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News Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Patients with HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer
Last year, results of studies published in the Lancet journal demonstrated a significant clinical benefit of trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (mBC) pre-treated with anti-HER2 therapy, in the 2nd or later lines of treatment compared to trastuzumab emtansine (DESTINY-Breast03 study, second interim overall survival analysis) and after failure of trastuzumab emtansine compared to physician's choice of therapy (DESTINY-Breast02 study).
News Atectura® and Enerzair®: new fixed dual and triple combination in the treatment of bronchial asthma
In mid-2020, the European Commission approved two new fixed combinations of drugs by Novartis for patients with uncontrolled asthma – the dual combination Atectura® (LABA+ICS) and the triple combination Enerzair® (LABA+LAMA+ICS) for inhalation once daily using the Breezhaler® inhaler.
News Prognostic Model MSKCC in Patients with Metastatic Renal Carcinoma Treated in 1st Line with Sunitinib
A study by Czech authors published in 2020 demonstrated the usefulness of the MSKCC (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) model in the prognostic stratification of patients with metastatic renal carcinoma (mRCC) treated with sunitinib in the 1st line. Additionally, a significant difference was found between the outcomes achieved in patients with intermediate risk who had one or two risk factors.
News How to Dose Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction?
In patients after myocardial infarction (MI), there is a frequent administration of too low doses of beta-blockers (BB) and rare upward titration of their dose after discharge from the hospital. The SWEDEHEART study investigated to what extent the BB dose actually affects 5-year cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, and data from the American registry allowed a focus on mortality after MI depending on BB dosing.
News Ocrelizumab in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in real-world practice – a systematic review of published studies
In controlled study programs, ocrelizumab has demonstrated beneficial effects on improving clinical parameters in patients with multiple sclerosis, such as the annual relapse rate or confirmed disability progression. However, to get a complete picture of its clinical benefit, real-world evidence in a broad patient population is also needed. A systematic review of real-world clinical practice studies with ocrelizumab, published in March 2023, demonstrates its benefits in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in terms of relapse frequency, disease activity on MRI, disability, absence of disease activity (NEDA), and quality of life.
News Options for Prevention and Treatment of Infantile Colic – A Systematic Review of Studies
The authors of the cited literature review evaluated evidence of the benefits of various preventive and therapeutic options for infantile colic. Administering probiotics appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy.
News Different doses of LMWH in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 – interim experience
Many experts recommend administering heparin to patients with COVID-19 as part of anticoagulant prophylaxis, especially in severe forms of this infection. However, data on dosage, administration duration, and the effectiveness of this approach are limited. Therefore, authors from Bologna, Italy, investigated the relationship between various doses of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
News Immunomodulation and Romiplostim − What Does the Recently Published iROM Study Say?
Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is caused by an immunity disorder, involving not only the production of antibodies but also changes in cytokine levels, predominance of Th1 lymphocytes over Th2, increase in Th17 cells, and conversely a decrease in T-regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs). One treatment option is the use of thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RA), which primarily increase platelet production. Recently, attention has also been focused on their potential immunomodulatory effects and protolerogenic effect associated with Tregs activation, which was the subject of the Swiss iROM study.
News Gut-Brain Axis − Future of MS Treatment?
The relationship between the gut microbiome and multiple sclerosis has been a major topic recently. How far has current science progressed in decoding this issue? A recent review article published in the journal Neuroscience Research summarizes the existing findings on the relationship of the gut microbiome to the etiopathogenesis and course of multiple sclerosis (MS).
News Identification of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease suitable for device-aided therapy (DAT)
To properly implement device-aided therapy in Parkinson's disease (PD) management, it is essential to timely identify patients in advanced stages of the disease who might benefit from this therapeutic approach. We summarize the useful tools that doctors can use to find these patients.
News Is Obesity a Universal Phenotype in Children with Type 2 Diabetes?
What is the global prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)? Does the occurrence of obesity in pediatric T2DM correlate with gender or race? And how is obesity in T2DM under 18 years of age associated with glycemic control and dyslipidemia? These questions have been addressed by Canadian authors in their recently published systematic review and meta-analysis, which deals with various issues related to childhood obesity.
News Economic Burden and Loss of Quality of Life as a Consequence of Dry Eye Syndrome
Canadian authors evaluated the direct and indirect financial costs associated with dry eye syndrome (DED − dry eye disease) and the impact of this condition on the quality of life (QoL) of patients. The results were stratified according to the severity of the condition. The most significant was the loss of work productivity, highlighting the need for adequate solutions for DED.
News Benefit of Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease – Results of the EMPA-KIDNEY Study
The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) empagliflozin is currently used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic heart failure regardless of ejection fraction value. Its impact on renal function and the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) irrespective of the presence of T2DM was specifically evaluated in the double-blind placebo-controlled EMPA-KIDNEY study.
News Teriflunomide vs. Dimethyl Fumarate: Does Their Classification into Different Treatment Lines Have Merit?
Teriflunomide is one of the first-choice medications in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, not only in the Czech Republic. Conversely, the use of dimethyl fumarate is more limited here compared to other countries. Did the data from real-world clinical practice published this year actually demonstrate differences in the efficacy of both medications, and thus justify their classification?
News Effect of Combination of Dorzolamide with Timolol for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
In some eyes with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), exudation does not stop despite frequent intravitreal injections of vascular endothelial factor blockers (anti-VEGF). Adjuvant therapy that reduces edema may improve overall treatment outcomes concerning visual functions. A recently published multicenter randomized clinical study evaluated the effect of local therapy combining dorzolamide and timolol in patients with this issue.
News Artificial Intelligence Helps in Selecting Influenza Strains for Vaccine Production
Vaccination is one of the most important and effective preventive measures in the fight against seasonal epidemics caused by influenza viruses each year. For vaccines to work, they must match the currently circulating influenza strains. The timely selection of appropriate influenza strains, which will be the most widespread in the population in the upcoming period, and their yield are crucial for vaccine development. The new MAIVeSS (Machine-learning Assisted Influenza Vaccine Strain Selection) method, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for direct analysis of clinical samples, could help with this process.
News Effect of Zolpidem on Sleep Quality and Other Parameters in Patients During the Perioperative Period
Sleep quality is an important factor influencing functional outcomes, pain intensity, and patient satisfaction during the perioperative period. Sleep disturbances are a common problem among patients post-surgery. A prospective study evaluated the effect of zolpidem on sleep quality and other parameters in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty for advanced osteoarthritis.
News Li-Fraumeni Syndrome – Indication for Testing and Recommended Surveillance
A germline mutation of the TP53 gene, which causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome, results in a congenital predisposition to the occurrence of malignant tumors, such as pediatric malignancies, breast cancer, bone sarcomas, and others. We bring a summary of indications for testing the pathogenic variant of the TP53 gene according to the recommendations of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the surveillance program for carriers of this variant according to the consensus of the current recommendations of the European, American, Japanese, and Australian scientific societies compared to the recommendations of the Czech Oncology Society ČLS JEP.
News Desirable Side Effects of Antidiabetics
The days when diabetology was a field solely focused on normalizing blood sugar levels are long gone. Today, the approach in diabetology increasingly prioritizes influencing the patient's overall life prognosis, particularly reducing cardiovascular risk. What can be the desirable side effects of the main groups of antidiabetics that are not related to merely lowering glucose levels?
News Impact of Comorbidities on the Efficacy of Ceftaroline Fosamil in Complicated Skin and Soft Tissue Infections − Pooled Analysis of 3 Studies
In 3 randomized Phase III studies, ceftaroline fosamil demonstrated non-inferiority in treating complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI) compared to vancomycin + aztreonam. A recent pooled analysis of these 3 studies evaluated the impact of age and comorbidities on clinical outcomes.
News Use of Bilastine in Pediatrics − Pathway to Improving Concentration and Performance of Young Allergy Sufferers
In the treatment of allergic diseases, especially in children, safety, good tolerability, simple dosing regimen, and non-sedative effects are the basic requirements for administered medications. Sedative side effects of treatment have a negative impact on sleep patterns and subsequently on children's performance in school. European professional societies recommend the use of modern second-generation antihistamines in the treatment of children. Studies confirm that bilastine, which meets these requirements, should be among the first-choice drugs.
News The Importance of Vitamin D for the Proper Function of the Immune System
The relationship between vitamin D and the immune system has been known for nearly 30 years, but only in recent years have we gained new insights that explain and further refine the physiological role of vitamin D in the functioning of the human immune system.