Curated News: Medical Meetings

• share
• favorite_border

A combination of ponatinib and blinatumomab was found to be safe and highly effective in patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study may support a regimen to produce complete remission with front-line therapy, without the increased risks associated with systemic chemotherapy or a stem cell transplant.

• share
• favorite_border

Seniors who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid are at risk for experiencing greater worsening of functional status following ICU hospitalization, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Results from the VOYAGE study of dupilumab (Dupixent) showed that the monoclonal antibody significantly reduced exacerbations in children ages 6-11 with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma, compared to placebo, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference. VOYAGE (NCT02948959) is a recently completed randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter phase 3 clinical trial, that took place in a number of countries.

• share
• favorite_border

Results from the NAVIGATOR study of tezepelumab showed that the new biologic therapy significantly reduced exacerbations requiring hospital stays and emergency department (ED) visits for adults and adolescents with severe, uncontrolled asthma, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference. NAVIGATOR (NCT03347279) is a recently completed randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter phase 3 clinical trial.

• share
• favorite_border

Dr. Anne Rimoin, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of epidemiology, will present a keynote address at this month’s LABest 2021 conference, a yearly life sciences conference hosted by the university. Rimoin will present the conference’s final keynote - “COVID-19 and Beyond: Preventing the Next Pandemic Before it Starts” at the beginning of the event’s third day, Thursday, May 27, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

• share
• favorite_border

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure in utero and during early childhood—especially secondhand smoke—is associated with decreased childhood lung function, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Approximately two-fifths of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have limited access to pulmonary rehabilitation services due to their distance from rehab centers, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference. More than 24 million U.S. adults suffer from COPD, a smoking related disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Some patients with coronary artery disease and non-sleepy obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be protected against serious cardiac events by CPAP therapy, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

The more severe a patient’s obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the greater their risk of contracting COVID-19, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference. The study also found that the longer patients used positive airway pressure (PAP) each night, the more they lowered their COVID-19 risk.

• share
• favorite_border

Air quality standards recommended by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) have the potential to prevent more illness and death than standards adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

The COVID-19 pandemic has, and will continue to have, a tremendous impact on ICU nurses’ mental health and willingness to continue in the critical care work force, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

New research from the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City finds that higher EPA blood levels alone lowered the risk of major cardiac events and death in patients, while DHA blunted the cardiovascular benefits of EPA. Higher DHA levels at any level of EPA worsened health outcomes, study finds.

• share
• favorite_border

By removing “race correction” from the interpretation of pulmonary function test (PFT) results, Black individuals were shown to have a significantly higher prevalence and severity of lung disease, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare lung disease that causes shortness of breath and low oxygen levels because of lung scarring, have worse outcomes if they live in poor neighborhoods, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Evidence from a secondary analysis of Cleveland Clinic’s STRENGTH trial shows that high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid, offered no benefit to patients at high risk for cardiovascular events.

• share
• favorite_border

A weighted “lottery” designed to increase access to the antiviral drug remdesivir during the May-July 2020 COVID-19 surge for those most affected by the coronavirus, including members of the Black, Latinx and indigenous communities, led to more equitable distribution of the badly needed medication, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Spinal anesthesia is a common intervention for lower-body orthopedic procedures. A potential side effect is post-dural puncture headache (PDPH). Clinicians often use larger needles when performing this technique on older patients. This study found that the incidence of PDPH was not related to needle size.

• share
• favorite_border

The study tracked 4,811 people in 27 countries who are living with atrial fibrillation and taking blood thinners. Consenting patients undertaking cardiopulmonary bypass surgery were randomly selected for the additional left atrial appendage occlusion surgery; their outcomes compared with those who only took medicine. They were all followed for a median of four years.

• share
• favorite_border

Patients undergoing lower body amputations who received PNS implants were able to be discharged home or to rehab earlier with better pain control, required fewer opioids overtime, and were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital in 30 days.

• share
• favorite_border

Erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks enable injection of local anesthetics and steroids along a protective layer surrounding the muscles that support the spine to achieve numbing effects. In this study, patients with acute pancreatitis who received ESP blocks had superior pain control and decreased opioid intake.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers work to identify optimal volume of local anesthetic needed for erector spinae block in patients with low-back pain.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study of hundreds of patients undergoing total knee or hip replacement, researchers identified a gene called ABCB1 that may predict long-term pain and opioid use.

• share
• favorite_border

The use of e-cigarettes is associated with wheezing and shortness of breath in young adults and adolescents, even in those who don’t smoke cigarettes or marijuana, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Individuals with asthma who live in redlined neighborhoods have worse lung function than those in locales that excluded Black people and benefited from decades of inequitable wealth accumulation at the expense of Black communities in the United States, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

While vaping is thought to be a safer alternative to smoking, teens and adults who use e-cigarettes have increased odds of developing asthma and having asthma attacks, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Having genetic risk variants in the ABO gene might significantly increase the chances of developing COVID-19, and other genes may also increase COVID-19 risk, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a statistical model to predict the use of long-term opioids after total joint replacement.

• share
• favorite_border

Data sharing for the 21st Century to protect against foodborne disease

• share
• favorite_border

Fewer than half (48%) of patients receiving a heart stent, or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), had the provided stent card with them when surveyed at a later date, according to researchers at Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center. Even when they had their stent cards, most patients were unable to identify the type of stent they had, which blood vessel it was in, or the date of the previous procedure. Eighty-eight percent of patients did have their smartphone, however. The study will be presented as a moderated poster the morning of May 15, during the American College of Cardiology 70th Annual Scientific Session (ACC.21).

• share
• favorite_border

AED 2021 International Conference on Eating Disorders awards and honorees announcement.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) today announced the 15 individuals who will be inducted into its Class of 2021 Fellows. To be inducted as a Fellow of the Society is the highest honor ASN bestows, recognizing individuals for significant discoveries and distinguished careers in the field of nutrition.

• share
• favorite_border

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) today announced the recipient of the Ludwig von Sallmann Clinician-Scientist Award. The award, which recognizes Ludwig von Sallmann, MD, honors awardees with a $1,250 honorarium, an inscribed award and invitations to several special events at the ARVO Annual Meeting. The 2021 recipient of the award is Sai Chavala, MD, of Texas Christian University (TCU) and The University of Northern Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) School of Medicine in Fort Worth, Texas.

• share
• favorite_border

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) today announced the recipient of the Oberdorfer Award in Low Vision Research. The award, which honors Michael D. Oberdorfer, PhD, recognizes a recipient with a $1,250 honorarium, an inscribed award and invitations to several special events at the ARVO Annual Meeting. The 2021 recipient of the award is Caroline Klaver, MD, PhD of Erasmus Medical Center, Radboud University Medical Center, and the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB).

• share
• favorite_border

The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the ASN Foundation are proud to announce the 2021 recipients of its scientific achievement awards.

• share
• favorite_border

Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health will host the 38th annual Advances in Developmental Pediatrics Conference on May 24 to 26, 2021.

• share
• favorite_border

jCyte's presentation at ARVO 2021, demonstrated that retinitis pigmentosa patients treated with the 6 million cell dose of jCell therapy had significant gains in a broad range of visual function tests - BCVA, visual field (KVF), contrast sensitivity (CS), and low luminance mobility (LLMT) – all which measure important and different aspects of functional vision. jCyte also engaged the Cleveland Clinic to identify an anatomical biomarker for patient response to jCell therapy in retinitis pigmentosa, which will help guide the upcoming pivotal study.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, found that heart transplantation using donation after cardiac death (DCD) with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is feasible in the United States.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, finds that AATS Foundation fellowships support success in academic surgery career tracks.

• share
• favorite_border

Pulmonary Endarterectomy Achieves Excellent Results for Patients with Segmental Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

• share
• favorite_border

A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, shows an association between decreased survival at five years and leaving an atrial communication at biventricular repair of unbalanced AVSD after adjusting for other known risk factors.

• share
• favorite_border

Preliminary results of a clinical trial, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, showed that a new, low-profile thoracic aortic endograft is safe and effective in the treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm or penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU) diseases.

• share
• favorite_border

Up to 95 percent are precluded from Mitral Repair Surgery

• share
• favorite_border

A new study presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, found that the percentage of patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer who suffer Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) post-operatively is much higher than previously reported, with as many as 24 percent suffering from Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pulmonary Embolism (PE).

• share
• favorite_border

A new study being presented at the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) points to the cause of high incidence of sleep disorders in patients with glaucoma.

• share
• favorite_border

New research out of the University of Delaware has identified age- and sex-dependent changes in gene expression, highlighting differences between how male and female lenses age. The results will be presented at the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

• share
• favorite_border

New research suggests patients with congenital cone dysfunction may also experience abnormalities with their rod distribution, potentially impacting efficacy of therapeutic approaches for inherited cone disorders. The study presented this week at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) — being hosted virtually — used high-resolution imaging to assess cone and rod structure in patients who lack normal function in two of the three cone types.

• share
• favorite_border

New research being presented at the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) unveils an Oxford Nanopore long-range sequencing assay as a novel, low-cost approach for phasing biallelic mutations in the ABCA4 gene, which is responsible for a range of inherited blinding retinal diseases.

• share
• favorite_border

ew research shows retinal cell types are vulnerable to Alzheimer’s pathology, suggesting retinal function may be useful in predicting and diagnosing changes in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease. This study will be presented during the 2021 Annual Meeting of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), being held virtually this year.

• share
• favorite_border

A study being presented at the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) clarifies and further confirms the relationship between optic nerve cupping and glaucoma using unsupervised artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, unveiling component patterns.

• share
• favorite_border

New research out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, identified an inverse reaction between macular pigment levels and open-angle glaucoma in a 15-year follow-up cohort of older women participating in National Eye Institute (NEI) R01-funded Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (CAREDS2) (2016 - 2019). The research is being presented at 2021 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), which is being hosted virtually.