Wearing face mask shows no significant effect on IOP readings

Wearing a face mask had no significant effect on average IOP readings in glaucoma patients, though differences were potentially clinically significant for individual patients, according to data published in Journal of Glaucoma.
“Airborne viruses ... have a conceivably greater risk of transmission in the ophthalmology clinic, owing to the proximity between the physician’s and patient’s faces during IOP measurements with the [Goldmann applanation tonometer],” Ortal Fogel Tempelhof, MD, of the department of ophthalmology at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel, and

Study: Teen mental health started to worsen around 2009

SAN DIEGO — Indicators of poor teen mental health like suicidal ideation began worsening around 2009 after years of improvements, possibly because of technological, social and economic factors, according to researchers.
The findings were presented at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
Although recent studies have traced short-term changes in suicidal thoughts, Niyati Sharma, a junior at Horseheads High School in Horseheads, New York, told Healio that she “wanted to understand how adolescent mental health has changed over time, not just what is happening today or has happened in the

Lung recipients have highest cancer rates among organ transplants

Cancer incidence after solid organ transplant varies significantly based on transplant and malignancy type.
A study of more than 620,000 patients who received heart, kidney, liver or lung transplant showed that patients who had lung transplants had the greatest incidence rates for solid tumors, nonmelanoma skin cancer and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD).
Additionally, bladder, colorectal, genital and lung cancer incidence increased over time, whereas melanoma, thyroid cancer and PTLD rates dropped after high early incidence.
“This is something we should be more observant of,

Fluocinolone 0.18 mg shows sustained improvements in NIU-PS

NEW ORLEANS — Fluocinolone acetonide 0.18 mg demonstrated early and sustained improvements for the treatment of noninfectious posterior segment uveitis, according to a study.
David R.P. Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, presented the findings of the phase 4 SYNCHRONICITY study of fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant 0.18 mg (ANI Pharmaceuticals) in patients with noninfectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment (NIU-PS) at Uveitis Subspecialty Day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Researchers evaluated the efficacy, durability and safety of the implant through 24 months. The

Pharmacy benefit managers may have exacerbated opioid crisis

A new study found that pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, may have contributed to the opioid crisis through financial relationships with manufacturers that created incentives to increase opioid prescribing.
The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, “adds important documentation to a story that has mostly been told through various allegations,” Anita Gupta, DO, PharmD, MPP, GMP, FASA, adjunct assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Healio.
“The internal documents suggest that, at least in these

Fertility treatment ‘a viable option’ for women with IBD

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Assisted reproductive technology, particularly IVF, appears to be effective for women with inflammatory bowel disease, including those with prior IBD-related surgery, according to study results.
Findings presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting also showed that active disease did not have a significant impact on the success of fertility treatments.
“We know that women with IBD face unique reproductive challenges,” Eugenia Shmidt, MD, FACG, FCCF, founder of the IBD Preconception and Pregnancy Planning Clinic at University of Minnesota, told Healio. “Some women with IBD have

Inulin may improve C. difficile resistance in ulcerative colitis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The prebiotic inulin increased resistance to colonization with Clostridioides difficile in fecal microbiome samples from patients with ulcerative colitis, according to data presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.
“UC flares are frequently accompanied by enteric infections, and we already knew that UC patients have a microbiome that is much more susceptible to infections with pathogenic bacteria,” Kira Newman, MD, PhD, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine, told Healio regarding her presentation. “I was interested in seeing whether we

Mailed FIT outreach boosts CRC screening among underserved adults

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A mailed fecal immunochemical test-based outreach program increased colorectal cancer screening rates by more than 50% among underserved adults in New York City, according to study results.
Finding presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting also showed the program improved colonoscopy rates by nearly 70% compared with usual care following an abnormal fecal immunochemical test (FIT) result.
“Overall, we found an absolute increase of 12 [percentage points] in screening completion,” Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, Robert M. and Mary H. Glickman Professor of Medicine at NYU Grossman

Rethinking dermatology’s access crisis

Data on access barriers to see a dermatologist has accumulated and compounded over the last decade without a consistent trend toward improvement. In 2025, the average wait for a new dermatology appointment was 36.5 days, up 6% from 2022.
The ubiquitousness of access challenges has, in part, fueled an increase in patient volume through practices, recently reaching cultural infamy through a viral social media trend about the “7.9-second dermatology appointment.”
The most cited explanation for this untenable demand is a shortage of dermatologists. While there has been modest expansion of

FDA approves monthly subcutaneous Weltruza for schizophrenia

The FDA has approved Weltruza, the first once-monthly, subcutaneous, long-acting injectable form of olanzapine for adults with schizophrenia, according to a press release from Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Weltruza (olanzapine, Teva Pharmaceuticals) does not require any loading doses, oral supplementation or post-injection monitoring, Eric Hughes, MD, PhD, chief medical officer with Teva, said during a webcast.
“What Weltruza will bring, we hope, is the chance of decreasing relapses because we’re going to take advantage of the long-acting injectable form,” Hughes said.
Of the estimated 1.5 million