helping hand to patients amidst the flood of information and why is communication perhaps more important than ever? And what should the standards in the doctor-patient relationship with multiple sclerosis be? This unusual topic was explored in a publication in the journal Neurosciences.
News Diabetic Retinopathy: A Blind Diabetic as Proof of Serious Neglect of Prevention
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness in working-age patients in developed countries. Early detection of diabetic retinopathy offers a chance to preserve vision. Therefore, careful screening and timely initiation of treatment are crucial.
News Treatment for Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis is Now More Accessible to Czech Patients
Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis is a serious progressive disease that was until recently considered untreatable. In recent years, however, new treatment options targeting the underlying pathology of the disease have emerged, which, along with advances in non-invasive diagnostics, offer patients hope for a longer and better-quality life.
News Through Obstacles to the Stars – Path to Developing a Healthy Gut Microbiota in Children: What Blocks It and What Helps?
The gut microbiota is acquired by an individual during the first 2 years of life. The main source is the mother’s microbiota. Obstacles to the formation of an adequate microbiota include inappropriate composition of the mother’s microbiota, absence of vaginal birth and breastfeeding, as well as artificial feeding and antibiotic treatment in the child. We provide a summary of current findings on the adverse effects of planned cesarean sections on the child’s microbiome, as recently published in Critical Reviews in Microbiology.
News Adjuvant Treatment of Early Invasive HER2+ Breast Cancer − Results of the Katherine Study
Women with breast cancer found to have residual invasive disease during surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy have a significantly worse prognosis. For these patients, the Czech Oncology Society ČLS JEP recommends adjuvant therapy with trastuzumab emtansine based on data from the Katherine clinical study. However, this treatment has not yet been covered by public health insurance, with reimbursement starting from March 1, 2021.
News Effect of Prostaglandin Analogues With and Without Preservatives on Meibomian Glands in Glaucoma Patients
Prostaglandin analogues (PGA) have become a standard in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. However, their long-term use may be associated with eye irritation or damage to the Meibomian glands. The study presented below aimed to determine whether these changes are directly caused by PGAs or the preservatives in the eye drops.
News Current Recommendations for Using SGLT2 Inhibitors in Patients with Renal or Cardiovascular Risk
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is a serious chronic metabolic disease whose prevalence has been increasing in recent years. Currently, diabetics make up approximately 8−10% of the population. The therapy is traditionally focused primarily on suppressing the development and progression of diabetic complications, but modern antidiabetics have also brought other unprecedented benefits. The following text summarizes the role of gliflozins in the pharmacotherapy of DM2 in light of current recommendations.
News Genetic Testing in Clinical Practice – An Irreplaceable Tool in Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment
Genetic testing has long ceased to be the privilege of clinical research. In practice, it is commonly used for screening, diagnosis, and prognosis determination in diseases with an evident genetic component, and subsequently for tailoring pharmacotherapy to the individual patient. The richest experience with genetic testing belongs to reproductive medicine and the field of prenatal diagnostics, as well as pediatrics associated with rare disease medicine and oncology. Today, the significance of testing is becoming apparent in internal medicine and psychiatry as well.
News Reduction of Enthesitis in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Taking Tofacitinib
Inflammation in the area where a tendon, ligament, or joint capsule attaches to the bone occurs in 35–50% of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Its presence is associated with higher activity of PsA, and its intensity correlates with the degree of joint damage. Patients with enthesitis are generally in worse functional status and report greater fatigue, pain, and decreased productivity. How can treatment with tofacitinib affect this important domain of PsA?
News Treatment of Motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the few neurodegenerative disorders for which effective symptomatic treatment is available. Unfortunately, causal or even neuroprotective therapy with proven efficacy does not yet exist, but properly chosen symptomatic therapy can positively influence the motor manifestations of the disease and significantly improve the patient's quality of life.
News Do Gliflozins Affect the Need to Use Diuretics?
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i, i.e., gliflozins) have advanced from their initial role in reducing hyperglycemia in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) to antidiabetics with proven cardioprotective effects and additional indications for patients with heart failure or chronic kidney disease. Last year, the CHAMPION cohort study was published, which investigated the impact of empagliflozin use on diuretic prescribing and mid-term laboratory results in patients concurrently treated with diuretics.