Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Internal Medicine for August 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
FDA Could Green-Light COVID-19 Vaccines Before Clinical Trials Completed
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Emergency use authorization (EUA) or approval for a COVID-19 vaccine before phase 3 clinical trials are complete could be considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the agency’s commissioner, Stephen Hahn, M.D.
AI Model Using Chest X-Ray May Predict 12-Year Lung Cancer Risk
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A deep learning model based on chest radiograph (CXR) images and data from the electronic medical record (EMR) has better discrimination for smokers at high risk for incident lung cancer than Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) eligibility, according to a study published online Sept. 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Cannabis Use Increased Among Older Adults From 2016 to 2018
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — From 2016 to 2018, there was an increase in cannabis use among men and women aged 55 years and older, according to a research letter published online Sept. 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Community-Level Factors Explain Some Racial Disparities in COVID-19
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Community-level factors explain some, but not all, racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 rates in Massachusetts, according to a report published online Aug. 27 in Health Affairs.
Use of Fitness Trackers May Spur Exercise in Older Adults With MS
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who say they use fitness trackers report greater amounts of physical activity, according to a study published online July 31 in the Disability & Health Journal.
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Long-Term Follow-Up Reported for BP Telemonitoring Program
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among adults with uncontrolled blood pressure, fewer cardiovascular events and lower costs were observed at five years with a pharmacist-led telemonitoring program, but the differences were not statistically significant compared with usual care, according to a study published online Aug. 31 in Hypertension.
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Use of Performance-Enhancing Substances Tied to Risk Behaviors
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Use of legal performance-enhancing substances (PES) in young adults is associated with an increased likelihood of future problematic alcohol use and drinking-related risk behaviors, according to a study published online Aug. 31 in Pediatrics.
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Lung-Specific Risk Factors Linked to Hip Fracture in Smokers
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The addition of lung-specific risk factors into fracture risk assessment tools may more accurately predict hip fracture risk in smokers, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
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Most Shoulder Replacements Last More Than 10 Years
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — About 90 percent of shoulder replacements last for longer than 10 years, and patient-reported outcome measures show sustained benefits, according to a review published online Aug. 26 in The Lancet Rheumatology.
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Vitamin C Positively Linked to Skeletal Muscle Mass Measures
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Dietary and circulating vitamin C are positively associated with measures of skeletal muscle mass in middle- and older-aged men and women, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in The Journal of Nutrition.
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Peaches Has Now Sickened 78 People
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A Salmonella outbreak linked to recalled peaches from Prima Wawona and Wawona Packing Co. LLC has now sickened 78 people in 12 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an update Thursday. It said that 23 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
Physician’s Briefing Weekly Coronavirus Roundup
Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of Aug. 24 to 28, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
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FDA Warns of Hand Sanitizers in Food-Like Packaging
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A warning about alcohol-based hand sanitizers in packaging that looks like food or drink has been issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Model Says COVID-19 Deaths Could Surpass 317,000 by December
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A widely cited model for COVID-19 deaths in the United States predicts a total of 317,000 deaths by December.
Early Use of Empiric Antibacterial Therapy Common in COVID-19
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Early empiric antibacterial therapy use is high in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Mortality, Intubation Rates Lower With Anticoagulation in COVID-19
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, anticoagulation (AC) is associated with reduced mortality and intubation, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Low Rates of Severe Disease, Death Reported for Children With COVID-19
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Severe disease and death appear to be rare among children and young people hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, according to an observational study in the United Kingdom published online Aug. 27 in The BMJ.
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COVID-19 Infection May Initially Present as Acute Pancreatitis
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Acute pancreatitis may be a gastrointestinal manifestation of COVID-19, according to research published online Aug. 26 in Gastroenterology.
Respiratory Disease May Increase Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Respiratory diseases increase the risk for rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
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Proportion of Deaths Due to Heart Failure, HTN Increasing
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The proportion of deaths from heart disease attributed to heart failure and hypertensive heart disease is increasing, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in The BMJ.
Risk for Cancer Reduced for Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The risk for cancer is reduced among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Aug. 13 in Autoimmunity Reviews.
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Losing Weight Before Midlife Cuts Mortality Risk
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Weight loss from obesity to overweight between early adulthood through midlife is associated with a lower risk for early death compared with maintaining obesity, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in JAMA Network Open.
Minority of Teens Receive Health Care Transition Planning
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A minority of adolescents with diagnosed mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDDs) receive recommended health care transition planning, according to research published in the Aug. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Maine Summer Camps Identified, Isolated COVID-19 Cases
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Three COVID-19-positive people with no symptoms were successfully identified and isolated at four overnight camps in Maine, according to research published in the Aug. 26 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Risk for COVID-19 Hospitalization Follows Usual Pattern in Lupus
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), predictors of hospitalization include race, presence of comorbidity, and body mass index, according to a study published online July 26 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
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Admissions for Stroke, TIA Down Early in COVID-19 Pandemic
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Admissions for stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in Stroke and Vascular Neurology.
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Smoking, High Early-Life BMI Projected to Add to MS Burden
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The combined estimated multiple sclerosis (MS) population-attributable fractions (PAFs) for smoking and childhood and adolescent high body mass index (BMI) vary from 11 to 14 percent in conservative estimates, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
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Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Worse Outcomes in COVID-19
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a lethal outcome for patients with COVID-19, according to a study published online Aug. 25 in Diabetes Care.
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Alcoholic Liver Disease Death Rates Up for Non-Hispanic Whites
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable racial and ethnic disparity in alcoholic liver disease mortality, and although men have higher death rates, the male-to-female ratios decreased in the past two decades, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Guideline Updated for Nutrition in Chronic Kidney Disease
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The National Kidney Foundation and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have updated the clinical practice guideline for nutrition in chronic kidney disease (CKD); the 2020 update was published as a supplement to the September issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors Not Tied to Skin Cancer
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There is no association between use of topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs) for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) and an increased risk for skin cancer, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in JAMA Dermatology.
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Program Improves Use of Chronic Opioid Therapy in HIV Care
THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The TEACH (Targeting Effective Analgesia in Clinics for HIV) intervention is a promising strategy for improving adherence to opioid prescribing guidelines among HIV care providers and their patients on chronic opioid therapy (COT), according to a study published online July 22 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Blacks Have Higher Incidence of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Black Americans have a higher incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) compared with other races, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in Neurology.
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About Half of Waivered Clinicians Prescribe Buprenorphine for OUD
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — About half of waivered clinicians prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder and most treat at levels below their patient limits, according to a research letter published online Aug. 24 in JAMA Network Open.
U.S. Nursing Home Staff Must Be Tested Regularly for COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Nursing home staff will have to be tested regularly for COVID-19, and facilities that fail to do so will face fines, the Trump administration said Tuesday.
Changes to CDC COVID-19 Testing Guidelines Trigger Concern
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Experts are alarmed about revised U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advising that people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 do not need to be tested, even if they have recently been exposed to the new coronavirus.
About One in Three Multiple Sclerosis Patients Have Migraine
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Internationally, more than three in 10 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have migraine, according to a review published in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience.
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Exposure to Burning Wood Linked to Abnormal Cardiac Parameters
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Occupational exposures to burning wood, pesticides, and metals is associated with abnormal parameters of left and right ventricular systolic function, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Patient-Reported Outcome Measure May Be Useful in Hemodialysis
2013 to 2024 Saw Decrease in Benzodiazepine Prescribing 
Pediatricians Report Immigrant Families Avoiding Care for Their Children 
Psychiatrists Only Agree 55 Percent of the Time on Diagnoses 
Napping Opportunity May Improve Clinical Performance of Anesthesia Residents 
Socioeconomic Status Linked to Mortality After Acute Hip Fracture Surgery 
People Using Illicitly Sourced Fentanyl Face Worse Outcomes Than Medically Sourced Users 
Data Reveal No Hypersensitivity Due to Axillary Brachial Plexus Block Alone 
Tranexamic Acid Yields Lower Incidence of Red-Cell Transfusion in Noncardiac Surgery 
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