CAN PDE5 INHIBITORS BE COPRESCRIBED WITH NITRATES?Combining phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors (e.g., sildenafil, tadalafil) with oral nitrate medications is formally contraindicated due to risk for hypotension and other severe adverse cardiac events. Nonetheless, in Denmark, prescription of PDE5 inhibitors to patients who were taking oral nitrates for ischemic heart disease (IHD) increased 20-fold from 2000 to […]
SECOND BOOSTER FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION: EARLY RESULTSThe U.S. CDC recently authorized a second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster (i.e., a fourth dose overall) for middle-aged and older adults (age, ≥50). The fourth dose began to show protection against confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the second week after vaccination; the peak effect occurred at roughly 4 weeks (a […]
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ANTIBIOTIC USE AND DRIVERS OF CROSS-BORDER PROCUREMENT IN A MEXICAN AMERICAN BORDER COMMUNITYAntibiotics are one of the most common reported drivers of cross-border healthcare access and a medication of particular concern since indiscriminate or inappropriate use is associated with antimicrobial resistance. Data used in this study were collected during the baseline examination of […]
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE: FDA AUTHORIZES FIRST COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC TEST USING BREATH SAMPLES U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test that detects chemical compounds in breath samples associated with a SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the study, the test was shown to have 91.2% sensitivity (the percent of […]
ASSOCIATION OF HOMOLOGOUS AND HETEROLOGOUS VACCINE BOOSTERS WITH COVID-19 INCIDENCE AND SEVERITY IN SINGAPORERates and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections between September 15 and October 31, 2021, among those eligible to receive vaccine boosters between September 15 and October 15, 2021, were analyzed based on official data reported to the Singapore Ministry of Health. Heterologous boosting […]
Urgent Updates | April 1, 2022 FDA UPDATES SOTROVIMAB EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION – UPDATE [3/25/2022] FDA LIMITS USE OF SOTROVIMAB TO TREAT COVID-19 IN SOME U.S. REGIONS DUE TO THE BA.2 OMICRON SUB-VARIANT This statement updates and replaces the original statement from 2/25/2022. Considering the most recent data available, FDA is announcing that sotrovimab is […]
THE COVID HEART—ONE YEAR AFTER SARS-COV-2 INFECTION, PATIENTS HAVE AN ARRAY OF INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR RISKSAn analysis of data from nearly 154 000 US veterans with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Nature Medicine examined a comprehensive, prespecified set of cardiovascular outcomes among patients in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system who survived the first 30 days of COVID-19. Patients […]
ORTHOPEDIC URGENT CARE VERSUS THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: COST IMPLICATIONS FOR LOW-ENERGY FRACTURE CARE In this study, retrospective chart review, A cost analysis of low-acuity patients revealed that an estimated $62,150 USD could have been saved in healthcare costs by the initial diversion of low-acuity patients seen in the ER to I-Care during the study period. […]
RESULTS FROM A TEST-TO-RELEASE FROM ISOLATION STRATEGY AMONG FULLY VACCINATED NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS AND STAFF MEMBERS WITH COVID-19 — UNITED STATES, DECEMBER 14–19, 2021On December 16, 2021, the NFL updated its test-to-release from COVID-19 isolation protocols in response to increasing SARS-CoV-2 cases and predominance of Omicron variant. Among 173 vaccinated adults with COVID-19 undergoing […]
ORALLY DISSOLVING BUPRENORPHINE TIED TO SEVERE TOOTH DECAY, FDA WARNS Orally dissolving medications containing buprenorphine are linked to severe dental problems, including total tooth loss, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns. The oral side effects of these medications, which are used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and pain, include cavities/tooth decay, including […]