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United States pledges medical aid to India amid COVID-19 surge; poll on attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines spotlight hesitancy among Republicans, non–health care essential workers; waiver fees for COVID-19-related treatments ending for insured patients of several health plans.

Risk of infection topped the list of concerns among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who altered their usual care routines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diabetes affects corneal endothelial cells in patients that are older, have suffered with the disease for at least a decade, and have high glycated hemoglobin (A1C).

According to a recent review, intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth (anti-VEGF) drugs were not associated with an increase in major cardiovascular events.

Through direct roundtable discussions between health care purchasers and physician practices, efforts have been made to align care provided in the community with the wants and needs of employees and patients.

There is likely not directly infectious replicating skin in a condition known as "COVID toes," and that’s important to reassure patients, said Christine Ko, MD, professor of dermatology and pathology at Yale University.

Unsurprisingly, the use of telemedicine grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but those changes are not here to stay without major policy changes, according to speakers at the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience 2021.

Patients want better control of their atopic dermatitis, and we don’t want them to acquiesce to their disease, explained Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.

Researchers discuss the unique fetal and maternal challenges for pregnant women with myeloproliferative neoplasms, with insight and recommendations provided on the potential benefit of aspirin therapy, cytoreductive therapy, and systemic anticoagulation.

With immunosuppression, self-regulatory mechanisms may start to decrease, and these are the patients who develop skin cancers more frequently, said Rajiv Nijhawan, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Posters presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience show ruxolitinib cream was effective at treating atopic dermatitis (AD) regardless of previous treatments and in patients with more severe disease.

Topical application of ruxolitinib cream significantly, and rapidly, decreases pruritus, noted Andy Blauvelt, MD, MBA, dermatologist and clinical study investigator at Oregon Medical Research Center, a dedicated clinical trial site.

Guidelines on the use of biologic drugs in patients with psoriasis were mostly seen as having medium-to-high quality; however, investigators said that more work needs to be done to ensure applicability to clinical practice.

Patients with diabetes who have small kidney size at the beginning of peritoneal dialysis (PD) have a substantial risk of mortality.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to uphold the original language of the emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccination, and is possible the 1-dose vaccine could resume Saturday.

There are a number of new biologic options for treating psoriasis, but undertreatment is still a concern, and more long-term data are needed, according to Junko Takeshita, MD, PhD, MSCE, at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians Virtual Spring Managed Care Forum.

Until now, treatments for atopic dermatitis have had safety concerns, but a new understanding of the disease has led to novel and exciting agents being developed, according to Emma Guttman, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai.

Now that investigators have a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of migraine, new treatment and prevention options are making their way to patients and fueling an exciting time for the field, according to a presenter at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians Virtual Spring Managed Care Forum.

After a more than 35-year pursuit, the licensing of a gene therapy product for treating hemophilia may be available within 2 years.

Adalimumab was the most commonly used tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor (TNFi), accounting for 47% of 90,000 incidences of TNFi use. Rituximab was the most commonly used non-TNFi, for 44% of 70,000 incidences of non-TNFi use.

Posters presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience highlighted that ruxolitinib cream is effective in patients with more severe atopic dermatitis, and even showed clinically relevant improvements in patients who only had a partial response.

Investigators explored common challenges cited by hospital staff as barriers to implementation and adherence with national guidelines for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A recently published study found that the DCTclock, a test for cognitive assessment, was associated with greater detection of biomarkers related with cognitive decline in patients who had yet to show any symptoms when compared with traditional testing methods.

With the costs of biologic drugs increasing, biosimilars have emerged as an attractive option for containing costs and expanding access to treatment. However, some barriers to wider uptake still need to be addressed, according to a presentation at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians Virtual Spring Managed Care Forum.

While the introduction of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors has benefitted patients with type 2 diabetes and impacted guidelines globally, these expensive therapies have managed care implications, explained Richard E. Pratley, MD, of AdventHealth Diabetes Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Egyptian dermatologists were asked about the effect of COVID‐19 on prescription patterns, appointment rescheduling, therapy decisions, and telemedicine use.

Medications and management processes known to be ineffective or harmful in infants with bronchiolitis were tossed in favor of targeted interventions in hospitals, resulting in improvements in bronchiolitis care.