Articles Tagged With:
-
Systolic Blood Pressure Targets in Octogenarians
An analysis of a U.S. national database of patients 80 years of age or older taking antihypertensive agents was analyzed to determine the optimal systolic blood pressure associated with the lowest cardiovascular mortality and found that the ideal target was < 130 mmHg.
-
Long-Term NSAID Use May Lower Dementia Risk
In a prospective population-based study of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, long-term use was associated with a reduced risk for dementia compared with short- and intermediate-term use.
-
Beware Social Media Posts Promoting Medical Tests, Potential for Overdiagnosis
An analysis of widely viewed social media posts about five medical tests — full body magnetic resonance imaging, multicancer early detection, anti-Müllerian hormone, gut microbiome, and testosterone tests — found that 87.1% of the posts promoted benefits, while just 14.7% acknowledged potential harms and only 6.1% raised concerns about overuse or overdiagnosis.
-
Infectious Disease Updates
Old Habits Die Hard, Especially with TB; Paxlovid: Is It Still Worth the Cost?
-
Career Satisfaction and the Unmet Need for Infectious Disease Clinicians
There is a shortage of physicians in the United States, and many current physicians are considering reducing or ending their current clinical practices. Leading risk factors for discontinuing clinical work are taking fewer than 15 days of vacation each year, continuing to respond to electronic medical record inbox messages during vacation, and working more than 30 minutes per day during vacation.
-
Moldy Bloodstream Infections
Bloodstream infections due to molds are uncommon, occurring predominantly in association with severe immunocompromise, even in the presence of anti-mold prophylaxis.
-
Preventing Respiratory Syncytial Virus Illness in Infants
Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) illness by using a monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab, in young infants entering the winter RSV season was recommended in 2023. Subsequently, effectiveness was evaluated in children in the northeastern United States. Nirsevimab was 68% effective in preventing RSV-associated need for medical care and 81% effective in preventing hospitalization for RSV-related illness.
-
Antibiotics for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria: Using Urinalysis to Improve Stewardship
A cohort study found that in patients receiving antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, a urinalysis with pyuria and/or nitrituria identified 40% more cases of unnecessary antibiotic use compared to asymptomatic bacteriuria.
-
Amoebic Encephalitis and Meningoencephalitis: It’s the Water
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated the cases of two patients: a child with meningoencephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri and a man with Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis. Both were associated with exposure to water and both were fatal.
-
Review of the AHA Hypertension Update for Emergency Physicians
Hypertension is one of the most common complaints among adult patients presenting to the emergency department. The American Heart Association (AHA) issues periodic guidelines and recommendations for the management of hypertension. This article will focus on the recent AHA scientific statement on the management of hypertension in the acute care setting.