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News Overuse of Corticosteroids as a Serious Problem in ITP
Corticosteroids (CS) are a common part of the treatment for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, their administration is associated with significant short-term and long-term toxicity, and the goal should be to minimize their use to the shortest possible duration. Early combination with other medications could be helpful in this regard.
News Metamizole – wide possibilities of an analgesic with a unique mechanism of action and different routes of administration
Metamizole is a non-addictive pyrazolone analgesic with antipyretic effects, which differs from other non-opioid analgesics by its spasmolytic action. It is indicated in monotherapy and in combinations for the treatment of severe acute and chronic pain. Its high analgesic efficacy is evidenced by a low number of patients needed to treat to achieve at least 50% pain relief in 4-6 hours. The favorable safety profile of metamizole is supported by more than 100 years of clinical experience.
News What Can We Expect from Sorafenib in the Treatment of Liver Cancer Affected by Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
Ubiquitous and increasingly common obesity is a risk factor for many cancers. Over the past 20 years, studies have linked obesity to higher incidences of breast and colorectal cancers, as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). What is the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in this patient population, and does it differ from patients with liver cancers caused by viral infection or alcohol abuse? This intrigued a team of researchers from Melbourne, Australia.
News Reference Intervals of Prostate Health Index (PHI) in Healthy Men
For more specific prostate cancer screening, apart from prostate-specific antigen (PSA), its free fraction (fPSA) and one of its precursors, [-2]proPSA (p2PSA), are used today. From these parameters, the so-called Prostate Health Index (PHI) can be calculated. However, reference intervals for these parameters in a healthy population were not known until now.
News How Do Sleep and Depression Influence Each Other?
It is known that most patients with depression encounter some form of sleep disorder. In the following text, we briefly explore the complex relationship between depression and sleep and offer some practical recommendations that can help patients improve their sleep.
News Current Insights into the Etiology of Community Pneumonia: Pneumococci Still Leading?
The etiology of community-acquired pneumonias has undergone certain changes since the beginning of the antibiotic era. According to current guidelines, it is still recommended to initiate empirical antibiotic therapy upon diagnosing community-acquired pneumonia. However, there are certain concerns associated with the recommendation of empirical antibiotic therapy, especially regarding the increasing occurrence of bacterial antibiotic resistance. The aim of the study presented below was to specify the most frequently isolated pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia between 1945 and 2020.
News CYP Enzyme? Cytochrome P450 2D6 and Drug Metabolism
The CYP2D6 isoenzyme of cytochrome P450 participates in the metabolism of approximately 20% of commonly used drugs. Genetic variants of this enzyme are very common, leading to significant inter-individual variability in drug metabolism rates. Let’s take a closer look at one of the reasons why the same drug may work very well in one patient, not at all in another, and may cause serious side effects in a third.
News How Does Artificial Intelligence Help in Drug Development?
In recent years, technologies leveraging artificial intelligence have transitioned from potentially interesting novelties to real clinical development programs. What can artificial intelligence offer the development of new drugs?
News Calculator Naxiva - Application for Easy Prescription of Medical Cannabis Extracts
The new Calculator Naxiva application, specifically designed for doctors prescribing medical cannabis, allows for a simple conversion of its doses to the Naxiva Panaxol extract. Quickly and easily, the required amount of extract for a particular patient can be calculated.
News Side Effects of Antipsychotics and Patient Preferences in the Treatment of Schizophrenia
Although a number of antipsychotics are currently available, many patients still suffer from unpleasant side effects associated with the treatment of schizophrenia. To determine how individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders perceive antipsychotic treatment, a larger survey was conducted in the USA in 2016.
News How to Dose Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction?
In patients after myocardial infarction (MI), there is a frequent administration of too low doses of beta-blockers (BB) and rare upward titration of their dose after discharge from the hospital. The SWEDEHEART study investigated to what extent the BB dose actually affects 5-year cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, and data from the American registry allowed a focus on mortality after MI depending on BB dosing.
News FDA Warns Against Self-Monitoring Glucose Using Smartwatches. What About in Czechia?
On February 21st, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning aimed at diabetic patients who measure their blood glucose levels (or are considering doing so) using smartwatches or rings. The warning naturally also targeted attending physicians who might encounter this method of non-invasive measurement in their patients. The Czech diabetologists we spoke to have only come across a few cases of this so far. Nevertheless, many of them believe it is necessary to discuss the topic with diabetics preventively and to actively work with those who decide to use such methods.
News Results of Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Prostate Adenocarcinoma After Radiotherapy with Short-Term Androgen Deprivation
Adding short-term androgen deprivation to radiotherapy improved overall survival, disease-specific mortality, and the incidence of distant metastases in men diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma. Subsequent analysis investigated whether the beneficial effect of androgen deprivation is long-lasting.
News Memantine Eases Daily Life for Patients and Caregivers
What is the efficacy and safety of memantine in patients with Alzheimer's disease in routine practice in the Czech Republic? And to what extent can it ease the burden on caregivers of these patients?
News Intermittent Fasting May Carry Significant Health Risks
Results from an observational study presented at this year’s American Heart Association (AHA) Congress revealed surprising findings. Eating restricted to an 8-hour window daily—a popular form of intermittent fasting—may be associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) death compared to regular eating within a 12–16-hour window.
News The Potential of Vinpocetine in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
Vinpocetine is a nootropic indicated for the symptomatic treatment of cerebral ischemic hypoperfusion, vascular dementia, and reducing the psychological and neurological consequences of cerebral blood supply disorders. Due to its excellent safety profile, tolerance, and complex mechanism of action, it is currently being studied in experimental models of various disorders such as obesity and cardiovascular (CV) diseases including atherosclerosis, neointimal hyperplasia, vasoconstriction, pathological heart remodeling, and ischemic stroke (iCMP). We present an overview of the research findings on vinpocetine in CV diseases.
News Possibilities of Using Metamizole in the Treatment of Acute Primary Headaches
The aim of the review article by Brazilian authors was to summarize the efficacy and safety of metamizole in the treatment of acute primary headaches, such as migraine, episodic tension-type headache (ETTH), cluster headache, and unclassified primary pain in adults and children.
News What a General Practitioner Needs to Know About Gliflozins
The revolutionary benefits of gliflozins have completely changed the perspective on the choice of pharmacotherapy for diabetes. They have attracted not only diabetologists but also cardiologists and nephrologists after the favorable effects of this group of drugs on heart failure and renal functions were demonstrated even in patients without diabetes. Dapagliflozin and empagliflozin were subsequently included in recommendations for the treatment of heart failure regardless of the presence of diabetes. Dapagliflozin has also been approved for the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease.
News Can the Fixed Combination of Tramadol/Acetaminophen Significantly Reduce Back Pain Uncontrolled by NSAIDs?
One way to prevent drug-related complications in the treatment of lower back pain (LBP) while improving patients' functioning in daily activities is the prescription of the weak opioid agonist tramadol in combination with acetaminophen. A smaller Japanese observational study focused on the effectiveness of this treatment in reducing the disability of patients with chronic LBP, improving their daily activities, and the occurrence of adverse events.
News Liposomal Ozonated Oil in the Treatment of Eye Infections
Liposomal ozonated oil is a new ocular antiseptic with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties, making it suitable for the prevention and treatment of eye infections and as an adjuvant in wound healing. In June 2022, Spanish authors published a review summarizing findings on the mechanism of action and results of preclinical and clinical studies with ozonated oil in the treatment of eye infections and in the regeneration of the ocular surface. It also highlights the benefits of ozonated oil compared to conventional antiseptics such as povidone-iodine and chlorhexidine.