Treatment options for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have minimally advanced since 2004, while the annual deaths and economic toll have increased alarmingly. Phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) is associated with alcohol and nicotine dependence. This article highlights the PDE4 inhibitor apremilast (90 mg/d) reduced excessive drinking in non–treatment-seeking individuals with AUD in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. These results demonstrate that apremilast suppresses excessive alcohol drinking across the spectrum of AUD severity. Find the article here (https://www.jci.org/articles/view/159103?utm_source=notices&utm_medium=email&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=JCI+-+March+15%2C+2023%2C+issue+published).
Apheresis is a treatment option for severe dyslipidemia which has been introduced approximately 40 years ago to clinical practice and remains a treatment option for severe dyslipidemia, especially in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and elevated lipoprotein(a), if other forms of therapy fail to achieve targets. Admittedly, I was not familiar with this technique/approach. I think the merit in its utility should be highlighted better.
This is a very practical and important article that highlights dosages of Aspirin can inhibit the stemness of colorectal cancer cell including inhibiting the number of clone formation and reducing the volume and number of cell spheres and inducing the down-regulation of stemness-related genes. This ultimately leads to chemosensitivity.
This analysis of over 31K women receiving breast cancer surgery at age 65 or older demonstrates 1 in 5 experience an increase in frailty per a validated claims-based frailty index, which was even more likely with increasing age and for those receiving a mastectomy. (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2802657).
Emotions run high in Oncology clinics. This editorial describes some of the lasting impacts particularly high stress clinical encounters can leave. (https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.22.02896).
How do you give bad news to patients when the news has already been delivered to patients through their "MyChart" for instance? This article highlights this conundrum and gives recommendations on how to navigate this. What are people's thoughts on the instant delivery of bad medical news reports prior to seeing a physician? Find the article here (https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/OP.22.00567).
Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with a contact x-ray brachytherapy boost significantly improved the 3-year organ preservation rate, particularly for patients with tumours smaller than 3 cm who were treated with contact x-ray brachytherapy first, compared with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with a boost via external beam radiotherapy. This gives rectal cancer patients additional therapeutic options. Find the article here (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(22)00392-2/fulltext).
In a large and contemporary analysis of female patients seen in French hospitals, women with history of breast cancer had a higher risk of all-cause mortality, new-onset heart failure and major bleeding compared to a matched cohort of women without breast cancer. In contrast, they have a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality, MI and stroke. This is postulated secondary to the main chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of BC is anthracycline-based, and its use has been previously linked to an increased risk of drug-induced congestive heart failure in addition to Tamoxifen being an effective antioxidant and protecting low-density lipoprotein particles against oxidative damage27 and in combination with its anti-inflammatory properties has been thought to reduce risk of cardiovascular events, in particular MI.
The UK Government has slipped dangerously behind on its target for the nation to be smokefree—that is, to reduce average adult smoking prevalence in England to 5%—by 2030, according to a new report from Cancer Research UK. This is pretty astonishing and highlights many of the limitations and pitfalls in the execution and miscalculation of their strategy. Revisions and modifications are direly needed. Find the article here (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(23)00004-9/fulltext).
Understanding the most relevant hematological/biochemical characteristics, pre-existing health conditions and complications in survivors and non-survivor will aid in predicting COVID-19 patient mortality, as well as intensive care unit (ICU) referral and death. This article demonstrates that the most common complication among non-survivors was heart failure, followed by septic shock and respiratory failure. Platelet counts, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, albumin, and blood urea nitrogen levels were all linked to ICU admission. Hemoglobin levels preferred non-ICU patients. Lower levels of hemoglobin, lymphocytes, and albumin were associated with increased mortality in ICU patients.
This is an awesome article highlighting that are capacity to cook food evolved far earlier in evolution than we may have thought. Now we have concrete evidence to highlight this as well. Cool stuff
This provocative analysis demonstrates significant reductions in opioid prescriptions and pain-related hospitalizations for cancer patients following legalization of medical marijuana across 34 states. Should this habit be more widely utilized and adopted? Find the article here (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2799132).
The Protect Trial evaluated prostate cancer patients in 3 cohorts - 45 randomly assigned to receive active monitoring, 553 to undergo prostatectomy, and 545 to undergo radiotherapy. After 15 years of follow-up, prostate cancer–specific mortality was low regardless of the treatment assigned. Thus, the choice of therapy involves weighing trade-offs between benefits and harms associated with treatments for localized prostate cancer. Find the full details of the trial here (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2214122).
This article suggests the best way for medical institutions to improve outcomes associated with ecruiting diverse talent must proactively sell themselves in areas ripe with underrepresented minorities. Find the article here (ecruiting diverse talent must proactively sell themselves in areas ripe with underrepresented minorities.).
Yale has a plethora of postdoctoral positions available for qualified applicants. View the opportunities here (https://postdocs.yale.edu/yale-postdoctoral-positions).
Hub