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Validation of the New American Heart Association’s PREVENT Equations

An analysis of the accuracy of the new American Heart Association PREVENT Equations for predicting 10-year cardiovascular disease mortality in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey population has shown excellent discrimination with only modest underprediction and supports its use vs. the pooled cohort equation, which is the current standard.

Combatting the Resurgence of Syphilis

Syphilis has continued its upward trend, reaching the highest number of cases in the United States in 2023 since the 1950s. There was a brief dip in cases during the first few months of social isolation with COVID, but, overall, cases have doubled since 2015. It is obvious the current approach of testing those who present with symptoms or other sexually transmitted infections is not sufficient.

Preventing Recurrent UTI with Probiotics

About half of women experience urinary tract infection (UTI) during their lifetime, and around 20% to 25% will experience recurrent UTI (defined as three or more UTIs in a 12-month period or two UTIs in a six-month period). Those with two UTIs in a six-month period have a 50% chance of a third UTI. Repeated courses of antibacterials distort both intestinal and vaginal flora, further increasing the risk of urinary infection.

Inavolisib Tablets (Itovebi)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved inavolisib, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, for the treatment of advanced hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation. Inavolisib was granted a priority review and Breakthrough Therapy Designation.

Long-Term Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer

A large retrospective cohort study demonstrated that long-term use of proton pump inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of developing colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Diagnostic Criteria for Paraneoplastic Neurologic Syndromes

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the updated 2021 Paraneoplastic Neurologic Syndromes (PNS)-CARE score in diagnosing PNS, highlighting significant improvements in sensitivity and specificity compared to the 2004 criteria, while also addressing limitations related to study design, diagnostic criteria comparison, and the need for further research in diverse patient populations.

Epilepsy and Cardiovascular Events

This large prospective cohort study found that older adults with a lifetime history of epilepsy were more likely to experience cardiovascular events (CVEs), and that enzyme-inducing antiseizure medications (EIASMs) may account for a significant portion of this risk. The findings suggest a potential causal link between epilepsy treated with EIASMs and CVE, highlighting the need for careful medication selection in epilepsy management.

DOACs Can Safely Be Started Early After Atrial Fibrillation-Associated Stroke

In ischemic stroke associated with atrial fibrillation, early restart of anticoagulation with apixaban one to three days after ischemic stroke, compared to late restart (seven to 14 days), there were no significant differences between the groups in the primary outcome — a composite endpoint including recurrent ischemic stroke, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and systemic embolism.

Neurologic Toxicity with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

In a nationwide, multicenter, retrospective study of patients with neurologic immune-related adverse events related to immune checkpoint inhibitors, more than half of patients developed a chronic condition associated with a higher rate of severe neurologic disability and mortality.

Migraine Trigger or Prodromal Symptom: Which Came First — the Chocolate or the Craving?

Knowledge of the differentiation between the triggers for a potential migraine attack and the prodromal symptoms of an initiated migraine attack reveals strategies that decrease migraine disability. Recognition of migraine triggers allows for a modification of behavior to avoid precipitating an attack. Recognition of common migraine prodromal symptoms creates an early time window when rapid treatment enhances the therapeutic intervention’s efficacy.