Structured lifestyle intervention linked to improved blood regulation in brain, heart

Older adults who adhered to a structured lifestyle intervention saw greater improvement from blood flow and regulation mechanisms in both the brain and heart at 2 years than those who used a self-guided intervention, , data show.
“Multiple lines of evidence highlight the importance of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia,” Tina Brinkley, PhD, associate professor of gerontology and geriatrics, internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, told Healio about the updated research from the POINTER study presented at CTAD.
“While most of this research is

Bimekizumab ‘preferred’ option when new psoriasis biologic needed

Bimekizumab exhibited superior drug survival rates among patients with psoriasis who have previously stopped responding to at least one biologic, according to a real-world study.
Biologics have shown efficacy for the treatment of psoriasis, though patients may elect to discontinue certain biologics over time due to adverse events or eventual ineffectiveness, Christopher W. Schwarz, MD, PhD, of the department of dermatology and allergy at Copenhagen University Hospital – Herlev and Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Dermatology.
Drug survival, the measurement for how

Withdrawal from oral therapy tied to worsened hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome

Children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome who previously received once-daily diazoxide choline extended-release tablets and withdrew from the medication had worsening of hyperphagia at 16 weeks, according to study data.
In a double-blind, phase 3 randomized withdrawal period study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, people with Prader-Willi syndrome who previously received diazoxide choline extended-release tablets (Vykat XR, Soleno Therapeutics) in the randomized DESTINY-PWS phase 3 trial and its open-label extension were randomly assigned to continue the

Organizational practices for ICU clinician mental health lacking

Consistent organizational practices that help ICU clinicians lower their traumatic stress such as peer support programs are lacking, according to responses from around half of adult ICU managers surveyed.
These results were published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“[From these findings,] I hope clinicians will feel empowered to ask their ICU and health system leadership to implement systems of feedback, education and peer support about work-related traumatic stress, if those do not exist already,” Deepshikha C. Ashana, MD, MBA, MS, assistant professor of medicine

Kids achieve tolerance with 30 mg peanut oral immunotherapy

More peanut-allergic children receiving a 30 mg maintenance dose for peanut oral immunotherapy vs. avoiding peanut tolerated at least 443 mg and 1,043 mg of peanut protein at 1 year, according to study results.
The study, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, noted that this dose is approximately one-eighth of a peanut.
“Peanut immunotherapy reaching only a very low dose of 30 mg peanut protein can meaningfully raise reaction thresholds, meaning raising how much peanut can be safely eaten and potentially reducing risk from accidental exposures,” Julia E. M.

Many with NSCLC receive guideline-concordant biomarker testing

Biomarker testing has become “increasingly critical” in the care of non-small cell lung cancer.
A new investigation into testing rates proved “reassuring” to Kenneth L. Kehl, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate director of clinical research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as researchers found more than 85% of patients treated at academically-affiliated community clinics received testing for common biomarkers such as EGFR, ALK and PD-L1.
Gaps in access remain, though, as almost half of patients did not receive next-generation sequencing.
“These

HCV cure measurements could be done weeks earlier

People with hepatitis C virus who inject drugs could be evaluated for cure approximately 2 months earlier than current standards call for.
In a sample of nearly 70 individuals, researchers observed perfect concordance for HCV RNA viral load 4 weeks after treatment completion compared with 12 weeks. They also found measurements as soon as treatment concluded nearly matched that at 12 weeks.
“These results support current efforts to apply SVR4 [sustained virologic response at 4 weeks after treatment] as an alternative endpoint for uncomplicated cases of HCV and highlight why treatment completion

Medical advocacy adapts in ‘rapidly changing political landscape’

The ever-shifting political landscape in the United States has made advocacy a critical component — and challenge — for every professional medical organization, including those in rheumatology.
The transition from former President Joseph R. Biden’s administration to that of President Donald J. Trump, and the ensuing changes in funding and messaging regarding many facets of health care, has forced organizations like the American College of Rheumatology, the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO), the Alliance for Transparent & Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP) and the