Hala T. Borno, MD; Jennifer R. Rider, ScD, MPH; Christine M. Gunn, PhD
A taxonomic revolution is occurring in medicine. Spurred by the halcyon vision of targeted “precision” therapy and enabled by access to massive electronic health data sets, high-throughput multichannel, molecular diagnostic assays, and advances in the understanding of disease biology, researchers have generated a plethora of new disease subclassifications (eTable and eFigure in the Supplement). Variably termed “phenotypes,” “endotypes,” or “subtypes,” these patient groups can share symptoms, biology, or prognosis and are proposed as the basis for precision care.
The fast-paced research of SARS-CoV-2 has followed suit, with more than 60 subtypes proposed in the last year (eTable and eFigure in the Supplement). These subtypes range from simple classifications such as the
New testing technology can accurately distinguish between a viral and a bacterial infection for respiratory illness, according to a new study proving feasibility.
The critical difference determines whether antibiotics are warranted. And, importantly, the test may provide results in under an hour.
When patients complain of coughing, runny nose, sneezing, and fever, doctors are often stumped because they have no fundamental tool to identify the source of the respiratory symptoms and guide appropriate treatments. The new technology could solve that problem.
“This is exciting progress,” says study lead Ephraim Tsalik, associate professor in the medicine and molecular genetics and microbiology departments at Duke University School of Medicine.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Peer reviewed by medical experts that included three U.S. government senior scientists and published in the
American Journal of Therapeutics, the research is the most comprehensive review of the available data taken from clinical, in vitro, animal, and real-world studies. Led by the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a group of medical and scientific experts reviewed published peer-reviewed studies, manuscripts, expert meta-analyses, and epidemiological analyses of regions with ivermectin distribution efforts all showing that ivermectin is an effective prophylaxis and treatment for COVID-19. We did the work that the medical authorities failed to do, we conducted the most comprehensive review of the available data on ivermectin, said Pierre Kory, M.P.A., MD, president and chief medical officer of the FLCCC. We applied the gold standard to qualify the data reviewed before concluding that ivermectin can end this pandemic.
Calculator That Predicts Risk of Lung Cancer Underperforms in Diverse Populations
Research finds that a commonly used risk-prediction model for lung cancer does not accurately identify high-risk Black patients who could benefit from early screening
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May 5, 2021 Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. and the leading cause of cancer death, with about 80% of the total 154,000 deaths recorded each year caused by cigarette smoking. Black men are more likely to develop and die from lung cancer than persons of any other racial or ethnic group, pointing to severe racial disparities. For example, research has shown that Black patients are less likely to receive early diagnosis and life-saving treatments like surgery. Now researchers at Jefferson have found that a commonly used risk prediction model does not accurately identify high-risk Black patients who could gain life-saving benefit from early screening, and paves the way for improving screenings and gu
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Asthma attacks account for almost 50 percent of the cost of asthma care which totals $80 billion each year in the United States. Asthma is more severe in Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients, with double the rates of attacks and hospitalizations as the general population.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept over the United States, a series of reports suggested that fewer people were coming to emergency departments for all sorts of medical problems, including asthma attacks and even heart attacks. In the case of asthma, it was not clear if the drop was due to people avoiding emergency services or due to better asthma control. A new analysis from investigators at Brigham and Women s Hospital shines new light on this question. In a report of data collected as part of a trial in Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients with asthma that began before COVID-19 hit the U.S., they found total asthma attacks decreased by greater than 40 percent with the onset of the pandemic. Results are pu