Current medical research and opinion
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The effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) on lipid components are unclear. We aim to quantify the lipid lowering effects of GLP1-RAs. ⋯ GLP-1RA treatment modestly decreased LDL-C and TC but did not significantly affect triglycerides, VLDL-C, or HDL-C.
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Review
Sting operations in biomedical publishing violate truthfulness and undermine trust in research.
Biomedical research cannot function without the trust of peers and society. The truthfulness of claims made by knowledge-producing agents, such as authors of research, is a prerequisite for their trustworthiness, and violations of truthfulness are rightly seen as a threat to the existence and validity of such research. While most reflection on the lack of truthfulness has focused on fake research, little attention has been paid to how sting operations and hoaxes arguably pose an equally great risk to the ethical integrity of publishing. ⋯ From a deontological perspective, we also argue that the reliance on anonymity in sting operations makes them just as bad, if not worse, than fake research. We advocate for critical scholarship as an alternative to hoaxes and sting operations to expose fake research, in order to promote truthfulness rather than violate it. Finally, we argue that journalists reporting on sting operations should insist less on their entertainment and sensationalist value, and focus more on their unethical nature.
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To estimate the cost and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) associated with the prevalence of comorbidities in people living with HIV (PLWH) in a Spanish cohort over ten years. ⋯ Comorbidities raised the total healthcare costs for PLWH, with a greater impact on those with multiple comorbidities compared to those with few or none. Both clinical and economic decision-makers must consider and assess the cost of comorbidities when evaluating HIV treatment guidelines or recommendations.
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Loss of sense of smell is a cardinal symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and significantly impacts health-related quality-of-life. Dupilumab significantly improved smell outcomes (loss of smell [LoS] score; University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test [UPSIT]) versus placebo in the phase 3 SINUS-24/-52 studies (clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02898454/NCT02912468) in patients with severe CRSwNP. This post hoc analysis investigated the effect of dupilumab on olfaction using UPSIT smell impairment categories. ⋯ Most patients with severe CRSwNP had anosmia at baseline. Dupilumab treatment significantly improved smell versus placebo, with 14.9% achieving normosmia by week 24. There was a trend for better clinical outcomes in patients with greater smell improvement.
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To evaluate efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab combined with topical corticosteroids (TCS) in Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). ⋯ Consistent with global data, lebrikizumab demonstrated clinical improvements with a positive benefit-risk profile in Japanese adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe AD through 16 weeks.