Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1. Serotonin pls ☀️

Stopping antidepressants sometimes leads to discontinuation symptoms, colloquially known as ‘antidepressant withdrawal,’ such as dizziness, headache, nausea, insomnia, and irritability. This meta-analysis showed that 31% of patients experience at least one discontinuation symptom after stopping their antidepressant (vs. 17% on placebo). However, severe symptoms are rare, affecting only about 3% of those on antidepressants. Gradual tapering and switching to longer half-life antidepressants like fluoxetine can help mitigate these symptoms.

2. Guideline watch 👀

In the US, updated guidelines now recommend annual anal cancer screening for all adults living with HIV. For those > 35, laboratory-based screenings such as anal cytology and high-risk HPV testing should be used. High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) is advised if lab results are abnormal. Lastly, don’t forget about HPV vaccination in this population. 

 Prenatal cannabis use 🫄🏽

In this study, researchers compared maternal outcomes of 20,000 cannabis users to 300,000 non-users, adjusting for demographic and behavioural differences. Prenatal cannabis use was associated with significantly higher risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (i.e., gestational hypertension [adjusted risk ratio, 1.17] and preeclampsia [aRR 1.08]). Prenatal cannabis use was also associated with higher risk for placental abruption (aRR, 1.19) but lower risk for gestational diabetes (aRR, 0.89). Cannabis users were more likely than nonusers to have higher-than-recommended gestational weight gain (69% vs. 59%).

Brain Food

Can a pill help slow down the progression of certain brain tumors?

What happened: For the first time the FDA has approved a drug to treat a form of brain cancer called Grade 2 IDH-mutant glioma, in patients who have had surgery.

Why it’s interesting: The drug, vorangio, was made by Servier, a French pharmaceutical company, and was approved on the basis of a late-stage trial where patients who took the treatment showed progression-free survival of 27.7 months compared to 11.1 months with the placebo.

Adults and children over the age of 12 can use vorangio. The recommended dose for adults is a 40 mg tablet once daily until the disease progresses, while adolescents should take the drug based on their weight. It’s estimated that vorangio will cost patients $39,881 a month, or $478,572 a year. Servier said they expect medical coverage will be approved based on the strong clinical data that supported its approval.

Vorangio was designed to penetrate the blood-brain barrier to be effective against brain tumors. Although the trial is still ongoing as scientists begin to gather overall survival data, doctors say progression-free survival data is just as important because the tumors will continue to grow and penetrate the brain, which could develop into high-grade disease.

But: Like any new drug, there are side effects patients should be aware of. These include fatigue, headache, COVID-19, musculoskeletal pain, and seizures. It’s been reported that 15% of patients experienced these reactions.

Bottom line: While vorangio shows great promise in helping to treat gliomas they still have awhile before it’s released to the public, so until then Postcall will continue to monitor for updates!

Hot Off The Press

1: 🩸As a deadlier strain of mpox spreads beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization is considering whether to declare an international health emergency. Mpox vaccines and aggressive disease surveillance could control the spread.

2: 👾 Synchron, a leading brain-computer interface (BCI) company, has integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into its brain implant tech. The mission: to assist people with paralysis in controlling digital devices more efficiently. It’s currently undergoing clinical trials and could potentially transform how people with disabilities interact with their environment.

3:🥇Traditionally ad-free spaces at the Olympics are being filled with prominent product placements, with Louis Vuitton trays used in medal ceremonies and custom Dior outfits for performers during the opening ceremony. Samsung provided Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition smartphones for athletes to take official selfies on the podium. Historically, branding’s been kept out of the actual games themselves.

4: 🔍️ Google may not be the default search option on your iPhone for much longer - this week the search engine company lost a landmark antitrust case (basically, the court confirm it built an illegal monopoly over the online search and advertising industry). It’s not super clear what they’ll be forced to change, but the case specifically called out the exclusive agreements Google made with device makers like Apple and Samsung as “unfairly suppress competition“.

5: 🇺🇸 Tim Walz was announced as VP and running mate to Kamala Harris yesterday afternoon. “If I have to run through a brick wall, if I have to do the hard things, I’m willing to do it because I’m not angling for anything else” said Tim Walz in his interview.

6: 🏩 A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital found trust in US physicians and hospitals plummeted from 71% t0 40% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted via an online survey and available to all US adults. The survey asked about trust, COVID-19, and influenza vaccination status.

Notable Numbers 🔢

< 40%: the amount of US smokers who used counselling or medication to try and quit smoking in 2022. (Research has shown that the odds of quitting successfully increase with clinical intervention and evidence-based treatment.)

14: the number of modifiable risk factors that could prevent or delay 45% of dementia cases, according to the Lancet commission on dementia.

400: the number of Texas residents who ended up in the emergency room for CO poisoning after Hurricane Beryl unleashed its wrath a month ago. The cause for some of the CO exposures can be linked to portable generators, and the lack of CO detectors in Texas homes.

Insight of the Week

If you’re as into food as us here at Postcall and planning your next vacation, take a look below.

Since 1926 (when that tire company started giving stars to the best restaurants in its travel guides), the stars have become perhaps the most trusted seal of foodie approval — and some cities’ chefs have proved much more adept at earning plaudits than others.

Source: Chartr Stories

Postcall Picks ✅

😭Laugh: Doctor vs. Nurse: Who should put in the IV?  

🤑Buy: Traveling soon? Amazon’s got you covered with 45% off luggage!

🧠Learn: Supplement shelves are growing faster than your workload. Tune in to This Podcast Will Kill You to decode what's real and what's just hype in the booming dietary supplement market.

📚Read: Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti’s newest books on pain management. He hopes the books serve as resources for doctors looking for innovated and improved ways to help treat patients’ pain.

Relax

First Question: It was a photo finish for this USA 100m gold medal winner!

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