Smoking is a serious issue for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, and linking them to smoking cessation clinics can significantly improve quit rates. This was shown in a multicenter trial conducted in Turkey, where nearly 400 smokers were recruited from respiratory clinics. The study revealed that self-reported quit rates at 3
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A recent case of bird flu in Missouri has health officials puzzled as the infected patient had no known contact with dairy cows or other animals associated with the ongoing outbreak. This marks the 14th confirmed case of bird flu in the U.S. since March, with another case reported in 2022. The individual tested positive
In Italy, a recent incident involving the No. 1-ranked tennis player, Jannik Sinner, has brought the issue of Trofodermin and its link to doping scandals into the limelight once again. Sinner tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol after using an over-the-counter spray obtained by his physical trainer in Italy. Despite being cleared of
The news of Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei’s death at the hands of her boyfriend is truly horrifying and shocking. To think that someone would resort to such extreme violence is deeply disturbing. Additionally, the high school shooting in Georgia resulting in four deaths and multiple hospitalizations is yet another tragic reminder of the
The recent findings on the effectiveness of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination among older adults have sparked great interest within the medical community. According to a new study published in JAMA and led by Diya Surie, MD, of the CDC in Atlanta, RSV vaccination has shown promising results in reducing the risk of hospitalization among
In a recent study conducted by María Paz Martínez-Vidal, MD, PhD, and colleagues from Hospital Universitario San Juan de Alicante in Alicante, Spain, Spanish patients with inflammatory arthritis were found to have higher treatment retention rates when using biosimilar biologics compared to the originator products. The study focused on patients who were prescribed either etanercept
A recent randomized trial, REC-CAGEFREE I, has shed light on the inefficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty as an initial strategy for de novo coronary artery stenoses. The study revealed that DCB with rescue use of drug-eluting stents (DES) resulted in a significantly higher composite 24-month rate of cardiovascular death, target vessel myocardial infarction (MI),
A recent study conducted at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, revealed some groundbreaking results regarding the use of edoxaban (Savaysa) monotherapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The EPIC-CAD trial compared the outcomes of patients on edoxaban monotherapy versus those on dual antithrombotic therapy and found that
A randomized clinical trial conducted by Benjamin O’Brien, MD, PhD, of Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, revealed that keeping potassium levels high after cardiac surgery to prevent post-surgical atrial fibrillation (Afib) did not yield the desired results. The study showed that new-onset Afib after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) occurred in 26.2% of patients supplemented at
The recent findings from a working group of senior investigators, as part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), have shed new light on the role of the APOE4 gene in Alzheimer’s disease. Contrary to previous debates, it has been conclusively established that the APOE4 gene is indeed toxic and serves as the strongest genetic