Browse Internal Medicine Alert Articles by Topic

A New Drug for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction?

The addition of the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone to standard therapy reduced the incidence of recurrent heart failure and death compared to placebo in patients with heart failure and mildly reduced or preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and was generally well tolerated.

Early Bird or Night Owl: Who’s Mentally Sharper?

A large cross-sectional analysis of adults aged 53-86 years found that people with normal sleep durations while being “night owls” often scored higher on cognitive tests than “early bird” types.

Lebrikizumab-lbkz Injection (Ebglyss)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-13 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

Metformin Reduces SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Outpatients with COVID-19

A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of outpatients with COVID-19 found that metformin reduced SARS-CoV-2 viral load 3.6-fold compared to placebo, while ivermectin and fluvoxamine showed no benefit.

Blood Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

In this population-based study of patients in Sweden with cognitive complaints, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia, the use of blood biomarkers, specifically, phosphorylated tau 217 and amyloid-beta 42/40 ratios, improved the diagnostic accuracy for pathological Alzheimer’s disease in primary care patients as well as patients seen by dementia specialists.

Treatment Direction After Unsuccessful Attempts at Smoking Cessation

This randomized trial found that, for patients unable to stop smoking after six weeks of treatment, increasing the dose of either varenicline or combination nicotine replacement therapy (CNRT) or switching from CNRT to varenicline, leads to an increased likelihood of success.

Diagnostic Uncertainty in Community-Acquired Pneumonia

A national retrospective cohort study from the Veterans Administration found a high rate of diagnostic discordance for patients admitted and discharged for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Improvement in the diagnosis of CAP is needed.

Look for the Pattern

How would you interpret the two-lead rhythm strip shown in the figure? Hint: Is there a pattern?

Nalmefene Injection (Zurnal) and Intranasal Nalmefene HCl (Opvee)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first nalmefene autoinjector for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. Nalmefene is an opioid antagonist and an analog of naltrexone. It was granted a priority review and accelerated approval with a breakthrough therapy designation. It is distributed by Purdue Pharma L.P. as Zurnal.

A Review of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis is a tool for preventing HIV, especially among high-risk populations. Three medication options are available. Regular screening for HIV and sexually transmitted infections is required, and adherence is crucial for effectiveness. PrEP is underused but increasingly covered by insurance, offering an important preventive option in sexual healthcare.