According to published results, patients with incident fractures who have multimorbidity and poor self-rated health may be at increased risk for subsequent fractures and mortality. Researchers performed a prospective cohort study of 25,280 patients who sustained incident fractures between July 2005 and December 2009. According to the study, patients were followed until subsequent fracture, death or conclusion of the study in April 2017. Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Researchers analyzed any associations between Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores and self-rated health with risk of ..read more

Smartphone viewing distance was similar among children with and without myopia, with researchers reporting that 60% of variance was attributable to individual differences, according to a study in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics. “A prominent hypothesis attributes the onset and progression of myopia to sustained near viewing, which for many children may include the use of handheld digital devices,” Josh Richards, a PhD student in vision science, and colleagues at Indiana University School of Optometry, wrote. “Near viewing frequency was amplified during the COVID-19 crisis ..read more

The FDA approved pivmecillinam tablets to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections caused by susceptible isolates of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus for women, according to an agency press release. Pivmecillinam (Pivya, Utility Therapeutics) is an oral prodrug of injectable mecillinam. The FDA approval was based on results of three controlled clinical trials that compared different doses of pivmecillinam tablets with placebo, another oral antibacterial drug and ibuprofen. The primary outcome for all trials was the composite response rate, including ..read more

BOSTON — Most people in the United States do not get enough vitamin D, but supplementation helps patients reach the daily recommended dietary allowance, according to a speaker at the ACP Internal Medicine Meeting. An estimated 20% to 40% of the population take vitamin supplements, Noah Stratton, DO, FACP, an internal medicine specialist in Temple, Texas, said in his presentation. “This does represent over a $50 billion industry as of some 2020 data,” he said. “[But] the data [are] so nuanced and inconsistent, either based on dosing or timing, that it’s really ..read more

Catch up on the most popular videos from Eyecelerator@ASCRS as Healio’s coverage of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting continues. Topics include an update on encapsulated cell therapy for treatment of retinal diseases and a new advancement in laser scleral microporation. VIDEO: Neurotech prepares to submit license application for NT-501 In this Healio Video Perspective, Richard Small, CEO of Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, gives an update on encapsulated cell therapy for the extended treatment of retinal diseases. Watch here. VIDEO: New laser offers further ..read more

The European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorization to Filspari, Travere Therapeutics and CSL Vifor announced in a press release. Filspari (sparsentan) is intended for adults with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) who have a urine protein excretion of at least 1 g/day or urine protein-to-creatinine ratio of at least 0.75 g/g. The approval is an “important milestone for the IgAN community in Europe and underscores our promise to develop and deliver innovative medicines in our areas of focus where there is unmet need,” Emmanuelle Lecomte Brisset, senior vice president ..read more

According to published results, use of porous tantalum tibial metaphyseal cones in revision total knee arthroplasty was associated with durable survivorship at 10 years and low rates of implant removal. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester retrospectively analyzed data from 228 revision TKAs performed with porous tantalum tibial metaphyseal cones and stemmed tibial components at a single institution between 2004 and 2011. According to the study, the mean patient age was 65 years. Mean follow-up was 6.3 years. Postoperative outcome measures included implant survivorship, complication ..read more

Children living in census tracts with greater environmental injustice experienced poorer asthma outcomes, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Researchers found that children aged 6 to 18 years with asthma from census tracts of metropolitan Atlanta that ranked highest in environmental injustice included racial and ethnic minorities with a lower socioeconomic status, Jocelyn R. Grunwell, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of critical care medicine at Emory University and attending physician at Children’s ..read more

Patient care technician staffing at U.S. dialysis facilities varies by geography, time and other attributes, data show. Further investigation could lead to better quality of care, according to published data. “Although the number of technicians caring for patients receiving dialysis continues to grow with the patient population ... and several states have instituted dialysis staffing mandates, little is known about how patient care technician staffing patterns differ across U.S. dialysis facilities,” Laura C. Plantinga, PhD, of the rheumatology and nephrology divisions at the ..read more

ATLANTA — In this Healio video exclusive, Seth S. Martin, MD, MHS, FAHA, discusses research into lipid disorders from the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, examining a study on lipid therapies in the year after lipoprotein(a) measurement. Martin, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Healio | Cardiology Today Editorial Board Member, discussed the study, which looked into datasets to gather more information on the relationship between different demographics and lipid-lowering titration. “It’s ..read more