Daily Archives: January 10, 2021
[Preprint] Randomized trial: Arthritis drugs improve survival in critically ill patients with Covid-19
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:56h | UTCCommentaries: Covid-19: Arthritis drugs improve survival in intensive care patients, shows study – The BMJ AND Arthritis drugs could help save lives of Covid patients, research finds – The Guardian AND Expert comment – Two potentially life-saving drugs for critically ill COVID-19 patients – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
Two rheumatoid arthritis drugs will now be used to treat the patients with severe covid-19 in intensive care, after new findings have shown that they significantly improve survival and cut the time spent in hospital by a week to 10 days https://t.co/cxNM64L5S6
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) January 8, 2021
New SARS-CoV-2 variants: increased transmissibility likely to cause more deaths and possibly a new wave of the disease
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:54h | UTC- SARS-CoV-2 Variants – World Health Organization
- Why epidemiologists are so worried about the new Covid-19 variants, in 2 charts – Vox
- We lost to SARS-CoV-2 in 2020. We can defeat B-117 in 2021 – STAT
- Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in England: insights from linking epidemiological and genetic data – Imperial College of London AND Commentary: New COVID-19 variant growing rapidly in England – Imperial College London
- Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2—What Do They Mean? – JAMA
- Podcast: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Variants – JAMA
- Podcast: Understanding the New SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Found in England – JAMA
- Viral mutations may cause another ‘very, very bad’ COVID-19 wave, scientists warn – Science
- Mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom sets off alarms, but its importance remains unclear – Science
- New variant of SARS-CoV-2 in UK causes surge of COVID-19 – The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
- Scientists are monitoring a coronavirus mutation that could affect the strength of vaccines – STAT
- Instead of debating ‘first-shot’ vs. ‘set-aside’ vaccine approaches, hospitals’ study should compare them – STAT
- The Mutated Virus Is a Ticking Time Bomb – Vox
- What We Know About The New U.K. Variant Of Coronavirus — And What We Need To Find Out – NPR
- The New Mutations – Science Translational Medicine
- New Virus Strain’s Transmissibility to Cause More Deaths: Study – Bloomberg
- U.K. variant puts spotlight on immunocompromised patients’ role in the COVID-19 pandemic – Science
- When unusually severe COVID is seen, rapid identification-and-virus-sequencing are needed world-wide – Science Speaks: Global ID News
- Covid-19: New coronavirus variant is identified in UK – The BMJ
- The looming questions scientists need to answer about the new variant of the coronavirus – STAT
- With limited surveillance of Covid-19 variant, it’s déjà vu all over again – STAT
- New coronavirus variant: What do we know? – BBC
- Covid-19 in South Africa: Scientists seek to understand new variant – BBC
- New coronavirus variant: what is the spike protein and why are mutations on it important? – The Conversation
Randomized trial: Neutralizing monoclonal antibody not efficacious among hospitalized patients with covid-19
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:55h | UTCCommentaries: Covid-19: Trial of LY-CoV555 Stopped for Futility – Physician’s Weekly AND Results of NIH-sponsored ACTIV-3 trial published – NIH News Releases AND Bamlanivimab Flops in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Peter Doshi: Pfizer and Moderna’s “95% effective” vaccines—we need more details and the raw data
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:48h | UTC
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine phase III trial results published; it is 94.1% efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:49h | UTCEfficacy and Safety of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentaries: Peer-reviewed report on Moderna COVID-19 vaccine publishes – NIH News Releases AND Peer-reviewed data show high protection for leading COVID vaccines – CIDRAP AND The Moderna Vaccine’s Antibodies May Not Last As Long As We Hoped – Forbes
Commentary on Twitter
In the phase 3 mRNA-1273 trial participants received 2 doses of vaccine or placebo 28 days apart. The mRNA-1273 vaccine showed 94.1% efficacy in preventing #SARSCoV2, including severe disease. #IDTwitter
— NEJM (@NEJM) December 30, 2020
Debate: Should we delay second vaccine doses to give one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to more people?
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:51h | UTC- Editorial: U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Challenges Go Beyond Supply – Annals of Internal Medicine
- Speed Versus Efficacy: Quantifying Potential Tradeoffs in COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment – Annals of Internal Medicine
- A Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy to Maximize the Health Gains for Every Single Vaccine Dose – Annals of Internal Medicine
- Alternative Dose Allocation Strategies to Increase Benefits From Constrained COVID-19 Vaccine Supply – Annals of Internal Medicine
- Delaying the second COVID vaccine dose – a medical expert answers key questions – The Conversation
- Should we give one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to more people? The debate, explained. – Vox
- Debates intensify over dosing plans for authorized COVID-19 vaccines – Science
- Covid-19 vaccination: What’s the evidence for extending the dosing interval? – The BMJ Opinion
- Covid-19 vaccines: to delay or not to delay second doses – The BMJ Opinion
- Britain takes a gamble with Covid-19 vaccines, upping the stakes for the rest of us – STAT
- UK Delay of Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose – A Risky Strategy That Could Give Rise To More Virus Mutations, Some Experts Warn – Health Policy Watch
- What’s the scientific basis for delaying the Covid vaccine second dose? – The Guardian
- FDA says people need both doses of coronavirus vaccines – CNN
- WHO experts weigh in on COVID-19 vaccine dose interval – CIDRAP
- For mRNA vaccines, we should stick to the schedule – The Guardian
- Expert comment on whether giving two doses of COVID vaccine separated by a longer period is sensible – Science Media Centre
- How safe is it to switch and space COVID-19 vaccine doses? – Reuters
[Press release – results not published yet] International trials of blood thinners in critically ill COVID-19 patients pause due to futility
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:44h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
The 3 largest RCTs of therapeutic #anticoagulation for #COVID19 pts in the ICU have ALL been stopped early for futility. (@remap_cap @ATTACC_COVID & #ACTIV4)
Nothing published yet, but given the large n of these RCTs, I'm increasingly skeptical about anticoagulation in COVID19. pic.twitter.com/RrLSoOsp3v
— Nick Mark MD (@nickmmark) December 22, 2020
Sinovac vaccine 78% effective in Brazil trial, experts call for more details
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:46h | UTCSinovac vaccine 78% effective in Brazil trial, experts call for more details – Reuters
Long Covid: 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:43h | UTC6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study – The Lancet
Commentaries: Most patients hospitalized for Covid-19 still have symptoms six months later, China study finds AND Long-term follow-up of recovered patients with COVID-19 – The Lancet
Commentary on Twitter
Largest #LongCovid cohort @TheLancet just published:
6 months post-hospital,
—76% still had ≥ 1 symptom
—63% fatigue/muscle weakness
—sleep, anxiety, depression common
—Sig % w/CT lung abnormalities
—13% had abnormal kidney function https://t.co/zfRf7MGdxB pic.twitter.com/LI4DaJPis8— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) January 8, 2021
Randomized trial: Low-dose digoxin results in similar patient-reported quality of life compared to bisoprolol for heart rate control in atrial fibrillation
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:37h | UTCEffect of Digoxin vs Bisoprolol for Heart Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation on Patient-Reported Quality of Life: The RATE-AF Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Editorial: Digitalis Glycosides for Heart Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation
Commentary: Digoxin Could Sub for Beta-Blockers in Certain Afib Patients – Physician’s Weekly
Commentary on Twitter
In this RCT, low-dose #digoxin led to no difference in patient-reported quality of life at 6 months vs bisoprolol in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation and symptoms of heart failure. @ICVS_UoB #afib https://t.co/XtCPdba5xg
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) December 28, 2020
WHO: 10 global health issues to track in 2021
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:38h | UTC10 global health issues to track in 2021 – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
As an unprecedented year comes to a close and a New Year beckons, here are ? global health issues WHO and our partners will focus on in 2021
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 28, 2020
[Preprint] Characterizing Long COVID in an International Cohort: 7 Months of Symptoms and Their Impact
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:41h | UTCRelated: Explanations for ‘long Covid’ remain elusive. For now, believing patients and treating symptoms is the best doctors can do – STAT AND Long COVID: who is at risk? – The Conversation
Commentary on Twitter
How long is #LongCovid?
The most extensive symptom assessment and longest duration (7 months) of nearly 3,800 individuals shows how debilitating this is in young, predominantly women, w/ most unable to return to full prior work https://t.co/o0YUNse1EA @ahandvanish @AthenaAkrami pic.twitter.com/3miXJFdVp0— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) December 29, 2020
Randomized trial: In extremely-low-birth-weight infants, a higher hemoglobin threshold for red-cell transfusion does not improve outcomes
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:36h | UTCHigher or Lower Hemoglobin Transfusion Thresholds for Preterm Infants – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Higher red cell transfusion threshold offers no advantage for treating preterm infants – NIH News Releases
Randomized trial: Proton pump inhibitors do not benefit patients with persistent throat symptoms
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:32h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Medicating random throat symptoms with proton pump inhibitors (for months) has, somehow, become routine care despite no gd evidence it actually helps.
So guess what happens if you compare 16 wk of double dose PPI with placebo in a proper trial?
…Yeah.https://t.co/mrnq4tcEUk pic.twitter.com/uZo630Sg9j
— Jussi Mustonen (@JusiMD) January 8, 2021
Randomized trial: Ultra-early tranexamic acid does not improve outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage
10 Jan, 2021 | 21:02h | UTCUltra-early tranexamic acid after subarachnoid haemorrhage (ULTRA): a randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Tranexamic acid treatment in spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage, started immediately after CT diagnosis and continued until start of the aneurysm treatment as early as possible, does not improve clinical outcome, finds new randomised controlled trial: https://t.co/R0AhtszaY5 pic.twitter.com/Bnft9XgBA9
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) December 22, 2020
Open Access: Textbook of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:34h | UTCTextbook of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management – Springer
Commentary on Twitter
Sir Liam Donaldson, pioneer of patient safety, & colleagues have published "Textbook of Patient Safety & Clinical Risk Management" (2021). It's open access & free. The content is outstanding, written by leading thinkers & practitioners globally: https://t.co/piHNwYNKOn TY @PIPSQC pic.twitter.com/vNvtttg8c1
— Helen Bevan ? (@helenbevan) December 27, 2020
Editorial – Two decades since “To Err Is Human”: Progress, but still a “chasm”
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:33h | UTCTwo Decades Since “To Err Is Human”: Progress, but Still a “Chasm” – JAMA
Author interview: To Err Is Human: 20 Years of Health Care Quality
Toward a bias-free and inclusive medical curriculum: Development and implementation of student-initiated guidelines and monitoring mechanisms at one institution
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:28h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Authors present an approach and resources from which other institutions can learn, with the goal of reducing #ImplicitBias and improving inclusiveness throughout #MedEd: https://t.co/d3LdImmU86. #inclusion @ColumbiaPS
— Academic Medicine (@AcadMedJournal) October 8, 2020
AAP Guideline: Identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:30h | UTCIdentification and Management of Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents – Pediatrics
Commentary: Pediatrics Group Offers Guidance on Managing Eating Disorders in Youth – NEJM Journal Watch
Systematic review: Effectiveness of hospital clowns for symptom management in pediatrics
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:24h | UTCCommentaries: Clowns may help children cope with the pain and anxiety of hospital treatment – The BMJ AND Clowns Make Hospitals Less Scary For Young Patients – Forbes AND Laughter As Medicine: Clowns Help Hospitalized Kids Cope – U.S News
Commentary on Twitter
As a gift ? to children everywhere, a @bmj_latest study shows that sending in the clowns – in pediatric hospital settings – may reduce children's stress, fatigue, #pain, and distress during a range of medical procedures"
By @lopesjr_phd, @Naramata4 et al#bioethics #ChronicPain pic.twitter.com/hmnXRv3J8Q— Sandra Woods, CIPP/C ??? (@SandraWoodsMtl) December 25, 2020
Randomized trial: Laparoscopic lavage vs. primary resection for perforated purulent diverticulitis; similar long-term results, but recurrence was more common after laparoscopic lavage
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:25h | UTCLaparoscopic Lavage vs Primary Resection for Acute Perforated Diverticulitis: Long-term Outcomes From the Scandinavian Diverticulitis (SCANDIV) Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Laparoscopic Lavage a Safe Option in Perforated Diverticulitis — No difference versus resection in long-term severe complications, but recurrence more common – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Observational study: Childhood growth hormone treatment linked to increased risks of cardiovascular events in early adulthood
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:27h | UTCAssociation of Childhood Growth Hormone Treatment With Long-term Cardiovascular Morbidity – JAMA Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Childhood Tx with Growth Hormone May Up Cardiovascular Risks Later – Physician’s Weekly AND Growth Hormones in Childhood Tied to Heart Problems Later On – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Axial spondyloarthritis: New advances in diagnosis and management
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:22h | UTCState of the Art Review: Axial spondyloarthritis: new advances in diagnosis and management – The BMJ
Review: Management of Crohn Disease
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:20h | UTCManagement of Crohn Disease: A Review – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Podcast: Crohn Disease Management – JAMA
Guideline Synopsis: Management of patients with a patent foramen ovale with history of stroke or TIA
10 Jan, 2021 | 20:19h | UTCManagement of Patients With a Patent Foramen Ovale With History of Stroke or TIA – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Original Guideline: Practice advisory update summary: Patent foramen ovale and secondary stroke prevention: Report of the Guideline Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology – Neurology