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Shift workers were found to have a higher incidence of excessive daytime sleepiness compared with patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to study findings published this week.

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) had a 3.5-fold increase in all-cause mortality and a 1.5-fold increase in cardiovascular disease mortality, compared with those without MS, even after controlling for traditional risk factors, and women were more at risk than men. Statins were linked with lowering the mortality risk.

Organ donations and transplants have seen precipitous decreases since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; access to medicines used to treat opioid dependence has improved in recent months in light of COVID-19; will gym goers feel safe working out when their gyms reopen?

More than 80,000 Americans have died of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, that number is likely an underestimate, said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, in a hearing before the US Senate today.

Almost twice as many young women than men account for the 60% of Canadian adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosed between ages 20 and 49 years. Researchers developed an expert review of the most common comorbidities, as well as effective management styles available.

Among the principal reasons for recommending initiating antiretroviral treatment (ART) among pregnant patients who are HIV positive is to prevent transmission of the virus to their unborn children. This number was estimated at 1.3 million pregnant women, as of 2018.

Improvements observed through CVT-301 treatment in motor scores measured by part 3 of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale were associated with improved scores in activities of daily living for patients with Parkinson disease, according to findings presented in an abstract.

Although pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is linked to better survival, a large study of fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare patients show it is underused, with less than 2% of those studied taking part in a 3-month program.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said there are 7 or 8 top vaccine candidates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); hydroxychloroquine alone, or paired with azithromycin, showed no benefit for hospitalized patients with severe cases of COVID-19; the reported death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 80,000 yesterday, with a CDC report suggesting that thousands of unreported New York City deaths may be linked to the virus.

Challenges in sensory processing are common among adolescents with episodic migraine, while sensory avoidance may be related to individual pain experience, pain catastrophizing, and disability level, according to a study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

Cognitive function, especially verbal intelligence, is strongly and consistently associated with myopia (nearsightedness) among adolescents, according to a study published in BMC Public Health.

The FDA approved Eli Lilly’s selpercatinib (Retevmo) capsules to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and other thyroid cancer tumors. The treatment is indicated for patients whose tumors have an alternation, such as a mutation or fusion, in a specific gene (RET or 'rearranged during transfection'), marking the first approval of a therapy for cancer patients with the RET gene alterations.

In a first-quarter earnings report, Novo Nordisk announced promising initial data from a phase 2 trial testing the efficacy of glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist semaglutide (Ozempic) in individuals with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, MD, and other health officials are entering various levels of quarantine after potential exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases details how and why it halted a study on remdesivir in patients with COVID-19 early; the president’s economic advisers project rising unemployment rates.

Fatal breast cancers were reduced by 41% and advanced breast cancers by 25% following recommended screening for the disease by mammography in 9 counties in Sweden, emphasizing the importance of early detection.

Triage via text messaging can help providers reach patients in a shorter amount of time, the author says.

The paper appeared a few months before the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial revealed the potential of a new drug class, the SGLT2 inhibitors, in preventing hospitalization for heart failure.

Expanding access to biosimilar pegfilgrastim (Ziextenzo) for patients at intermediate risk of febrile neutropenia and converting patients at high risk who are on the reference product (Neulasta) could save millions in healthcare costs, according to new study results.

New data suggests white patients who are deficient in vitamin D have lower rates of survival when diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The phenomenon was not seen, however, in African American patients.

A new report on 3 rare cases of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms who developed T-cell malignancies sheds light on red flags clinicians should look for.

Testing will now be possible for those who cannot get to a collection center, including those who are home because they are ill, quarantined, or at high risk of infection due to their age or comorbidities. A Rutgers official said the new method will allow for a dramatic increase in the number of people who can be tested.

A new large-scale study of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm finds they are at twice the risk of mortality from respiratory disease.

Nivolumab-based first-line treatment is highly effective in patients with early-stage unfavorable classic Hodgkin lymphoma, according to results from the Nivolumab and AVD in Early-Stage Unfavorable Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma trial published in JAMA Oncology.

Compared with tumors smaller than 8 mm among patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, ERBB2-positive (formerly HER2-positive) breast cancer, tumors between 8 and 10 mm benefited more from postoperative chemotherapy.

A proposed bevacizumab biosimilar, BE1040V, was found to be noninferior to its reference product (Avastin) in terms of efficacy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to a study published in Clinical Therapeutics.

This week, the top managed care news included FDA grants emergency use authorization to COVID-19 treatment; dapagliflozin’s new approval breaks ground in SGLT2 competition; and AJMC® gets an inside look at how The Michael J. Fox Foundation is assisting the Parkinson community during the pandemic.

Loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic gel 0.38% (Lotemax SM) from Bausch & Lomb was found to have no meaningful impact on intraocular pressure or visual acuity when administered to patients post surgery, according to a review published in Clinical Drug Investigation.

Guidelines created by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) address care management and treatment options for patients with psoriasis in relation to the increased risk of developing inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic conditions.