Global study: Risk of cardiovascular disease is similar for men and women

Findings from a global study suggest that risk factors for cardiovascular disease are similar for men and women, with some notable differences. The outcomes were reported on Oct. 17, 2022 in The Lancet. “When it comes to cardiovascular disease in men and women, the similarities in terms of risk factors are considerably greater than the differences,” said investigator and second […]

After 30 years – new guidelines for weight-loss surgery

Two of the world’s leading authorities on bariatric and metabolic surgery have issued new evidence-based clinical guidelines that among a slew of recommendations expand patient eligibility for weight-loss surgery and endorse metabolic surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes beginning at a body mass index (BMI) of 30, a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight […]

Nivolumab study supports use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced skin cancer

Researchers report that patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer and one of the most frequent malignancies worldwide, benefit from treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab. The findings were published on Oct. 24, 2022 in Cancer. “This is the first study to investigate nivolumab in this patient population, and it provides further evidence supporting the use […]

Hospital emergency departments lack policy and strategies for spotting child neglect or abuse

In a survey of emergency department staff from across Europe, only around half said their hospital has a policy in place to help staff identify children who are being neglected or abused. The research, presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1], also shows that hospitals with such a policy are more likely to use strategies that are known to […]

Older diabetes treatment appears to have anti-dementia effect

Researchers report a link between use of glitazones to treat type 2 diabetes and a 22% reduced risk of dementia. The findings appeared on Oct 11, 2022 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. “These findings may help inform medication selection for [older] patients with [type 2 diabetes] at high risk of dementia,” the authors said. As background, the authors noted […]

Telemedicine reduces odds of no-show clinic visits by more than two-thirds for surgical patients

Surgical patients who use telehealth services are much more likely to show up for their initial clinic visit or follow-up appointment during the post-surgery period than those who rely on in-person visits only. Research findings were presented at the Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2022. During the early months of the COVID pandemic, when […]

Hospital room features may impact clinical outcomes for patients after surgery

Certain hospital room features, such as having a window view and distance from a nursing station, may influence clinical outcomes after undergoing high-risk operations, according to research findings presented at the Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2022. Each year, about $50 billion is spent on the construction of health care facilities in the United […]

New testing method could make tuberculosis diagnosis easier

Tuberculosis can be tough to detect. Diagnosis usually requires coughing up a sputum sample from the lungs, which can be unpleasant, impractical, and even hazardous. But in a promising new study, a multinational team of researchers may have found another way to identify the bacterial disease. Having patients spit into a cup, then loading saliva into a commercially available testing […]