Exposure to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) is associated with an increased dispensing of antidepressants, according to study results published in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. Previous study findings suggest a link between GLP-1RA therapy and increased depression and anxiety. However, these findings remain inconclusive. To better understand the link between the dispensing of GLP-1RA and antidepressants, researchers conducted a cross-sectional, case-control, and retrospective cohort study using data from the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) between 2012 ..read more

The timing of frozen embryo transfer (FET) after cesarean section is not associated with live birth rates, gestational age, or birth weight, according to the results of a study published in Fertility and Sterility. To evaluate differences in reproductive and neonatal outcomes on the basis of time interval from cesarean delivery to subsequent frozen embryo transfer (FET), researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study sourcing data from US Fertility-affiliated centers. Participants had undergone cesarean delivery for a previous artificially-conceived pregnancy and returned for subsequent si ..read more

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) vs semaglutide is a cost-saving treatment option for patients with class 2 obesity, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open. For the analysis, researchers conducted an economic evaluation study involving a cost-effectiveness analysis of semaglutide and ESG among patients with obesity. A patient aged 45 years with class 2 obesity and a body mass index (BMI) of 37 kg/m2 was used as a base case. Class 2 obesity was defined as a BMI of 35 to 39.9 kg/m2. A state-transition Markov cohort model was created to assess the cost-effectiveness of sema ..read more

A high-dose aflibercept (8 mg) delivered every 12 or 16 weeks is noninferior to the standard aflibercept dosage of 2 mg delivered every 8 weeks for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), according to the results of a randomized controlled trial published in the Lancet.  Treatment regimens with currently available anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies are associated with poor compliance and higher doses of anti-VEGF agents have been proposed to sustain disease control. The phase 2/3 PHOTON study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04429503) assessed the safety and ..read more

The American Heart Association has issued a scientific statement that addresses environmental exposures and cardiovascular conditions in children and adolescents, as published in Circulation. The AHA statement focuses on 4 exposure types, including climate change, airborne pollution, metal toxicants, and endocrine disruptors, and their associations with conditions such as congenital heart disease, acquired heart disease (Kawasaki disease), blood pressure and vascular traits, and dyslipidemia and metabolic traits. Increasing global temperatures and heat stress are anticipated to have a signific ..read more

Adults with long COVID are about twice as likely to experience psychiatric symptoms than their peers without long COVID, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open. However, patients with long COVID report cost-related barriers to accessing mental health care. Previous research indicates that individuals with long COVID can experience psychiatric symptoms like depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, it has been difficult to establish the prevalence of these conditions thus far, given how recently the ..read more

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has published an update to the 2017 version of its recommendations regarding newer pharmacologic treatments for type 2 diabetes, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, and long-acting insulins. The full update was published in Annals of Internal Medicine. In 2017, the ACP recommended metformin as an adjunct to lifestyle modifications to improve glycemic control among adults with type 2 diabetes. However, 16% of adults with type 2 diabetes have in ..read more

As measured by soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), inflammation mediates the relationship between obesity and worse COVID-19 outcomes, according to study findings published in the Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism. Although obesity is a risk factor for COVID-19 infection and worse outcomes, it remains unclear whether inflammation mediates COVID-19 outcomes among individuals with obesity. Researchers conducted a substudy of the International Study of Inflammation in COVID-19 (ISIC; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04818866) prospective multicenter study. Patients ..read more

Another study adds to research suggesting that assisted reproductive technology may increase the risk of leukemia in offspring. The study indicated that children born after fresh embryo transfer may have a higher risk of leukemia than children born naturally, and children born after frozen embryo transfer may have a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) than children born naturally. These findings were published in JAMA Network Open. For this study, researchers looked at more than 8.5 million live births recorded in the French National Mother-Child Register (EPI-MERES) from January ..read more

HealthDay News — The H5N1 avian flu virus that’s infecting U.S. cattle is increasingly showing up in mammals — a dangerous sign that it could someday easily infect people. That’s the warning issued late last week by World Health Organization chief scientist Dr. Jeremy Farrar, CNN reported. “We have to watch, more than watch, we have to make sure that if H5N1 did come across to humans with human-to-human transmission that we were in a position to immediately respond with access equitably to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics,” he said at a news conference held on WHO’s new definition f ..read more