MIXING COVID VACCINE BOOSTERS MAY BE BETTER OPTION: STUDY
The new US government preprint study was published recently in medRxiv ahead of peer review, just before a slate of meetings involving vaccine experts that advise the FDA and CDC. The study shows it isn’t risky and may even be a good idea to mix, rather than match, COVID-19 vaccines when getting a booster dose. Researchers state that mixing different kinds of vaccines appears to spur the body to make higher levels of virus-blocking antibodies. The study will continue for a year, and the researchers aim to deeply characterize the breadth and depth of the immune response to all nine of the different vaccine combinations included in the study.
Full Access: Medscape

FDA APPROVES NALOXONE INJECTION TO COUNTERACT OPIOID OVERDOSES
FDA has approved ZIMHI (naloxone hydrochloride) injection as an additional option to treat opioid overdose. ZIMHI is administered using a single-dose, prefilled syringe that delivers 5 milligrams (mg) of naloxone hydrochloride solution through intramuscular (in the muscle) or subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. FDA has previously approved injectable naloxone hydrochloride products in 0.4 mg and 2 mg doses under the trade name, NARCAN.
Full Access: FDA

INTERACTIONS OF GUT BACTERIA AND ORAL DRUGS MIGHT HAVE CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
A new study adds to the evidence that some of drug’s variability (effectiveness and adverse effects) might be due to patients’ gut flora. Some bacteria store the drug without chemically modifying it, whereas other bacteria chemically modify it to make it more or less bioactive. A given drug can affect a patient’s gut bacteria — their number and their function.
Full Access: NEJM

MODERNA AND J&J COVID-19 VACCINE BOOSTERS: WHAT DOCTORS MUST KNOW
Millions more people in the U.S. will soon be able to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J). This comes almost a month after a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The moderna booster (half a dose) can be administered at least six months after the second shot of the two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series.

Full Access: AMAPOSTED OCTOBER 22, 2021

POTENTIALLY INAPPROPRIATE MEDICATION PRESCRIBING BY NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND PHYSICIANS
Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is a risk factor for hospitalization and mortality. The rate of visits with a PIM prescription from the same provider was measured, the association of an NP provider with lower odds of receiving a PIM refill was more pronounced in older patients and in those with more comorbidities. NPs prescribed fewer initial PIMs and were less likely to refill a PIM after an outpatient visit than physicians. 
Full Access: Medscape

THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY MASKING ON COVID-19: A CLUSTER-RANDOMIZED TRIAL IN BANGLADESH
Scientific evidence suggests that face masks can protect against COVID-19. In Bangladesh, researchers and IPA found that a four-part intervention (the “NORM model”) tripled mask usage (a 29- percentage-point increase), and increased physical distancing by 5 percentage points. Further, this increase in mask-wearing reduced symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. This was the first large-scale randomized evaluation to demonstrate the effectiveness of masks in a real-world setting.
Full Access: IPA

NEW SAFETY DATA REGARDING COVID VACCINES
Parsonage-Turner syndrome has been highlighted as a potential adverse effect of mRNA COVID vaccines in a recent pharmacovigilance monitoring reports from the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM). The rare condition is characterized by the sudden onset of severe pain in the shoulder, followed by arm paralysis. Its etiopathogenesis is not well understood, but vaccines, in particular the flu vaccine, have been implicated in some cases.
Full Access: Medscape

FDA CLEARS FIRST MOBILE RAPID TEST FOR CONCUSSION
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared SyncThink’s Eye-Sync technology to aid in the diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury. Eye-Sync is a virtual reality eye-tracking platform that provides objective measurements to aid in the assessment of concussion. The technology uses a series of 60-second eye tracking assessments, neurocognitive batteries, symptom inventories, and standardized patient inventories to identify the type and severity of impairment after concussion. The data study showed that Eye-Sinc had sensitivity greater than 82% and specificity greater than 93%.
Full Access: Medscape

INFECTIONS AND ANTIBIOTICS DURING FETAL LIFE AND CHILDHOOD AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY
It has been shown that use of antibiotics is associated with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and Rheumatic Arthritis.  Exposure to antibiotics during the periods 1–12 months, 1–3 years and 5–8 years was significantly associated with increased risk for JIA. The odds of developing JIA were three times higher in those exposed to antibiotics during the first 3 years of life compared with those not exposed. The cumulative number of courses of antibiotics was significantly higher during childhood for the individuals who developed JIA.
Full Access: Pediatric Rheumatology