Glaucoma effects around 70 million people worldwide and can cause irreversible loss of vision if not treated-but around half of those living with the condition are not aware of it. Usually developing slowly over time, many cases of glaucoma are only picked up during routine eye tests, by which time lasting damage may already have been caused. But this could change in future as academics from the UK and Türkiye have developed a contact lens which can detect changes in eye pressure which signal possible glaucoma. Glaucoma occurs when the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes ..read more

Combination treatments with two or more blood pressure drugs can significantly reduce blood pressure in patients taking ibrutinib, according to a new study published in Blood Advances. Targeted drugs such as ibrutinib have improved outcomes for patients with cancers of the lymphatic system, but patients treated with ibrutinib and other drugs in its class often develop new or worsening high blood pressure (or hypertension or HTN). Few studies have examined how best to treat this potentially serious side effect, nor do any formal guidelines exist to steer doctors toward the most effective treat ..read more

Recent research paper investigates the association between Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) and 28-day mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted for sepsis, focusing on different income settings. The study included 4980 patients from 343 ICUs and 22 countries, analyzing the association of qSOFA with early (3-day), medium (28-day), and late (90-day) mortality in low, lower middle, upper middle, and high-income countries/regions. The study found that higher qSOFA was associated with increasing 28-day and 90-day mortality in low and lower middle income countries, and on ..read more

USA: A recent study published in Menopause has revealed a joint association of migraines and persistent vasomotor symptoms (VMS) with a greater risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases, although the risk attenuates with adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors. Catherine Kim, Departments of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, and colleagues conducted the study to examine whether vasomotor symptoms and migraine headaches, hypothesized to be vasoactive conditions, are associated with greater risk for cardiovascular disease events i ..read more

New Delhi: Reviewing the Phase I clinical trial protocol of the vaccine Bivalent Typhoid and Paratyphoid A Conjugate Vaccine, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has recommended the drug major Zydus Lifesciences to submit the revised protocol of the proposed vaccine. This came after Zydus Lifesciences presented the Phase I clinical trial protocol titled “An open- label, single-treatment, single- period, single dose, clinical phase 1 study to assess the safety and tolerability of Bivalent Typhoid and Paratyphoid A Conjugat ..read more

Researchers have found that intravenous tirofiban, administered within 24 hours of stroke onset, decreases the risk of early neurological deterioration in patients with acute noncardioembolic stroke compared to oral aspirin. The study's findings suggest that tirofiban may be an effective alternative to traditional antiplatelet therapy without increasing the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. This study was published in JAMA Neurology. The study was conducted by Wenbo Zhao and colleagues. Acute ischemic stroke remains a significant health challenge globally, and antiplatelet therap ..read more

Canada: A first-of-its-kind network meta-analysis (NMA) published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology has shed light on the relative effect of monotherapy with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and minoxidil for female pattern hair loss (PHL). For both agents, the efficacy appeared to be considerably dose-dependent. "Our findings can improve clinical guidelines and help dermatologists manage female pattern hair loss more optimally with the available options," Mesbah Talukder, School of Pharmacy, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and colleagues wrote in their study. Female pattern hair loss i ..read more

Recent findings from the Appendicitis Acuta II (APPAC II) trial indicated that treating uncomplicated acute appendicitis with just oral antibiotics may not be inferior to a combined regimen of intravenous and oral antibiotics. This study published in the Journal of American Medical Association offers critical look at the potential of antibiotic monotherapy to replace more traditional treatments that involved surgery. This research was conducted across nine university and central hospitals in Finland and involved a substantial cohort of 599 patients. This secondary analysis evaluate the effect ..read more

USA: A recent study published in The Laryngoscope has shed light on the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) management. Analyzing data from over 65,000 women aged 55 or older, the study found that those undergoing HRT were significantly less likely to require endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis treatment versus those not on HRT (OR: 0.28). This effect was particularly pronounced in patients with nasal polyps. However, hormone replacement therapy was associated with higher antibiotic utilization. Chronic rhinosinusitis is a disease ..read more

A recent retrospective study published in the Journal of American Medical Association unveiled a concerning association between prenatal opioid exposure (POE) and the alterations in the fetal immune system that potentially affect the long-term health of exposed children. This study encompassing health records of a vast cohort of 401,462 children born between 2003 and 2018 in the Western Australia, sheds light on the impacts of opioid exposure during pregnancy. During the study period from August 30, 2022 to February 27, 2023, the study investigated the link between POE and subsequent risks of ..read more