Articles related to Internal Medicine

A study published in Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) argues that immunosuppressed patients and people with compromised immune systems need more than two vaccine doses to achieve adequate protection against COVID-19. After two vaccine doses, immunocompromised patients saw 77% vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization, versus 90% for immunocompetent individuals.

Only 8 of 35 studies could be included in the meta-analysis. Combined, these indicate a 25% risk reduction for physical distancing, 53% for mask-wearing, and 53% for hand washing. The accompanying BMJ editorial explores the possible reasons for the findings and the oddity that so little quality research is available on such an important topic.

This study involved 566 men and women between the ages of 28 and 97 years, who were patients in a preventive cardiology practice. The PULS Cardiac Test measures multiple protein biomarkers, including hepatocyte growth factor, soluble Fas, and IL-16, and uses the results to calculate a five-year risk score for new ACS. All factors more than doubled their prior above the norm level. The 5-year ACS PULS risk score more than doubled as a result.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology has a heartfelt account of one family’s struggle to access medical records after the death of a child from a brain tumor. Closing down online access to medical records is a common practice at hospitals and healthcare clinics following the death of a patient, often to the pain of family members who still have questions and seek answers.

Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology talks with Sonali M. Smith, MD, an Elwood V. Jensen Professor in Medicine and Chief, Section of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Chicago, about all things transformed lymphoma, including risk factors, distinguishing characteristics, pathogenesis, traditional treatment approaches, treatment goals, new treatment strategies, and other promising areas of research.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a two-day public meeting to discuss managing the potential side effects of gene therapies following the death of a boy with a rare neuromuscular disease. High doses of gene therapies are known to cause liver damage, and recent studies have also found a potential long-term cancer risk in mice and dogs treated with gene therapies.