Respirology

How effective were COVID-19 antivirals during HK’s Omicron BA.2 wave?

How effective were oral antivirals during HK’s Omicron BA.2 wave?

Christina Lau, 5 days ago

A real-world study during Hong Kong’s Omicron BA.2 wave showed that both molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir effectively lowered the risks of disease progression and all-cause mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients not requiring oxygen supplementation on admission. However, mortality risk reduction was larger with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir vs molnupiravir.

Change in serum marker levels tied to outcomes of RA-related interstitial lung disease

19 Jun 2022

In rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), change over time in the levels of serum proteins, such as matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP13) and C-X-C motif ligand chemokine 11 (CXCL11), predict clinical outcomes, a recent study has found. The same is true for baseline clinical factors such as patient age and rheumatoid factor.

Solriamfetol promising for safer driving in people with OSA-related excessive daytime sleepiness

18 Jun 2022

In patients with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) associated with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), treatment with solriamfetol produces significant improvements in on-the-road driving performance, as shown in a study.

Belt-type device slows breathing rate to ease test anxiety in students

Tristan Manalac, 17 Jun 2022

Device-guided breathing (DGB), as facilitated by the RESPeRATE device, appears to reduce test anxiety and can boost subsequent test performance among students, according to a recent study.

Dyspnoea may elevate stress in artificial stone benchtop industry workers

Stephen Padilla, 16 Jun 2022

Dyspnoea is associated with higher perceived stress in silica-exposed workers from the artificial stone benchtop industry at risk of silicosis, a permanent but preventable lung disease, suggests a study.

Rapid antigen test: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

Pearl Toh, 23 Oct 2021

While rapid antigen test is less sensitive than conventional nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) such as RT-PCR* in detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus, “a test does not have to be perfect to be clinically useful,” said Professor Angela Caliendo during a session in IDWeek 2021 — echoing the maxim that perfect should not be the enemy of good in the pandemic era.

ID NOW rapid molecular assay an effective COVID-19 test for kids

Rapid COVID-19 testing: Is it as good in kids?

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20 Oct 2021

A large retrospective study from the US, presented at IDWeek 2021, has shown that the Abbott ID NOW rapid molecular COVID-19 assay is highly sensitive and specific at detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection in a paediatric population.

Antigen rapid tests: The new COVID-19 strategy moving forward?

Roshini Claire Anthony, 31 Jul 2021

Same-day pre-event screening for SARS-CoV-2 using antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDT) may enable the resumption of large-scale indoor events which were halted or had their attendance capacity reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study from Spain presented at ECCMID 2021.

Combined Ag/Ab rapid testing boosts case-finding in COVID-19

Elvira Manzano, 29 Jul 2021

A rapid and affordable test for diagnosing COVID-19 outside the walls of the healthcare units could improve case-finding, contact tracing, and infection control, says an expert during a pre-ECCMID 2021 session.

Fixed-dose albuterol/budesonide an effective rescue med in moderate-to-severe asthma

Roshini Claire Anthony, 15 Jun 2022

A fixed-dose combination of albuterol and budesonide, delivered as needed, reduced the risk of severe exacerbations in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma inadequately controlled with corticosteroid maintenance therapy, according to results of the phase III MANDALA trial presented at ATS 2022.

Novel PDE4 inhibitor slows IPF progression

Elaine Soliven, 10 Jun 2022

Treatment with BI 1015550, a novel investigational phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, slows lung function decline in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with or without background antifibrotic therapy, according to a 12-week phase II trial data presented at ATS 2022.

Microwave ablation: a better treatment alternative for NSCLC?

Audrey Abella, 08 Jun 2022

In patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), image-guided thermal ablation (IGTA) via microwave ablation (MWA) appears to deliver better survival benefit compared with another IGTA subtype, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis presented at ATS 2022.

Weight loss intervention may improve COPD outcomes

Weight loss intervention may improve COPD symptoms

Roshini Claire Anthony, 07 Jun 2022

In addition to cardiometabolic benefits, a lifestyle intervention aimed at weight loss in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are overweight or obese may reduce COPD symptoms, according to results of the INSIGHT COPD trial presented at ATS 2022.

Imatinib may reduce mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Roshini Claire Anthony, 06 Jun 2022

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib may reduce mortality in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, according to follow-up results of the CounterCOVID study presented at ATS 2022.

Step-down therapy may be the better strategy for certain COPD patients

Elvira Manzano, 03 Jun 2022

Switching from triple therapy to dual bronchodilation improves symptom control in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a new analysis of the DACCORD study.

INCREASE OLE data reflect long-term benefit of inhaled treprostinil for PH-ILD

Audrey Abella, 31 May 2022

Findings from the open-label extension (OLE) phase of the INCREASE study boost the efficacy and safety of inhaled treprostinil for pulmonary hypertension due to interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).