Medical journal news series - July 2022
News this month from some of the top medical journals
JAMA volume 328, number 1 July 5 2022
-page 48: Peanut allergy and early introduction - it is still unclear whether and to whom early introduction of peanuts benefits. In high risk infants, giving 5 grams of peanut butter a week starting at 4 months decreased the risk of peanut allergy at 3 years old by three time compared to infants who avoided peanut butter. However, a new study out of Australia who asked parents did they give peanut butter to infants did not show that those who did before their child was 1 year old led to benefit. Aka, unclear who benefits and how often needed. For kids who have a high risk (allergies in family, child with eczema), it is likely still beneficial to have consistent peanut butter exposure starting at 4 weeks.
JAMA volume 328, number 2, July 12 2022
-page 119: new study showing that a targeted breast cancer treatment called trastuzumab (Herceptin) can be used with good effect on those who have a slight amount of the target. Not all breast cancers have a target for Herceptin, and it used to be that only a large amount of target was thought to work with the drug. Now we have a trial that a small amount of target the med can work on if given in higher doses. This lead to 5 more months than prior without cancer progressing for these patients.
-page 120: pregnant women who received Pfizer vaccine booster showed higher antibody levels than those who only got 2-dose series. Infants born to those who received booster also had higher antibody counts
—thinking about whether the booster is right for you? Reach out if you would like to discuss!
-page 123: melatonin overdoses in kids on the rise. Make sure to keep meds/supplements out of reach/locked up
-page 141: HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters reduce exposure to COVID particles by 65%, and a study from cdc of GA public schools showed 39% less Covid transmission in schools that had updated air filtration methods
-page 151: testing for meds that worked well with a persons genes did not show clinically significant improvement in depression symptoms in one of the largest studies to date
-page 173: rates of adverse events (anything from bad reaction to med to medical error to major surgical complications) decreased for people who came to hospital with heart attacks (21% to 14%), heart failure (17% to 12%), and who came for surgeries (20% to 13%%
—still a long way to go to get these to zero. Hospitals are important if you are sick, otherwise, stay away. This is another reason why good primary care helps, as good primary care has been shown to keep people safely out of the hospital
JAMA volume 328, number 4
-page 322: new weight loss medicine tirzepatide (Mounjaro) showed 15-21% weight loss average after 1 year and 5 months of taking it. There were more bloating/nausea/diarrhea/belly pain with the med than with the placebo, though generally the med was well tolerated.
—interested? Give us a ring!
-page 322: we’ve know that fecal microbiota transplant (pills with good bacteria from a donor) has seen great response for people with IBS, and now a follow-up study shows that the treatment lasts. After 3 years, 65-72% of people who got the pill reported sustained improvement vs 27% in the placebo group.
—not currently a very available treatment, though maybe with new data this will change in the future
AFP Volume 106, No. 1
-page 62: great news, more than 90% of adults past 70 years old with prediabetes will not see it progress to diabetes. It is time perhaps at this age to worry less about sugars and screening, and particularly not using medication.
