Adults who quit smoking had a heightened risk for Parkinson’s disease vs. those who continued to smoke, according to results published in Neurology.
However, those reporting quitting had a reduced risk for all-cause mortality vs. those who continued smoking, according to researchers.
“Our study suggests a lower risk of Parkinson’s is not necessarily associated with how long someone smokes, but rather if they are currently smoking,” Jun-Hyuk Lee, MD, PhD, assistant professor at Eulji University School of Medicine in South Korea, said in a press release related to the study.
Using data from the

The addition of belzutifan to adjuvant pembrolizumab significantly improved DFS for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma who have an increased risk for recurrence.
Data from the randomized LITESPARK-022 trial, presented at ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, showed the treatment regimen improved DFS 28% compared with standard of care pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck).
“Pembrolizumab plus belzutifan [Welireg, Merck] showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful DFS improvement vs. pembrolizumab monotherapy,” Toni K. Choueiri, MD, director of Lank Center for Genitourinary

More than 80% of patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, who were using bridging therapy, successfully tapered off prednisolone at 7 weeks, according to data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
“The study was prompted by the discrepancy between international guidelines,” Gina Hetland Brinkmann, MD, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital, REMEDY Center for treatment of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, in Oslo, Norway, told Healio. “Although EULAR recommends low-dose glucocorticoids as a bridge when initiating DMARDs, the 2021 American College of