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Top Medical News
Nicotine may not have a neuroprotective effect on intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) as previously suggested in animal studies, with former or current smokers demonstrating no difference in post-ICH functional outcomes compared with non-smokers, according to findings from the US-based ERICH* study.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with neither disease activity nor serum interleukin 6 levels among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although it may play a role in functional disability, according to a recent study from Malaysia.
Indoor temperature is inversely associated with levels of blood pressure (BP), reports a recent study, suggesting that room temperature must be considered in the clinical management of hypertension and in hypertension research. It should also be considered as a modifiable risk factor in hypertension-related mortality and morbidity.
A recent study has shown that higher maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain may increase the risk of offspring overweight/obesity throughout childhood, with the strongest effects at later ages. The additional effect of gestational weight gain in overweight/obese women before pregnancy is small.
Obesity, low cardiorespiratory fitness and their combination strongly correlated with chronic disability later in life owing to a wide range of diseases and causes, suggests a recent study.
A lifestyle intervention programme aimed at reducing intake of fat and calories appears to be effective for preventing the development of diabetes in high-risk Asian Indians, according to data from the Diabetes Community Lifestyle Improvement Program (D-CLIP) trial.
Seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) on top of complete viral suppression using nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) further lowers the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a new study suggests.
Special Reports
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to reduce joint pain and improve joint function. Dr Sazzli Kasim provides his viewpoint on how the current understanding on cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs should be taken into account when determining optimal analgesic strategies for patients with arthritis.
In March 2018, sublingual fentanyl citrate (SLF; Abstral®, Menarini) was made available in Malaysia. SLF is a rapid-onset opioid (ROO) indicated for the management of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) episodes in patients that are opioid-tolerant. In July 2018, Menarini organized an expert meeting, aptly named Malaysian Collaborative Meeting of Pain Specialists to Improve Oncology Management (MY-COMPASSION), comprising of key figures in anaesthesiology, palliative care and oncology to discuss current insights into local BTcP management. Below are highlights from the meeting.
Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) has emerged as a key driving force behind personalized cancer care. With the wealth of data available with CGP, medical oncologists now have in their armamentarium a tool that could enable them to provide patients with the optimum treatment. At a Roche Foundation Medicine-sponsored symposium held at the 2018 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Munich, Germany, a panel of experts reviewed key data on CGP, with a focus on the treatment of advanced cancers.
In an era of antimicrobial resistance, newer agents are urgently needed. Ceftaroline, a broad spectrum cephalosporin approved for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI) is a step forward towards addressing this need. MIMS Anti-Infectives interviewed Dr Asok Kurup, an infectious disease physician practising at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre in Singapore, to provide some insights into the role of ceftaroline for the treatment of these conditions.
In conjunction with the launch of QV Intensive with Ceramides (Ego Pharm), the important role of ceramides in themanagement of atopic dermatitis (AD) was highlighted by two distinguished speakers, Dr Agnes Heng of KPJ and Pantai Hospital Ipoh, as well as Dr Fabrizio Spada of Ego Pharmaceuticals, Australia.
At the recent 34th Annual Congress of the Malaysian Society of Nephrology, Dr Kyriaki Stamatelou reviewed the role of alfacalcidol (One-Alpha®; LEO Pharma) – a vitamin D analogue – in the prevention and management of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in chronic kidney disease (CKD).
International travellers have a potential for exposure to diseases outside their home countries and may carry nonendemic diseases between countries.1
Conference Reports
Andexanet alfa effectively reduced anti-factor Xa activity in patients who experienced acute bleeding while on a factor Xa inhibitor*, results from the ANNEXA-4** study showed.
Prehospital, transdermal delivery of the nitric oxide (NO) donor nitroglycerin did not reduce blood pressure (BP) and post-stroke disability in patients with suspected ultra-acute stroke, according to the results of the RIGHT*-2 trial presented at ISC 2019, thus debunking the conventional belief that early NO administration to supplement the low vascular NO concentrations may benefit acute stroke.
Treatment with the second-generation hydrogel coils significantly reduces the rate of aneurysm recurrence compared with standard platinum coils, with no increase in adverse events, reveals the HEAT* study presented at ISC 2019.
Among patients with a history of stroke, an intensive blood pressure-lowering regimen did not reduce the risk of recurrent stroke compared with a standard blood pressure-lowering regimen, according to results of the RESPECT* trial presented at ISC 2019.
Women diagnosed with an infection, such as urinary tract infection, pneumonia, or sepsis, during a delivery hospitalization were more likely to be readmitted for postpartum stroke, according to a study presented at ISC 2019.
A latest study at ISC 2019 shows that even patients with large-core stroke damage can have a good outcome after mechanical clot removal with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), depending on the size of the infarct and time lapses between stroke onset and treatment.
The addition of the monoclonal antibody andecaliximab to nivolumab or a chemotherapy regimen (modified FOLFOX6*) did not provide survival benefit in patients with pretreated metastatic or untreated HER2-negative gastric/gastroesophageal (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma, according to data presented at ASCO GI 2019.
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