NEW ORLEANS — A strategy to reduce peritoneal dialysis solution bag use helped lower weekly costs while maintaining clinical safety for patients, according to data presented at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings.
Hurricane Helene contributed to a large shortage of PD solution bags across the U.S. in 2024, prompting dialysis facilities to alter dialysis prescriptions and regimens, according to Thiratest Leesutipornchai, MD, a nephrology fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and colleagues. After the hurricane, the researchers aimed to evaluate whether these PD

Shift workers like emergency physicians need to nap before a night shift; however, many of us think napping is otherwise for children, not for adults.
Sleep experts feel that as long as naps do not impede a person’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep at night, a 10- to 20-minute nap is a great way to overcome daytime sleepiness and the effects of a short night of sleep.
I spoke with sleep medicine and circadian rhythm expert Katie Sharkey, MD, PhD, for her insights into wearables, napping and dreams. Sharkey is the inaugural director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Rhythms at Wake

Patients with obesity who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement experienced lower risk for heart failure and acute kidney injury at 1 year if they took tirzepatide than if they did not, researchers reported.
Data suggest tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound, Eli Lilly) may improve cardiorenal health in this high-risk population, according to results presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions Scientific Sessions & Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology/Association Canadienne de cardiologie d’intervention Summit and simultaneously

CGRP inhibitors did not increase glaucoma risk in a large cohort of patients with migraine, according to findings published in Neurology.
“Migraine and glaucoma have been linked through shared neurovascular mechanisms, and CGRP plays a central role in migraine pathophysiology while also being present in ocular tissues,” Chien-Hsiang Weng, MD, MPH, FAAFP, clinical associate professor at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, told Healio.
“With the rapid uptake of CGRP inhibitors in clinical practice, we wanted to examine whether targeting this pathway might have downstream effects on

Carotid atherosclerosis was a common finding among patients with atrial fibrillation who experienced breakthrough stroke, regardless of anticoagulant use, researchers reported.
The high prevalence of carotid stenosis or carotid occlusion and vulnerable plaques without stenosis may correlate to the high risk for recurrent stroke in this patient population, according to data presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference and simultaneously published in Stroke.
“Ischemic stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality worldwide. AF represents a major risk factor for stroke, and

The expanded definition of autism spectrum disorder, increased use of screening tools and well visit recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics have contributed to increases in autism prevalence, according to Autism Speaks.
“There’s a lot that goes into autism prevalence,” Lindsay Naeder, MSW, vice president of services and supports and community impact at Autism Speaks, told Healio.
Yet these diagnoses may depend on attentive families, engaged pediatricians and access to specialists, all of which can be challenging, Sara L. Swoboda, MD, pediatrician with St. Luke’s Children’s

Youths who start using an automated insulin delivery system within 6 months of type 1 diabetes diagnosis are 82% more likely to have an HbA1c of less than 7% at 2 years than those who do not use a system, according to study data.
In a study published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, researchers obtained real-world data from 27 centers in the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative. Children who used automated insulin delivery after type 1 diabetes diagnosis were more likely to have better glycemic outcomes at 2 years than nonusers, with odds for an HbA1c of less than 7% higher

Adults with obesity receiving tirzepatide 10 mg or 15 mg may be able to maintain most of their weight loss after switching to a lower dose of the drug, according to findings from the phase 3 SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN trial.
Results from a phase 3b trial presented at the European Congress on Obesity and simultaneously published in The Lancet showed that adults who lost 5% or more body weight at 60 weeks with once-weekly tirzepatide 10 mg or 15 mg (Zepbound, Eli Lilly) maintained more body weight by reducing their dose to 5 mg for 1 year compared with stopping therapy entirely.
Deborah B. Horn, DO, MPH,

Click here to read the Cover Story, “Patient engagement platforms: ‘The way of the future.’”
The field of arthroplasty is changing. Physicians and implant companies are placing more emphasis on technology to improve accuracy and efficiency and to engage patients.
It is unclear which of these platforms will prove most successful. There is certainly a need to justify added cost with decreasing reimbursement for both facilities and physicians.
The ability to collect data is greater than ever. Data collection can start before surgery. In addition to simple patient-reported outcome measures, AI can

DENVER — In this video from the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, Eingun James Song, MD, FAAD, discusses differences in treatment outcomes for patients of color with psoriasis.
According to Song, there are four determinants in differing treatment outcomes for people of color with psoriasis, including diagnostic uncertainty, delays in treatment, inequitable access to care and limited data from large clinical trials.
“There are differences in treating pigmentary alteration in patients who have more melanin in their skin, as well as differences in the hair texture, which