Ask about vaping in patients with respiratory symptoms, CDC says
By Andrew Bowser

"Do you vape?" may be one of the most important questions you ask patients this winter. 

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Newborns' maternal protection against measles wanes within 6 months
Infants born in a country with no endemic measles are no longer adequately protected by maternal antibodies at 6 months.

Ultrasound distinguishes early, late-stage endometriosis
Presurgical ultrasounds help predict endometriosis stage and ensure that the patient gets to the right surgeon.

Open enrollment 2020: Activity down on Healthcare.gov
More than 700,000 plans were selected in week 3 of open enrollment. 

Vaping front and center at Hahn's first FDA confirmation hearing 
Dr. Stephen Hahn faced questions from both sides of the aisle on youth vaping.

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Hepatitis B debrief: Key themes that emerged at AASLD

By Andrew Bowser

Hot topics included HBV natural history, novel therapies, and prevention.

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Inpatient care declining among family physicians

Shrinking scope of practice reflects trends in employment and hospital privileges.

Ubrogepant may relieve migraine pain at 2 hours

More patients who received the oral CGRP receptor antagonist were free of pain 2 hours later, compared with patients who received placebo.

Not all lung cancer patients receive treatment

Reasons include metastasis and refusal, and rates by state vary from 8% to 30%, the American Lung Association reports.

Melanoma incidence drops in younger age groups

Fewer teens and young adults developed melanoma between 2006 and 2015, while incidence increased in older adults.

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Early postmenopausal risk management leads to ‘optimum health’ for women

By Jeff Craven

There is an opportunity at the onset of menopause to identify risks and initiate preventive strategies.

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Rand analysis of proposed Medicare buy-in uncovers surprising findings

Allowing people aged 50-64 to buy into Medicare might drive up individual market premiums.

Children may develop prolonged headache after concussion

Headache after pediatric concussion may present as migraine, chronic daily headache, tension-type headache.

The TWILIGHT of aspirin post-PCI for ACS?

Patients do better post-PCI for non-ST-elevation ACS with ticagrelor monotherapy

Support for medical marijuana transcends political affiliation

Use by cancer patients supported by over 80% of survey respondents, regardless of party

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ISCHEMIA trial hailed as practice changing

By Bruce Jancin

The largest-ever RCT of initial invasive versus conservative management of stable ischemic heart disease makes waves.

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Feds propose new price transparency rules in health care

The goal of the proposal is to give consumers enough information to shop around for medical services.

Most charity assistance programs do not cover prescriptions for uninsured patients

Cancer or cancer-related treatments were covered by 41% of programs, and 34% provided assistance for genetic or rare diseases.

DAPA-HF: Dapagliflozin’s HFrEF efficacy confirmed in nondiabetics

Further analyses from the DAPA-HF trial showed dapagliflozin cut death and heart failure events in HFrEF patients with no diabetes.

Suicide screening crucial in pediatric medical settings

Screening can take as little as 20 seconds.

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Are you operating in the black when it comes to vaccine administration?

By Doug Brunk

Follow these tips to ensure your practice isn’t losing money on vaccine delivery.

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FDA panel supports Vascepa expanded indication for CVD reduction

Icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), purified eicosapentaenoic acid, got unanimous support from an FDA panel for a new indication of reducing CVD events.

Vaping-linked lung injury: 2,172 cases, 42 deaths

Forty-two deaths from EVALI have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia.

Open enrollment 2020: HealthCare.gov activity down from last year

Nevada opened its own exchange this year and moved off the federal system.

Survey asks adults: How likely are you to develop dementia?

Adults are worried about dementia and will do anything to prevent it. Except talk to their doctor.

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ATTEST: AFib ablation slows progression to persistence

By Mitchel Zoler

AFib ablation cut the rate of paroxysmal to persistent arrhythmia progression by 89%, compared with medical management.

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FDA panel rejects new empagliflozin indication for type 1 diabetes

Panelists voted 14-2 against the application and criticized the limited data supporting the application.

ACP recommends ways to address rising drug prices

One of the College’s suggestions is for the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy program to be modified.

Drug spending driving up Part B premiums and deductibles

The standard premium will climb 6.7% in 2020.

Methotrexate affected joint erosions, not pain, in patients with erosive hand OA

The results were observed for 10 mg methotrexate per week at 3 months and 12 months.

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Kratom: Botanical with opiate-like effects increasingly blamed for liver injury

By Will Pass

Kratom-associated liver damage involves a mixed pattern of hepatocellular and cholestatic injury.

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DACA lands before Supreme Court

Physician organizations argue that access to health care would be demeaned if DACA-affected doctors and trainees were forced to leave the U.S.

Reappraise standard treatment of comorbid insomnia/depression

Should you focus on treating the depression before tackling the insomnia?

Fentanyl-related deaths show strong regional pattern

Overdose death rates for cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl are high in the East and low in the West.

Even low-dose steroids increase DMARD infection risk

Concomitant use of low-dose steroids increases the risk of serious infections with antirheumatic drugs.

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Tide beginning to turn on vaccine hesitancy

By Doug Brunk

Pushback against antivaccination campaigns and advocates is stronger than ever.

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Low LDL-C and blood pressure can reduce lifetime risk of CVD by 80%

The effects were seen in those with genetic variants linked with low LDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure.

Statins in children cut long-term CVD risk in familial hypercholesterolemia

There were no cardiovascular-related deaths and one event in treated patients who were followed for 20 years.

Expert reviews strategies for diagnosing, treating onychomycosis

There is no such thing as a classical presentation of onychomycosis.

Small nodules, big problems: AI's role in thyroid nodule diagnosis

A novel algorithm for benign thyroid nodules showed good sensitivity and specificity.

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CDC identifies probable culprit in vaping lung injuries

By Therese Borden

In addition, obtaining vaping devices from informal sources, such as from a dealer, off the street, or from a friend, was more likely to be linked to EVALI.

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CDC identifies probable culprit in vaping lung injuries
Cannabis use or abuse among the young was associated with adverse cardiovascular consequences in two studies.

Patients taking TNF inhibitors can safely receive Zostavax

Investigators found no confirmed varicella infection cases at 6 weeks.

Daily aspirin might cut risk of fibrosis progression in NAFLD

The researchers did not find a similar protective effect for NSAIDs other than aspirin.

Medicare beneficiaries pay most for Alzheimer’s

Long-term care takes a toll on beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

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Court strikes down Trump’s conscience rule

By Alicia Gallegos

The measure would have allowed clinicians to refuse to provide medical care to patients for religious or moral reasons.

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Other Stories:

Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids do not preserve kidney function in type 2 diabetes

After 5 years of follow-up, the supplements showed no significant difference in change in eGFR, compared with placebo.

Mandatory OSA treatment for truckers lowers insurance costs

Treated truckers saw health care savings that could help offset the costs of obstructive sleep apnea programs.

Hepatitis C vaccine alters viral trajectory, but fails in chronic infection protection

First-ever randomized study does suggest changes in peak HCV RNA and an HCV RNA change after infection.

Lung cancer on the decline, but still higher among men than women

CDC stresses universal screening for smoking and other lung cancer risk factors.

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