Aislinn Antrim, Assistant Editor

Pharmacy Times interviewed Randall A. Oyer, MD, president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers about the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on cancer clinical trials.

The level of protection for the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was 72% in the United States compared to 57% in South Africa at 28 days post-vaccination, suggesting lower efficacy against the emerging South African variant.

With increasing rates of diabetes and its risk factors, the researchers emphasized the urgency of developing effective interventions.

In addition to stress and burnout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists face threats of physical violence and online doxxing.

Observational studies have suggested that vitamin D supplementation could lower the odds of developing respiratory infections, but randomized trials have had mixed results.

Because there are multiple sources for concussion-like symptoms, student-athletes’ post-concussion care should zero in on which symptoms are specifically caused by the injury and which may be caused by other issues.

Interventions to reduce suffering, restore connections with others, and maintain safety are essential, and normalizing conversations about suicidal ideation and suicide itself is important.

In addition to communicating about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, uses for online portals include requesting prescription refills, seeking advice on health concerns, and scheduling appointments.

Study finds that death was significantly less likely for type 2 diabetes subjects taking metformin, compared to those not taking metformin.

The approval is for a 240 mg injection of nivolumab every 2 weeks or 480 mg every 4 weeks in combination with 40 mg once daily of cabozantinib.

Health care providers should be more cognizant of psychological complications and sexual dysfunction risks in women with premature ovarian insufficiency and should work with patients to identify options for relief.

Low carbohydrate diets also increased weight loss, reduced medication use, and improved body fat concentrations at 6 months.

Frequent nightmares were not associated with heart medications and sleep-disordered breathing, but were linked with depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

In successive surveys over the past several months, an increasing number of pharmacists said they plan to be immunized, plan to manage the logistics of handling the vaccine, and will administer it to patients.

The use of artificial sweeteners has increased dramatically over the past decade due to growing awareness of the negative health outcomes associated with consuming too much sugar.

Obstacles to cancer screenings for low-income patients can include lack of transportation and an inability to take time off of work.

New treatment approach is designed to treat retracted blood clots, which form over extended periods of time and are especially dense.

The statement said lactating women should discuss the risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine with their health care provider.

Macrophages could be critical treatment targets because they could be infected by SARS-CoV-2 and can contribute to spreading the infection through the lung.

The FDA approved Enhertu in January 2020 for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Crizotinib is the first biomarker-driven therapy for relapsed or refractory anaplastic large cell lymphoma in children and young adults.

Recent surveys indicate that the proportion of the US population willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 has fluctuated from 72% in May to 51% in September 2020.

Participants with severe withdrawal symptoms were more likely to be younger, longtime and frequent users of cannabis, and to have worse mental health.

As new testing devices, therapies, and vaccines are approved for COVID-19, patients will be dependent on their health care providers for answers and education.

Although only a proportion of DCIS cases will progress into invasive cancer, the treatments available for DCIS are similar to treatments for invasive breast cancers.

As patients with HIV are living longer, they are also being diagnosed with chronic conditions that have become increasingly common in recent decades, putting them at higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death.

Several things are important to maintain a woman’s sexual function including positive sexual experiences, attitudes about sex, body image, and relationship intimacy.

The study authors said their main hypothesis for the higher prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in mild COVID-19 cases was based on differences in the immune response to the infection.

Pvsripo is a novel immunotherapy that activates patients’ innate and adaptive immune system to enable anti-tumor response and establish immunologic memory to prevent the recurrence of cancer.

Despite the concerns that may come along with mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, experts say the new strains do not call for any new prevention strategies.