Curated News: NEJM

• share
• favorite_border

Patients with severe obesity who have gastric bypass surgery reduce their risk of dying from obesity and other diseases by 48 percent up to 10 years after surgery, compared to similar patients who do not undergo the procedure, according to new research* presented today at ObesityWeek 2016, the largest international event focused on the basic science, clinical application and prevention and treatment of obesity. The annual conference is hosted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society (TOS).

• share
• favorite_border

A large-scale randomized trial examining percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) and low-intermediate SYNTAX scores found that there was no significant difference in three-year outcomes between the two treatments, with a reduction in 30-day major adverse events with PCI.

• share
• favorite_border

A newly published study of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) concludes that long-term supplemental oxygen treatment results in little or no change in time to death, time to first hospitalizations or significant quality of life improvements for those with moderately low blood oxygen levels.

• share
• favorite_border

Tens of thousands of lives nationwide could be saved each year, and trauma-related deaths and disability could be reduced worldwide if the U.S. health care system embraces the military’s lessons learned in trauma care, according to a report in the (date) of the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

In a randomized, Phase III trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, ribociclib, in combination with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, dramatically improved progression-free survival (PFS) of post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, compared to the hormone therapy alone.

• share
• favorite_border

In a collaborative effort with scientists at six Colombian hospitals, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report what they believe to be the strongest biological evidence to date linking Zika virus infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

• share
• favorite_border

The change of practice in C-section delivery improves the health of mom and baby.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine and ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City unravel the mystery behind a rare Zika-related death in an adult, and unconventional transmission to a second patient in a correspondence published online on September 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Details point to an unusually high concentration of virus in the first patient’s blood as being responsible for his death. The phenomenon may also explain how the second patient may have contracted the virus by casual contact with the primary patient, the first such documented case.

• share
• favorite_border

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) has opened a new Prostate Cancer Genetics Clinic at their South Lake Union campus in Seattle. The specialty clinic will serve patients with prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate (metastatic) and/or who have a family history of the disease or a family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma or leukemia. These men are more likely to have an inherited and more aggressive form of prostate cancer. Knowing a patient has a particular genetic mutation helps doctors choose the best treatment plan and can open doors for innovative clinical trials.

• share
• favorite_border

In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Distinguished Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, recommends a process of shared decision-making between physicians and patients in the treatment of adult sinusitis.

• share
• favorite_border

Patients suffering from noninfectious uveitis, a group of diseases that causes eye inflammation, can get effective treatment from a corticosteroid alternative that has previously been approved for treatment of arthritis and Crohn’s disease, according to a study led by a Duke Health researcher.

• share
• favorite_border

Umbilical cord blood transplants may have advantages beyond offering an alternative stem cell source for leukemia patients without a traditional donor match, according to a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

Children with mild, persistent asthma did not have worse asthma symptoms after taking acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) for pain or fever, compared to using ibuprofen (e.g., Advil), according to the results of a randomized, double-blind clinical trial recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

New research may help those with advanced mastocytosis and possibly many more people. Mastocytosis is a rare disease of the immune system in which the body produces too many abnormal mast cells. Mast cells control allergic and inflammatory responses. Research on a new drug shows that it may prolong life significantly and improve quality of life.

• share
• favorite_border

A post-marketing safety study mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has shown that a combination drug therapy for the treatment of asthma is safe and effective.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published today in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine offers the most in-depth assessment yet of the safety and effectiveness of a high-tech alternative to brain surgery to treat the uncontrollable shaking caused by the most common movement disorder. And the news is very good.

• share
• favorite_border

Treatment with MRI-guided focused ultrasound significantly improves tremors and quality of life in patients with essential tremor (ET), the most common movement disorder, according to a study published in the August 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), were among an international group of investigators studying this new noninvasive treatment, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on this research.

• share
• favorite_border

There’s yet another reason to maintain a healthy weight as we age. An international team of researchers has identified eight additional types of cancer linked to excess weight and obesity: stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, ovary, meningioma (a type of brain tumor), thyroid cancer and the blood cancer multiple myeloma.

• share
• favorite_border

House dust differences between Amish and Hutterite communities affect immune development and asthma risk, according to a study co-authored by UA Health Sciences researcher Dr. Donata Vercelli.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study published Aug. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that among African American U.S. Army Soldiers, sickle cell trait is not associated with an increase in mortality, but is associated with a modest increase in the risk of exertional rhabdomyolysis.

• share
• favorite_border

By probing the differences between two farming communities, an interdisciplinary team of researchers found that substances in the house dust from Amish, but not Hutterite, homes is associated with changes to immune cells that appear to protect children from developing asthma.

• share
• favorite_border

July 1966 holds a special historical significance for those who work to study and improve health care. The landmark event was quiet, but its impact lasts to this day, in the form of better care for Americans of all ages.

• share
• favorite_border

Dr. Steven Powell co-authors study in New England Journal of Medicine

• share
• favorite_border

UCLA researchers have for the first time identified mechanisms that determine how advanced melanoma can become resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors, a discovery that could lead to the development of new and improved treatments for the deadliest type of skin cancer.

• share
• favorite_border

Pregnant women in Latin American countries were more likely to seek an abortion after receiving health alerts about Zika virus, according to a study co-authored by Princeton University researchers and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

Hodgkin lymphoma patients can be spared the serious side effects of chemotherapy thanks to high-tech scans that can predict the outcome of treatment, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine*.

• share
• favorite_border

The transmission of Taenia solium, a pork tapeworm species that infects humans and causes late-onset seizures and epilepsy, can be stopped on a population-wide level with mass treatments of both pigs and humans, researchers have shown.

• share
• favorite_border

Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH, an internationally recognized oncologist and health economist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a member of a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), is available to discuss biomarker tests for molecularly targeted therapies. Earlier this month he co-authored a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspective” article summarizing the recommendations for biomarker tests, considered “the key to unlocking precision medicine.” These biomarker tests are very important as more and more tests become available to consumers, and both physicians and patients need to be sure the test they are taking is useful and of value specifically to them.

• share
• favorite_border

According to data from the large, multinational LEADER clinical trial, the glucose-lowering drug liraglutide safely and effectively decreases the overall risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death, kidney disease, and death from all causes for people with type 2 diabetes.

• share
• favorite_border

Right now, about one in five hospital patients has a catheter collecting their urine – and putting them at risk of a painful and potentially dangerous urinary tract infection, or UTI. New results from a large national effort show that it may be possible for hospitals to both reduce catheter use and UTIs at the same time, saving money and suffering.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that smokers, who wouldn’t typically be diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, are still showing symptoms consistent with the diagnosis.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that ozanimod (RPC1063), a novel drug molecule, is moderately effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Results of the Phase II clinical trial will appear in the May 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

Giving daily doses of statins for a few days before and after heart surgery does not prevent heart muscle damage or the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to an international clinical trial led by the University of Oxford and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

• share
• favorite_border

Pioneering gene therapy has restored some vision to patients with a rare form of genetic blindness for as long as four years, raising hopes it could be used to cure common causes of vision loss, new University of Oxford research published today shows.

• share
• favorite_border

Pioneering gene therapy has restored some vision to patients with a rare form of genetic blindness for as long as four years, raising hopes it could be used to cure common causes of vision loss, new University of Oxford research published today shows.

• share
• favorite_border

Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member, has called for a commitment to contribute resources and energy to control cancer in less-resourced countries n a perspective published in the April 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Patients with a low-grade type of brain tumor called glioma who received radiation therapy plus a chemotherapy regimen, including procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine (PCV), experienced a longer progression-free survival and overall survival than patients who received radiation therapy alone, according to the results of the clinical trial, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9802 published in the April 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

Administering heart resuscitation drugs to patients whose cardiac arrest is witnessed at the time of the attack can improve survival, but needs to be done through an IV line rather than directly into bone marrow as is more commonly done by paramedics, a new study involving UT Southwestern Medical Center emergency physicians and Dallas-Fort Worth Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies reveals.

• share
• favorite_border

Just released two-year follow up data comparing coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) with combined CABG and mitral-value repair in patients with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) found no significant differences in benefit. The patients with CABG and mitral-valve repair had an early hazard of longer hospital stay post-surgery, a higher incidence of postoperative supraventricular arrhythmias and higher rate of serious neurological events than those with CABG alone.

• share
• favorite_border

In this first randomized clinical trial for intermediate-risk patients with severe, symptomatic AS, conducted by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with Edwards Lifesciences, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and 56 center across the United States and Canada, investigators found that TAVR with SAPIEN XT resulted in similar two-year clinical outcomes, as compared to surgical aortic valve replacement. The study – the PARTNER II Trial – was presented today at the American College of Cardiology 65th Annual Scientific Session in Chicago and simultaneously published online in The New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

A clinical trial from NYU Langone Medical Center and others finds use of long-term, extended-release naltrexone leads to decreases in opioid addiction relapse. Learn more.

• share
• favorite_border

The once-a-month drug naltrexone was more effective at preventing drug relapse in ex-prisoners addicted to heroin and other opioids compared to the usual treatment modalities, including counseling and community treatment programs, according to results from a multisite, randomized trial led by researchers at the Center for Studies of Addiction at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

The U.S. presidential campaign season has reignited debates on how best to deliver cost-effective, high quality care. A new perspective paper in the New England Journal of Medicine advocates for a comprehensive approach to recognize and manage “therapeutic illusion” to improve use of medical treatments. The therapeutic illusion—an unjustified belief in treatment—has been proven in previous studies in different environments. Consistently, physicians have reported overestimating the benefits of inappropriate tests and treatments.

• share
• favorite_border

Head and neck cancer patients may no longer have to undergo invasive post-treatment surgery to remove remaining cancer cells, as research shows that innovative scanning-led surveillance can help identify the need for, and guidance of, neck dissection.

• share
• favorite_border

Head and neck cancer patients may no longer have to undergo invasive post-treatment surgery to remove remaining cancer cells, as research shows that innovative scanning-led surveillance can help identify the need for, and guidance of, neck dissection.

• share
• favorite_border

The most common immune disorder, common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID), is notoriously difficult to diagnose early, before serious complications develop. Genetic analysis of six families from across the U.S. and Europe has revealed that mutations in IKAROS, known for its central role in immune cell development, define a new class of CVID. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the results open the door to personalized health care tailored to patients with this disorder.

• share
• favorite_border

New research presents strong evidence that the Zika virus can indeed cause a range of abnormalities in pregnant women infected with the virus — with the effects manifesting any time during pregnancy. Some of the abnormalities noted have not been reported in connection with the virus. In a study published online March 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at UCLA and at the Fiocruz Institute in Brazil found that clinical and ultrasound data in 29 percent of women who tested positive for the Zika virus revealed associations between infection and “grave outcomes” that included fetal death, placental insufficiency with low to no amniotic fluid, fetal growth restriction and central nervous system damage in the fetus, including potential blindness.

• share
• favorite_border

A study conducted by researchers within Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, published this week in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), shows that women are under-represented among first authors of original research in high impact general medical journals.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified two genes that, when altered in specific ways, either promote or undermine cardiovascular health. The findings may help guide efforts to design new preventive drugs, similar to the way statins now are prescribed to lower “bad” cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart disease.

• share
• favorite_border

UCLA researchers have found a better way to treat many skin abscesses in the emergency department. The findings are important due to the emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which since 2000 has become the most common cause of skin infections in the U.S. The findings could improve recovery from infection while limiting its spread.