Internal Medicine
Opinion | Tocilizumab in COVID-19 therapy: who benefits, and how? – the researchers suggest that maybe IL-6 inhibitors should be given only to patients with high IL-6.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:51h | UTCTocilizumab in COVID-19 therapy: who benefits, and how? – The Lancet
Related: A living WHO guideline on drugs for covid-19 – interleukin-6 receptor blockers are now recommended for patients with severe or critical covid-19. AND M-A: Association Between Administration of IL-6 Antagonists and Mortality Among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 – “The 4% absolute risk reduction in mortality from 25% to 21% with IL-6 inhibition added to glucocorticoids may not translate to patients with a lower baseline mortality risk and likely do not justify the additional expense and risk for toxicities for patients hospitalized with modest oxygen requirements and a stable clinical course (from editorial)”. AND RECOVERY trial: In hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypoxia and systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein ≥75 mg/L), tocilizumab improved survival and other clinical outcomes AND Secondary analysis of RCT finds Tocilizumab was beneficial to patients hospitalized with Covid-19 if CRP levels were greater than 15.0 mg/dL, but not if CRP levels were 15.0 mg/dL or less. AND M-A: Tocilizumab in COVID-19 – “For hospitalized COVID-19 patients, there is some evidence that tocilizumab use may be associated with a short-term mortality benefit, but further high-quality data are required”.
Secondary sclerosing cholangitis: an emerging complication in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:47h | UTC
How the Delta variant achieves its ultrafast spread – “Viral load is roughly 1,000 times higher in people infected with the Delta variant than those infected with the original coronavirus strain, according to a study in China”.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:46h | UTCHow the Delta variant achieves its ultrafast spread – Nature
What are the Delta, Gamma, Beta and Alpha Covid variants?
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:45h | UTCWhat are the Delta, Gamma, Beta and Alpha Covid variants? – BBC
Related: Increased transmissibility and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern – “Estimated transmissibility increases of alpha 29% (95% CI: 24–33), beta 25% (95% CI: 20–30), gamma 38% (95% CI: 29–48) & delta 97% (95% CI: 76–117)”. AND WHO renames COVID-19 variants with the Greek alphabet (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc), making them simple, easy to say and remember. The naming system aims to prevent calling COVID-19 variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing & discriminatory.
CDC releases new guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:41h | UTCTable of Contents: Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021
Related (just released): WHO Guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infections.
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Here's my greatest hits from today’s new @CDCSTD #STI Treatment Guidelines: a 🧵
1)#STI guidelines instead of #STD!
2)Expedited Partner Therapy: not just for “heterosexuals” 👏
3)#HepatitisC: screen all pregnant people
4)Rectal/throat GC/CT: consider for non-MSM like teens 👏 pic.twitter.com/gfEhrWpMKA— Ina Park (@InaParkMD) July 22, 2021
New series from The Lancet: Physical Activity 2021.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:37h | UTCHomepage: Physical Activity 2021 – The Lancet (free registration required for all articles)
Summary and commentary: Experts call for immediate action to ensure physical activity is built into everyday lives – News Medical
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
🆕 In the early stages of the #pandemic, #PhysicalActivity was considered *essential* for health by many governments—but inactivity remains a major issue.
Ahead of #Tokyo2020, we launch @TheLancet #PhysicalActivity21 Series 🤸♀️👨🦽
Access here: https://t.co/j0GhLGKAAD pic.twitter.com/mrcOnRPyR6
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) July 22, 2021
Position Statement on Endomyocardial Biopsy.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:33h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
🚨A must read – out now in JCF: Position Statement on Endomyocardial Biopsy 🫀 – @HFSA @escardio @ESCardioNews #CardioTwitter #FunctionNotFailure #HeartSuccess @rcstarling @MRMehraMD @BiykemB @Filippatos @robmentz @dranulala https://t.co/33FPZDBviN pic.twitter.com/VJEzGLIRIg
— Journal of Cardiac Failure (@JCardFail) July 21, 2021
Review: Treatment strategies for new onset atrial fibrillation in patients treated on an intensive care unit.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:30h | UTC
Review: Ethics in extracorporeal life support.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:29h | UTCEthics in extracorporeal life support: a narrative review – Critical Care
RCT: Dolutegravir or Darunavir in combination with Zidovudine or Tenofovir to treat HIV.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:25h | UTCDolutegravir or Darunavir in Combination with Zidovudine or Tenofovir to Treat HIV – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Dolutegravir Confirmed as Effective Second-Line HIV Therapy; Recycling Tenofovir Noninferior to Zidovudine – Medscape (free registration required)
Review: The hemostatic and thrombotic complications of liver disease.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:23h | UTCThe Hemostatic and Thrombotic Complications of Liver Disease – European Journal of Haematology
Study shows AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are effective against Delta variant, but both doses are needed.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:16h | UTCCommentaries: Study Finds Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines Effective Against The Delta Variant — As Long As You Get Both Doses – Forbes AND Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine works very well against the Delta variant — but only after 2 doses – Insider
Related: [Preprint] 2 doses of Covid vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca) highly effective against hospitalization from Delta variant. AND Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta to antibody neutralization. AND Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta.
Commentary on Twitter
Public Health England's test-negative case-control study for Delta variant now in NEJM: over 14,000 people with Alpha, over 4,000 with Delta https://t.co/3l1QhKeXBT
Vax effectiveness against testing positive for Delta after 2 doses:
– BNT-Pfizer 88.0% (85-90)
– AZ 67.0% (61-72) pic.twitter.com/9UFy6CLSWw— Hilda Bastian, PhD (@hildabast) July 21, 2021
COVID-19 antibodies persist at least nine months after infection – “98.8 percent of people infected in February/March showed detectable levels of antibodies in November”.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:14h | UTCNews release: COVID-19 antibodies persist at least nine months after infection – Imperial College London
Original study: SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics and transmission from community-wide serological testing in the Italian municipality of Vo’ – Nature Communications
RCT: Dapagliflozin in patients with cardiometabolic risk factors hospitalized with COVID-19 – safe, but no statistically significant risk reduction in organ dysfunction or death.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:08h | UTCCommentary: Dapagliflozin in patients with COVID-19: truth or dare – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology
Analysis finds benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh risks of rare cases of myocarditis.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:05h | UTCNews release: Study finds benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh risks of rare cases of myocarditis – American Heart Association
Original study: Myocarditis with COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines – Circulation
Commentary: Myocarditis and COVID-19 Vaccines: New Review Tackles Knowns, Unknowns – TCTMD
Commentary on Twitter
Just published ahead of print- Myocarditis with Covid mRNA Vaccines https://t.co/mc2yrr5pDV Mechanisms, benefit of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination over low risk, management strategies – review of all myocarditis cases published to date, CDC&other reports @PeterHotez @ishannovation
— BiykemBozkurt (@BiykemB) July 20, 2021
Opinion | The benefits of a COVID vaccine far outweigh the small risk of treatable heart inflammation.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:57h | UTC
WHO Guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infections.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:54h | UTCNews release: Launch WHO guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infection – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter
Great see @WHO new guidelines #STIs https://t.co/SgkCtcMDbv BUT hope last edition w syndromic management. Must deliver diagnostic capacity LMICs pic.twitter.com/B7ugeUpIRG
— Michael Marks (@dr_michaelmarks) July 17, 2021
Review: The routes of administration for acute postoperative pain medication.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:46h | UTCThe Routes of Administration for Acute Postoperative Pain Medication – Pain and Therapy
A Narrative Review on the Role of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriuria in S. aureus Bacteremia.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:37h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
✨If you have Staph in urine check blood culture✨
💥Excellent narrative review on the role of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriuria in S. aureus Bacteremia
Epidemiology and pathogenesis of SABU in patients with SAB💥 #IDTwitter #ofid https://t.co/wioI3I528z pic.twitter.com/54jVQEBeDW— Antibiotic Steward 🇵🇸💔Bassam Ghanem (@ABsteward) March 30, 2021
Guideline on the management of IgE-mediated food allergies.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:34h | UTCUpdate of the S2k guideline on the management of IgE-mediated food allergies – Allergologie Select
RCT: Immediate oral refeeding in patients with mild and moderate acute pancreatitis.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:32h | UTCImmediate Oral Refeeding in Patients With Mild and Moderate Acute Pancreatitis: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial (PADI trial) – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Cohort study: Sickle cell disorders and severe COVID-19 outcomes – “Our analysis estimated a 4-fold increased risk for COVID-19–related hospitalization and a 2.6-fold increased risk for COVID-19–related death for sickle cell disease”.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:44h | UTCSickle Cell Disorders and Severe COVID-19 Outcomes: A Cohort Study – Annals of Internal Medicine
RCT: Central venous access devices (Hickman catheters vs. PICCs vs. PORTs) for the delivery of systemic anticancer therapy – “PORTs are more effective and safer than both Hickman and PICCs”.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:42h | UTCCentral venous access devices for the delivery of systemic anticancer therapy (CAVA): a randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
News release: Study highlights more effective and safe way to deliver chemotherapy – University of Glasgow
Expert review | Postpartum preeclampsia or eclampsia: defining its place and management among the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:37h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
AJOG Expert Review in Preeclampsia: Postpartum preeclampsia or eclampsia: defining its place and management among the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy https://t.co/xdZbn51ymU pic.twitter.com/N90GdbdBBw
— AJOG (@AJOG_thegray) July 20, 2021
EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on non-invasive tests for evaluation of liver disease severity and prognosis.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:35h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Read the EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on non-invasive tests for evaluation of liver disease severity and prognosis – 2021 updatehttps://t.co/pnEhmi5sxB@EASLedu @EASLnews @JHepatology pic.twitter.com/FoIGBVEZOU
— Elsevier GastroHep (@ELSgastro) July 2, 2021