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Top Medical News
An antiparasitic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been found to be effective in stopping the growth of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a laboratory experiment, according to a collaborative study.
A multipronged surveillance and containment strategy—involving rapid identification and isolation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, quarantine of close contacts, and active monitoring of other contacts, among others—has proven effective in controlling local transmission of the disease in Singapore, as shown in a study.
Implementing a combined intervention of school closure, workplace distancing and quarantine of infected persons and their close contacts can substantially slow down the spread COVID-19, reveals a modelling study in Singapore.
Among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), treatment with apixaban was associated with a lower rate of ischaemic stroke, systemic embolism, and major bleeding compared with rivaroxaban, according to a large study assessing patients in routine care.
The association of human papillomavirus vaccination with autoimmune and other rare diseases remains unclear, results of a systematic review and meta-analysis have shown.
The wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) may cause or exacerbate headaches in healthcare workers responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, according to a Singapore study.
A 7-day course of vonoprazan and low-dose amoxicillin dual (VA-dual) therapy proves useful in the first-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, especially in regions with high clarithromycin resistance, yielding an acceptable eradication efficacy that is similar to that achieved with vonoprazan-based triple (VAC-triple) therapy, according to the results of an open-label trial.
Special Reports
Macrolide antibiotics are derived from the Streptomycesspecies. These contain either 14-membered (erythromycin [ERM],clarithromycin [CAM], roxithromycin [RXM]), 15-membered(azithromycin [AZM]) or 16-membered (spiramycin, josamycin,midecamycin) macrocyclic lactone rings. They inhibit proteinsynthesis by reversibly binding to the 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)in the 50s subunit of the bacterial ribosome. Traditionally,macrolides are used as first-line agents in respiratory, skin,soft tissue, and urogenital infections, and they are also activeagainst gram-positive cocci and atypical pathogens.
Invasive meningococcal disease is a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis that can progress rapidly and cause permanent disability.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains as one of the world’s leading causes of mortality in global public health. Dr Charles Hicks shared his insights into the increasing role of dolutegravir (DTG; Tivicay, GSK) – an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) – in HIV therapy during the 4th National AIDS Conference 2018 at Swiss Garden International Hotel and Residences, Kuala Lumpur.
Urogenital infections remain a major reason for women to visit their family physician and their subsequent referral to obstetrics and gynaecology or urology specialists. The association between abnormal vaginal microbiota and an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as an increased rate of preterm labour, indicates the need to better understand and manage urogenital health in women. Probiotics are “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. As such, there is a sound rationale for using probiotics to maintain female vaginal and bladder health.
At the 40th Malaysian Paediatric Association Annual Congress held on 6 September 2018 at the Ipoh Convention Centre, Dr Yong Junina Fadzil discussed the applications of a hexavalent vaccine in optimizing paediatric vaccination schedules. Meanwhile, Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin shared his insights into the paediatric influenza ‘landscape’ in the region and highlighted the importance of regularly vaccinating paediatric patients.
SKYCELLFLU – Inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (inj) 0.5 mL - AJ Biologics
Influenza is a highly contagious viral disease, which is primarily spread through water droplets containing strains of the virus. Dr Leong Chee Loon shares his insights into the management of influenza in Malaysia, highlighting the importance of improving vaccination coverage in populations at high-risk of influenza-related complications, such as elderly patients and healthcare practitioners.
Conference Reports
A long-acting (LA) injectable therapeutic regimen comprising the integrase strand-transfer inhibitor cabotegravir and the nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor rilpivirine maintained viral suppression among virologically suppressed adults with HIV-1, according to the week 96 results of the phase III FLAIR* trial.
Every-two-month injections of the long-acting cabotegravir + rilpivirine were noninferior to once-monthly injections for virologic suppression at 48 weeks in people living with HIV*, according to the ATLAS-2M** study presented at CROI 2020 — thus providing a potential option with more convenient dosing.
The angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) losartan did not improve inflammation, T-cell immune recovery, or fibrotic activity among older persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and viral suppression, according to data presented at CROI 2020.
Dolutegravir demonstrated noninferiority to low-dose efavirenz in antiretroviral (ART)-naïve patients with HIV-1 infection in a resource-limited setting, according to the NAMSAL ANRS 12313* study presented at IAS 2019.
Children born to women receiving dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV since conception have an uptick of neural-tube defects compared with those whose mothers took non-dolutegravir ART at conception, additional follow-up data from the Tsepamo surveillance study show.
The combination of emtricitabine and dolutegravir with either a tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)-based regimen fared similarly to a TDF-emtricitabine-efavirenz regimen in reducing HIV-1 RNA levels, according to results of the phase III ADVANCE* study presented at IAS 2019.
The investigational first-in-class attachment inhibitor prodrug fostemsavir (FTR) continues to improve virologic and immunologic response from weeks 48 to 96 in patients with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 who had been heavily treated, according to the BRIGHTE* study presented at IAS 2019.
