Eve Bender June 14, 2023 Intranasal (IN) ketamine may be a feasible treatment alternative for people with chronic, refractory migraine who don’t respond to other medications, new research shows. Half of the study participants who used IN ketamine for chronic, treatment- refractory migraine in a new retrospective cohort study reported it as “very effective” and over one third said it boosted...
Month: <span>June 2023</span>
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GOOGLE’S NEW AI DESCRIBES X-RAYS AND ANSWERS PATIENT QUESTIONS
Google has unveiled PaLM 2, an AI platform for analyzing medical data. It aims to assist doctors with routine tasks and provide more reliable answers to patient questions than “Dr. Google.” AI in healthcare will enhance work efficiency, diagnostic quality, treatment outcomes, and automate care processes, despite being unable to replace doctors. While PaLM 2 cannot replace doctors, it...
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USPSTF recommendation on screening for depression and suicide risk in adults
JAMA NETWORK Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for depression in the adult population, including pregnant and postpartum persons and older adults. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for suicide risk in the adult population, including pregnant and postpartum...
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Complicated dengue rare in travelers, but doctors should be aware of the warning signs
by American College of Physicians This transmission electron microscopic (TEM) image depicts a number of round, Dengue virus particles that were revealed in this tissue specimen. Credit: CDC/ Frederick Murphy A retrospective analysis of almost 6,000 persons with dengue found that while only 2 percent of cases were considered complicated, almost all complicated cases had warning...
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‘Tranq’: the flesh-rotting drug adding to America’s opioid crisis
Opioid addict Martin has seen the deadly fentanyl replace heroin as the most prevalent drug in New York. Now he’s trying to avoid “tranq,” a flesh-eating drug increasingly causing concern across America. “It makes holes in your body, your skin,” said the 45-year-old, whose wounds on his legs and arms signify he may have unknowingly...
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Photon-counting CT noninvasively detects heart disease in high-risk patients
by Radiological Society of North America Ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in an 85-year-old man before transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Despite a stent in the right coronary artery and very severe coronary sclerosis with an Agatston score of 4162, diagnostic visualization of the coronary arteries succeeded, and obstructive coronary artery disease was excluded on CT...
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Doctor kills himself after taking antibiotic with ‘rare link’ to suicide
By Catherine Lough19 June 2023 • 1:01pm Robert Stevenson died around a week after he started a course of ciprofloxacin CREDIT: TEK IMAGE A retired cardiologist with no history of mental health problems took his own life one week after taking an antibiotic with a “rare” link to suicide, a coroner has found. Robert Stevenson, a...
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FDA Approves Buprenorphine Injection for Opioid Use Disorder
Caroline Cassels May 23, 2023 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved extended-release injection buprenorphine (Brixadi, Braeburn Inc) for the treatment of moderate to severe opioid use disorder (OUD). The medication comes in two formulations: a weekly and a monthly version. The weekly treatment is indicated in patient who have initiated treatment with a single dose of...
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Novel Intervention Helps Pain Patients Discontinue Opioids
Eve Bender June 02, 2023 A novel intervention that blends individualized care, mindfulness, and a tapering plan is more successful than usual care in helping patients discontinue opioids for chronic pain, new research shows. As part of the multisite Improving the Wellbeing of People with Opioid Treated Chronic Pain (I-WOTCH) study, 30% of participants in the intervention...
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Sulfonylureas as Street Drugs: Hidden Hypoglycemia Cause
Miriam E. Tucker May 08, 2023 SEATTLE ― Taking sulfonylureas sold as “street Valium” can lead to severe hypoglycemia that may result in emergency department (ED) visits, the latest of a handful of case reports suggests. “Physicians should be aware of this possibility and consider intentional or unintentional sulfonylurea abuse, with or without other drugs,” Amanda McKenna,...