From Dr. James Marchums

Latest Medical News from Doctor TV

Race, ethnicity, and poverty linked to worse outcomes in children treated for high-risk neuroblastoma

Children with high-risk neuroblastoma had worse outcomes if they were from certain racial/ethnic groups or were on public rather than private insurance, despite being treated in clinical trials with standardized protocols, according to a study led by investigators from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. [...]

Next-generation immunotherapy drug shows continued promise in several advanced-stage cancers

Initial study results show that an experimental drug, called nemvaleukin alfa, when used alone or in combination with another anticancer drug (pembrolizumab) may be effective in treating several types of late-stage cancers in some patients. [...]

New research questions previous link between diabetes drugs and bone fractures

$New research questions previous link between diabetes drugs and bone fractures$

Sodium glucose transport-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, which reduce glucose reabsorption by the kidneys, can help control blood sugar levels and protect kidney health in patients with diabetic kidney disease; however, some large clinical trials have linked the medications to a higher risk of bone fractures. In a recent study published in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, SGLT-2 inhibitors were not associated with a higher risk of fractures when compared with another diabetes medication, regardless of patients' kidney function. [...]

Prone positioning may not be helpful for all awake hypoxemic COVID-19 patients

Prone positioning does not significantly reduce the risk of intubation in hospitalized patients experiencing acute hypoxemic respiratory failure from COVID-19, according to the COVI-PRONE trial. However, patients receiving high-flow oxygen may benefit from awake prone positioning. This international, multi-center randomized clinical trial also found that prone positioning had no significant effect on death and the length of stay in the intensive care unit or hospital. [...]

New study shows associations between air pollution and respiratory health in Canada

Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which lowers lung function and makes breathing difficult for over 2 million people in Canada, and hundreds of millions worldwide. While most studies have looked at areas with high levels of pollution, a collaborative Canadian research network led by scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (RI-MUHC) decided to examine the situation in Canada. [...]

Study confirms pathogenesis of EV-D68 virus causing polio-like paralyzing illness in children

A case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that enterovirus D68 directly infects spinal cord neurons and that a corresponding robust immune response is present—a direct causation to the polio-like paralyzing illness, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Matthew Vogt, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics and microbiology & immunology at the UNC School of Medicine, is the lead author of the study. [...]

Guns are now the leading cause of death for American children

Firearm deaths have surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among American youngsters, with official data showing a strong rise in gun-related homicides such as the killing of 19 children in a Texas school rampage. [...]

Electronic 'nudges' may improve safety in opioid prescribing among California doctors, study finds

On-screen prompts for prescribers decreased long-term, high-dose opioid prescriptions and increased orders for a lifesaving opioid overdose reversal drug, according to a new USC study that examined Kaiser Permanente prescribing data. [...]

Top hospitals are blatantly violating price-transparency mandate, says new report

Many of the nation's most prominent hospitals are blatantly violating federal mandates requiring transparency in pricing, and all too often patients are being kept in the dark about dramatic differences between publicly reported prices for services and their actual cost, according to a new report from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. [...]

Study finds link between youth incarceration and lifetime suicide risk

A history of incarceration may increase suicide attempts, particularly for women who were incarcerated at a young age, a University at Albany School of Public Health study finds. [...]