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Angiographic Fractional Flow Reserve Is Useful, But Not Ready for Prime Time
Using a blinded, independent core laboratory, researchers compared five commercially available angiographic fractional flow reserve (FFR) methods to the pressure wire-based FFR technique. The authors found the diagnostic accuracy of these software techniques surpassed that of two-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography, but fell short of what has been reported in validation trials run by individual vendors.
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Diagnosing and Treating Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
The term pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) describes a compilation of infections that arise from an ascending infection of the vagina or cervix to the upper genital tract, which is comprised of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. These infections include, either alone or in combination, tubo-ovarian abscess, salpingitis, endometritis, and peritonitis. Making the diagnosis of PID is important, since it is associated with uterine and fallopian tube scarring leading to tubal factor infertility and ectopic pregnancy, as well as chronic pelvic pain. This article provides an evidence-based review of diagnostic and treatment recommendations for PID.
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Colchicine Tablets (Lodoco)
The FDA has approved the first anti-inflammatory drug to lower the risk of cardiovascular events occurring in adults with established atherosclerotic disease or with multiple risk factors.
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The Role of Influenza Vaccination in Cardiovascular Event Prevention
Researchers studied English patients with an acute cardiovascular event who received an influenza vaccine in the same 12-month period and compared that to the 120-day period after vaccination and the rest of the year. They observed those vaccinated were less likely to experience an acute cardiovascular event for 120 days after vaccine vs. the rest of the year.
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What Is the Optimal Duration of Antibiotics for a Complicated UTI with Bacteremia?
An observational study of adults hospitalized with a complicated urinary tract infection and bacteremia revealed seven days of therapy was enough for most cases when they received antibiotics with comparable intravenous and oral bioavailability.
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Syphilis RPR May Fluctuate Before Treatment
The more time between testing and treatment, the more likely the change in the titer. Since patients often are called back for treatment, these data suggest clinicians should obtain a repeat rapid plasma reagin at the time these patients return for treatment, effectively establishing a new baseline.
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Artificial Intelligence Might Help Clinicians Answer Patient Questions
Researchers evaluated the ability of ChatGPT to answer patient questions posed in an online forum. The authors found the chatbot generated quality and empathetic answers. These results suggest artificial intelligence assistants might help draft responses to patient questions.
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Mothers, Babies, and HPV: Thanks for Not Sharing!
Nearly half of pregnant women in a Canadian study had vaginal swabs positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Only about one-fourth of placentas and newborns produced by those HPV-positive women carried detectable HPV DNA, and all HPV-positive babies had cleared their positivity by 6 months of age.
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Cabergoline: An Effective Intervention for Unwanted Lactation After Second Trimester Uterine Evacuation
In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial among 73 patients between 18 and 28 weeks’ gestation undergoing dilation and evacuation or induction of labor for abortion or fetal demise, a one-time dose of 1 mg of cabergoline compared to placebo reduced post-delivery lactation-related breast symptoms in the treatment arm (27.8% vs. 97.0%; relative risk, 0.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.33).
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Effectiveness and Safety of Low-Dose Aspirin to Prevent Preterm Preeclampsia
An aspirin dosage of 150 mg to 162 mg per day, when started in the first trimester of pregnancy, was linked to a decreased risk of preterm preeclampsia compared to an aspirin dosage of 75 mg to 81 mg per day.