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News Hypotension during treatment with sacubitril/valsartan: practical tips for prevention and management
Despite the undeniable benefits of sacubitril/valsartan in terms of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure, its administration can be complicated by side effects. The most common of these is hypotension. Although it is an unpleasant complication, it does not – and should not – always be a reason to discontinue therapy. Fear of hypotension should not lead to not prescribing sacubitril/valsartan at all. We provide practical guidance on how to approach this clinical situation.
News INTERACTIVE CASE STUDY: Treatment of glaucoma medications without preservatives – current trend
The use of glaucoma medications without preservatives has been a trend in recent years. You can try their clinical application in the role of a prescribing doctor in an interactive case study. Practical information about this popular local treatment is based on the evidence-based medicine foundation, provided by its author MUDr. Petr Výborný, CSc., from the Eye Clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Military Hospital in Prague.
News Scientists Create First Functional Brain Tissue Using 3D Printing
A research team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has successfully printed the first ever functional brain tissue using a commercial 3D printer in their laboratory. This breakthrough may be beneficial not only for scientists studying the pathogenesis of neurological and neurodevelopmental diseases but could even mark the beginning of a journey towards a deeper understanding of how neurons function, how brain development occurred, and how different parts of the brain communicate with each other.
News Ultrasound in a Patch – Smart System Capable of Monitoring Patient During Regular Activities
A team of scientists from the University of California, San Diego, has developed a miniature autonomous ultrasound system that, when attached to the skin, can visualize tissue located deep beneath the body’s surface. It could be used for continuous monitoring of blood pressure, heart activity, and respiratory parameters in real time, whether during regular activities or intense physical exertion.
News Artificial Intelligence Helps in Selecting Influenza Strains for Vaccine Production
Vaccination is one of the most important and effective preventive measures in the fight against seasonal epidemics caused by influenza viruses each year. For vaccines to work, they must match the currently circulating influenza strains. The timely selection of appropriate influenza strains, which will be the most widespread in the population in the upcoming period, and their yield are crucial for vaccine development. The new MAIVeSS (Machine-learning Assisted Influenza Vaccine Strain Selection) method, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for direct analysis of clinical samples, could help with this process.
News Treatment of Schizophrenia in a Patient at Risk of Developing Metabolic Syndrome – Interactive Case Study
A 34-year-old man has been under psychiatric care for 3 years due to a psychotic disorder. Three years ago, he had his first short hospitalization due to marked paranoid symptoms: feelings of being watched, eavesdropping, auditory hallucinations of an imperative nature...
News Discontinuation of Methotrexate After Initiation of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
New real-world data show that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who started treatment with tofacitinib combined with oral methotrexate (MTX), it is possible to discontinue MTX and achieve the same treatment results as with its continued use, additionally at lower costs.
News Tofacitinib Helps Restore Intestinal Epithelial Barrier
The Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) tofacitinib was relatively recently approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, but its effect on the intestinal epithelium remains a subject of research. The objective of the study presented below was to determine how tofacitinib aids in the repair of the cytokine-damaged intestinal epithelial cell barrier.
News Currently on the Issue of Interchangeability of Preparations with Levothyroxine in Practice
Levothyroxine (LT4) in oral form is the standard therapy for patients with hypothyroidism. Given the legislative possibility of generic substitution and the number of original and generic preparations containing LT4, its substitution is possible, though not recommended. What are the practical conclusions?
News ESMO Recommendations for the Treatment of Low-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome
The priority in the treatment of low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is managing cytopenia, primarily anemia, as well as neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. The following summary of recommendations sets the criteria for response to treatment and lists current therapeutic options for the 1st and 2nd lines.
News Benefits of Enoxaparin Prophylaxis in Pregnancy and Postpartum
Study results suggest that the use of low molecular weight heparins during pregnancy could lead to better outcomes for women with thrombophilia and recurrent miscarriages. A group of authors from Israel compared the differences in efficacy when administering two different doses of enoxaparin to women with hereditary thrombophilia and a history of two or more spontaneous miscarriages or one fetal death without obvious cause.
News Role of Transthyretin in the Development of Amyloidosis
Transthyretin (TTR), one of the transport proteins, tends to form extracellular deposits that accumulate in key organs, such as the heart and nerves. The formation of TTR deposits leads to the development of systemic amyloidosis, a disease with highly heterogeneous clinical manifestations. Warning signs may include carpal tunnel syndrome, among others. What is the physiological role of TTR in the body and what role does its structure play in the development of amyloidosis?
News New Hematological Biomarker for Early Diagnosis of Sepsis
Sepsis is one of the leading causes of mortality and healthcare expenditure worldwide. Early diagnosis and treatment of septic conditions improve patient prognosis. However, the initial symptoms of sepsis can be difficult to distinguish from other acute conditions due to similar symptomatology. The results of the study presented below indicate that a new hematological biomarker has the potential to facilitate the early diagnosis of sepsis.
News Low Molecular Weight Heparin in an ECMO Patient − Case Study
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has an irreplaceable role in intensive care medicine. In the context of preventing complications caused by blood clot formation, unfractionated heparin is most commonly used in patients on extracorporeal circulation. However, its administration can lead to complex coagulopathies, which may result in increased bleeding or, perhaps surprisingly, a higher frequency of blood clot formation. A unique case study recently presented by authors from Motol University Hospital in Prague demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of using low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) enoxaparin in this indication for a patient connected to ECMO for a very long duration (3 months), with several days even on two devices simultaneously.
News Improving treatment outcomes of HF with preserved ejection fraction according to JACC: What does the success of gliflozins mean for the future?
The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) recently issued a scientific statement in which the authors thoroughly examined current knowledge on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction of the left ventricle (HFpEF). Recent studies in this heterogeneous disease suggest the importance of carefully determining the HFpEF phenotype in a given patient based on pathophysiology, which enables better individualization of treatment. The authors also reflect on the success of gliflozins in treating HFpEF and how HFpEF pharmacotherapy can be further improved.