In a cohort study of more than 2 million patients, influenza vaccination was associated with a 22% to 24% lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. But more than half of that effect seems to be that healthier people are more likely to be vaccinated for flu.

In this retrospective cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized for suspected infection, temporal temperature measurement was associated with a lower odds of detecting fever compared with oral measurement in Black patients but not white patients. “Health care systems routinely use fever cutoffs to trigger notification pathways such as sepsis alerts to systematize timely triage and antibiotic administration. Although the absolute difference between oral and temporal temperatures was small, the findings suggest that this discrepancy combined with commonly used fever cutoffs may lead to fever going undetected in many Black patient.” Sivasubramanium V. Bhavani, MD

The problem with many of the findings of cirrhosis is you have to specifically look for them or you will miss them. Here’s a tip for helping you not miss them.

Although results of meta-analyses on the link between vitamin D and depression have historically been mixed, emerging research suggests vitamin D supplementation may help with depression in certain populations. For example, revisiting prior meta analyses, investigators have found that vitamin D supplementation decreased depressive symptoms in MDD patients, as well as in women with perinatal depressive symptoms.

In this study, higher levels of omega-3s were linked with larger hippocampal volumes and improved cognition, and the increases seen continually with each step measurement of the omega-3s. All measured omega-3 predictors were tied to better abstract reasoning test scores. Participants in the top three quartiles of EPA levels had better abstract reasoning performance than those in the bottom EPA quartile. The associations remained after adjusting for vascular risk factors.

This review of three recent publications in Schizophrenia Bulletin, Expert Opinion in Pharmacotherapy, and Frontiers in Psychiatry highlights some potential opportunity to change standard practice and improve patient outcomes. Emerging research indicates that once-daily dosing before bed is likely effective, reduces adverse effects, and boosts adherence. Furthermore, when switching agents, immediate discontinuation may be preferable, with no need to taper.