Curated News: JAMA

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A small tweak to hospitals’ prescribing systems might make a big difference in reducing risk from leftover opioid pain medication, while still making sure surgery patients get relief from their post-operation pain, a new study suggests.

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In wake of the global shortage of iodinated contrast media, researchers modeled several ways to conserve it. They found that a combination of methods could reduce contrast media use for CT scans by approximately 80% if a moderate reduction in diagnostic accuracy could be tolerated. They say changes must be made to minimize supply chain risk in the future.

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A large multicenter, randomized clinical trial revealed no difference in the risk of endotracheal intubation requirement at 30 days between awake prone positioning and standard positioning for patients with COVID-19 who suffered from acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, according to research published in JAMA by researchers at UTHealth Houston.

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Physicians tend to have unrealistic expectations of the success of multi-step medical procedures, according to a new nationwide study conducted by University of Utah Health scientists and their collaborators. They say inflated estimates of success could adversely influence treatment decisions and lead to unintended harm to patients.

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Young adolescents who are targets of cyberbullying are more likely to report suicidal thoughts and attempts, an association that goes above and beyond the link between suicidality and traditional offline bullying.

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The majority of apps preschool-aged children use are designed to make money off their digital experiences, a new study suggests.

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UC San Diego researchers report significant decrease in national cases of Kawasaki disease during COVID-19 pandemic; findings hint at origins of disease.

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Repeated exposure to hurricanes, whether direct, indirect or media-based, is linked to adverse psychological symptoms and may be associated with increased mental health problems, according to a first-of-its kind study led by University of California, Irvine researchers.

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Researchers found participants’ physical activity and diet quality improved after weight-loss bariatric surgery, but fell short of federal physical activity guidelines.

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Researchers at UH Rainbow published new findings that COVID-19 is not equivalent to flu infection for children. Among 66 pediatric ICUs in the US, the number admitted each quarter with COVID-19 or MIS-C during the first 15 months of the pandemic was twice as high as that for flu pre-pandemic.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that although there have been steady increases in the number of people nationwide who die by suicide, such increases have slowed in states that have implemented Medicaid expansion.

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Nearly all older adults have experienced some form of ageism in their everyday lives, a new study finds -- whether it’s seeing ageist messages and images on television or the internet, encountering people who imply that they’re less capable just because they’re older, or believing stereotypes about aging.

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Cancer screening guidelines published last year expand eligibility for those at high risk for lung cancer, and new research shows that they also improve representation among African American patients.

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Researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have released the results of a clinical trial that examined the effectiveness of varenicline in African Americans. In their study published in JAMA, African American daily smokers who were given varenicline while receiving counseling had significantly greater quit rates than those who received a placebo.

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A new UC Davis Health study suggests that the increased rates of overdose and mental health crisis observed during the first year after opioid dose tapering persist through the second year. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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While automated texting did not get more patients to get their vaccinations against COVID-19, it reached roughly the same amount as manned phone calls

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A study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows how frequently childcare insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and the effect it had on parental job loss.

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As a worldwide shortage of contrast dye for medical imaging continues, a new UC San Francisco research letter in JAMA quantified strategies medical facilities can employ to safely reduce dye use in computed tomography (CT) by up to 83%. CT is the most common use for the dye.

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Offering teens and young adults a chance at a college scholarship, cash, discounts or just some free food might help move the needle on COVID-19 vaccination rates, a new study suggests. In all, 82% of people between the ages of 14 and 24 have a positive attitude toward prizes, raffles, giveaways, and other incentives designed to increase vaccination. But a sizable minority of young people have their doubts about whether such vaccine incentives will work or are ethical.

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Finding suggests that all people with HIV might benefit from additional dose in primary vaccination.

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Menthol cigarettes increase youth smoking and nicotine addiction report researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.

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A Cleveland Clinic study shows that among adults with obesity, weight loss achieved with bariatric surgery was associated with a 32% lower risk of developing cancer and a 48% lower risk of cancer-related death compared with adults who did not have the surgery. The research is published by JAMA.

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Buprenorphine is a prescription approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that effectively treats opioid dependence or addiction. But women, as well as Black and Hispanic populations, do not have equal access to this potentially lifesaving medication, new Mayo Clinic research finds.

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New findings led by researchers at the American Cancer Society show the number of women in the United States who reported having a recent (in the past year) breast cancer or cervical cancer screening dropped by 2.13 million (6%) and 4.47 million (11%) respectively in 2020 compared to 2018. The study is the first of its kind to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screenings nationally using population-based data.

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Graphic warning labels led smokers to hide their packs but not change other smoking behaviors according to report by University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science researchers.

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An estimated 70 percent of primary care physicians reported in a survey that they would still prescribe antibiotics to treat asymptomatic infections based solely on a positive urine specimen.

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A retrospective analysis of over 7,000 patients with COVID-19 found that pulse oximeter devices — tools that measure oxygen levels in the blood and that are used in virtually every U.S. hospital — overestimated blood oxygen levels in non-White patients.

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What children eat affects their lifelong health. But influencing their habits can be difficult, especially for underserved families with fewer resources.

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University of Chicago Medicine research shows discrepancies in COVID-19 vaccine coverage across Chicago zip codes.

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A Roundup of the Latest Medical Discoveries and Faculty News at Cedars-Sinai

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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, prone positioning was believed to be a potentially useful intervention – one that warranted further investigation. While some studies suggested awake prone positioning was safe, there was insufficient evidence to recommend using this strategy in clinical guidelines. COVI-PRONE, designed to provide robust evidence, included 21 hospitals in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United States. Researchers aimed to use prone positioning in hypoxemic COVID-19 patients for 8 to 10 hours per day, with 2 to 3 breaks, as needed. Participants in the control group were not proned and were asked not to position themselves in the prone position.

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Children who were prescribed antibiotics inappropriately were more likely to develop complications such as diarrhea and skin rashes than children who were treated according to medical guidelines, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and The Pew Charitable Trusts. This misuse of antibiotics resulted in at least $74 million in excess health-care costs in the U.S. in 2017.

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Breakthrough COVID-19 cases resulting in infections, hospitalizations and deaths are significantly more likely in cancer and Alzheimer’s patients, according to two new studies from researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

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A national policy change to facilitate the broader sharing of donor livers through “acuity circles” has resulted in procurement delays, according to a researcher at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

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Current discoveries include a novel target for mutant colorectal cancers, advances in breast cancer metastases to the brain and bone, a new understanding for secondary leukemias, biomarkers for myelofibrosis treatment response, a computational tool for combining single-cell datasets, unique immune features of pre-cancerous pancreatic cysts, encouraging clinical results for Ewing sarcoma and a new protein critical for T cells to mount an anti-tumor immune response.

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People who are highly responsive to food lost more weight and kept it off using a new weight loss program that targets internal hunger cues and the ability to resist food, reports University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.

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Deaths involving alcohol use disorder increased dramatically during the pandemic, according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai investigators. The study also found that young adults 25 to 44 years old experienced the steepest upward trend in alcohol use disorder mortality.

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A new observational study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center points to solutions for efficient clinical prediction of suicide attempt or suicidal thinking in adults. Reported May 13 in JAMA Open by Drew Wilimitis, Colin Walsh, MD, MA, and colleagues, the study compares an artificial intelligence algorithm with face-to-face screening.

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The study found that in pre-pandemic period, hospitals overall lost an average of $1 for every $100 earned from patient care activities, leading to an operating margin of negative 1 percent.

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The first bladder cancer drug targeting a cancer-driving gene mutation has been used relatively little despite its clear efficacy in a clinical trial, suggests a JAMA Oncology study led by the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers analyzed a large, nationwide database of cancer cases and found that bladder cancer patients potentially eligible for erdafitinib (Balversa) treatment, fewer than half had a record of being tested for the relevant gene mutation. Of those who were tested and found to have the mutation, fewer than half received the treatment.