Núria Negrão

Medical and Science Writer

Indolent or Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis? Plasma Protein Profiling May Help - Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis

Mastocytosis, a disorder characterized by the accumulation of abnormal mast cells, presents a significant diagnostic challenge for clinicians due to its wide range of clinical manifestations and varying prognosis. That said, new research suggests a potential tool for refining diagnoses and understanding the diverse clinical manifestations of mastocytosis.1,2 Serum tryptase levels are currently used to aid in diagnosis, but this marker is not specific to mastocytosis and does not always accuratel...

Pachydrusen in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Understanding a Distinct Risk Profile - Peer to Peer: Spotlight on AMD

New research suggests that eyes with pachydrusen, a specific type of drusen, exhibit a different risk profile for progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared to eyes with other drusen types.1
AMD remains a leading cause of vision loss, with advanced stages characterized by either geographic atrophy (GA) or macular neovascularization (MNV) causing significant visual impairment. While drusen and pigmentary changes are well-established risk factors for AMD progression, r...

In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetes Medications May Be Protective - Eye on Wet AMD

Synergistic effects of metformin and sulfonylureas may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients with diabetes, according to a large-scale study published in Retina.1First, a little background. AMD is a leading cause of visual loss worldwide, with a multifactorial etiology and susceptibility linked to risk factors such as smoking, poor nutrition, cardiovascular disease, and genetic markers. While antioxidant supplementation and lifestyle modifications can help slow AM...

Prodromal Psychosis: Unraveling the Impact of Symptom Onset on Cognition - Schizophrenia Update

Investigators recently identified a crucial link between the duration of untreated symptoms in the prodromal phase of psychosis and significant cognitive decline, offering new insights for early intervention and highlighting the importance of timely care in mental health.1
The prodrome of psychosis: a critical window for intervention 
The journey toward understanding psychosis begins in the prodromal phase, a period characterized by subtle symptoms that precede the onset of overt psychosis.2,3 U...

Chronic Postsurgical Pain Common After Ambulatory Surgeries - Pain Management Today

Nearly 1 in 5 patients who have undergone ambulatory surgery experience chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) at 3 months, with the majority suffering from moderate to severe pain, according to a new prospective cohort study.1
A changing landscape
Chronic postsurgical pain is a recognized complication of various surgical procedures, with reported incidences ranging from 5% to 50%.2,3 However, the incidence and factors associated with CPSP specifically after ambulatory surgeries have not been well stu...

In NMOSD, Exploring the Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency - NMOSD: Current Perspectives

Vitamin D deficiency significantly correlates with increased risk of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), revealed a study by Shuangxi Liu and colleagues published on the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, potentially reshaping our understanding of NMOSD management and prevention.1

Vitamin D has recently emerged as a key player in immune regulation, with a potential influence on various autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid diseas

Genetic Subgroups of Follicular Lymphoma Can Be Distinguished by Machine Learning - Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Update

In an innovative study to unravel the genetic underpinnings and progression potential of follicular lymphoma (FL), researchers leveraged a machine learning approach to reveal 2 distinct genetic subgroups of FL: one that genetically resembled diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), termed DLBCL-like FL (dFL), and another termed constrained FL (cFL), which was enriched for mutations in the CREBBP gene and showed reduced aberrant somatic hypermutation.1

FL, a type of indolent cancer, contributes to

ADHD Boosts Concussion Risk in Student Athletes, But Stimulant Meds May Aid Recovery - ADHD Update

College athletes and military cadets with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face greater vulnerability to concussions, but those using stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate, exhibit faster symptom abatement post-injury versus non-medicated peers, a recent study reports.1

As a heterogeneous traumatic brain injury, concussion management poses numerous challenges. Certain populations, including individuals with pre-existing conditions like ADHD, demonstrate an increased risk

Most Patients with Macular Disease Do Not Have Improved Outcomes with Eccentric Viewing Training - Eye on Wet AMD

Eccentric viewing training failed to systematically enhance visual ability, reading performance, or fixation stability compared to standard rehabilitation alone or supervised reading practice in a randomized trial of patients with age-related macular disease (AMD).1

AMD causes central vision loss due to damage to the macula region of the retina. This requires patients to use peripheral, non-central areas of retina for visual tasks in a process known as eccentric viewing. The retinal area habitu

AMD Development in Patients with AIDS: NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation May Play a Role - Peer to Peer: Spotlight on AMD

Elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers implicated in inflammasome activation pathways associate specifically with intermediate AMD risk but not cataract risk in people with AIDS, suggesting systemic immune dysfunction may play a role in macrophage-mediated AMD development rather than generalized aging processes in this population.1

While modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV into a manageable chronic condition, people living with HIV still contend with higher risks of age-

Tailoring Optic Neuritis Evaluation Using Risk Profiles - NMOSD: Current Perspectives

A new report calls for high clinical suspicion of optic neuritis in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD).

The significant relative risk of optic neuritis seen in these—and other inflammatory conditions— should escalate suspicion and guide evaluation for appropriate treatment when patients with these diagnoses present with new visual symptoms, according to James B. Davis, MBA, a research fellow at

Psoriasis is Frequently Underdiagnosed in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis - Spondyloarthritis Peer-to-Peer

Results from a cross-sectional survey of a Dutch axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) cohort, recently published in Arthritis Research & Therapy by Rondags and colleagues, suggest that psoriasis is likely underdiagnosed, especially milder cases, when relying solely on previous doctor-made diagnoses.1

Using a self-reported screening tool with photos of psoriasis lesions, 13% of axSpA patients indicated having psoriasis symptoms currently or in the past. However, only about half of those patients had

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Are Platelets Partly to Blame? - RSV in Adults

Platelets did not undergo activation or degranulation upon respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) exposure in vitro, suggesting they may not directly participate in the immune pathology underlying severe RSV infections, according to the results of a study recently published in the open-access journal Access Microbiology.1

RSV is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections. A subset of patients develop severe lower respiratory tract infections requiring hospitalization and supplemental oxygen

Early Onset of Spondyloarthritis Symptoms Challenges Diagnostic Delay - Spondyloarthritis Peer-to-Peer

A recent cross-sectional study of over 4000 patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) reveals that those with early onset of extra-musculoskeletal manifestations (EMMs), such as psoriasis, face shorter diagnostic delays compared to onset with common musculoskeletal symptoms (MMs) such as back pain.1

These findings, which were published in August 2023 in the journal RMD Open by Puche-Larrubia and colleagues, challenge the perception that most SpA begins with musculoskeletal manifestations and sugges

In Febrile Infants, SARS-CoV-2 Dramatically Lowers Concurrent IBI Risk - Pediatric Meningitis

Young infants with fever and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection had a negligible rate of invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) including bacteremia and meningitis, according to a study by Brett Burstein, MD CM, PhD, MPH, and colleagues, published in JAMA Network Open.1

Febrile infants aged 8 to 60 days are routinely evaluated for serious bacterial infections including urinary tract infection (UTI), bacteremia, and meningitis per American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines.2 However, the presence

Asymmetric Wet and Dry AMD: How Does Progression Compare? - Eye on Wet AMD

A study by Styliani Blazaki, and colleagues, published in the Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, reveals significant differences in the progression of macular atrophy between treated eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and eyes with dry AMD (dAMD).1

AMD, the leading cause of blindness in developed countries, is classified into early, intermediate, and advanced forms. Advanced forms include choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and geographic atr

Reassessing Cardiac Amyloidosis: Sex Disparities in Diagnostic Thresholds - Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) in Focus

A study published in the European Journal of Heart Failure suggests that traditional diagnostic standards for cardiac amyloidosis (CA) may overlook a significant number of women, highlighting a crucial need for revised, gender-specific criteria.1

CA is characterized by an increase in cardiac wall thickness resulting from amyloid fibril accumulation. Traditionally, amyloid transthyretin (ATTR)-CA was perceived as being a rare disease more prevalent and severe in men compared to women. However, r

Cataract Surgery and nAMD: A Deeper Dive Into Outcomes and Treatment Effects - Wet AMD: Current Perspectives

A recently published study shows that cataract surgery offers a beacon of hope for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment, improving both distance and near vision without exacerbating the underlying condition.1

Age-related cataracts, the leading cause of blindness globally, often co-exist with AMD, the predominant cause of severe visual impairment in developed countries. Cataract surgeries are routinely condu

MTAP Deletion: A Promising Biomarker for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma - Metastatic Urothelial Cancer Peer-to-Peer

A retrospective analysis of patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma found that deletion of the enzyme S-Methyl-5’-thioadeno-sine phosphatase (MTAP) is a potential biomarker of response to pemetrexed and patients with MTAP-deletion (MTAP-del) have a shorter time to progression to metastatic disease and inferior response to chemotherapy.1

Bladder cancer is a deadly disease with a low 5-year survival in the setting of distant metastasis. Despite the availability of several treatments, there

Early-Onset Inclusion Body Myositis: Youth May Not Be Protective - Dermatomyositis and Other Inflammatory Myopathies

A recent study reveals that early-onset inclusion body myositis (IBM) presents as a severe inflammatory muscle condition in younger individuals, challenging traditional age-centric diagnostic criteria and revealing significant mitochondrial DNA mutations that suggest accelerated muscle aging.1

IBM, an inflammatory myopathy, often afflicts those in their middle age or later years, presenting symptoms like muscle weakening in the quadriceps and finger flexors, as well as dysphagia. Diagnosing IBM

Strengthening the HIV Care Continuum by Improving Pediatric to Adult Healthcare Transitions - HIV Management Peer-to-Peer

A recently published study found that more work is needed to ensure higher rates of successful healthcare transitions (HCTs) from pediatric to adult HIV care and suggests practical ways to address shortcomings.1

The HCT from pediatric to adult HIV care can result in disruptions in care engagement and viral suppression. Ideally, HCT preparation involves a multidisciplinary approach that starts years before the actual transfer and is tailored to the specific needs of youth living with HIV (YLH).2

Beyond 6 Weeks: A New Look at Prolonged Postpartum Challenges - Postpartum Depression and Mental Health

Defying traditional expectations of recovery, a new study reveals that many women face persistent physical and mental health challenges throughout their first year of motherhood, underlining the urgent need for an integrated approach to perinatal care beyond the conventional 6-week mark.1

The transition to motherhood, encompassing pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, is often presumed to involve a complete physical recovery within 6 weeks after delivery. However, emerging evidence suggests that bo

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Postpartum Depression: An Underexplored Intersection - Postpartum Depression and Mental Health

Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at an elevated risk of postpartum psychiatric disorders (PPD), particularly if they have no pre-existing psychiatric history, marking an urgent need for preventive measures and further research into this underexplored connection.1

PPD, which affect 11% to 15% of women post-childbirth, represent significant complications with potential long-term implications for the mother, child, and broader family unit.2,3 Among these disorders, postpartum depression is

A Hospital Readmission That’s Linked to Ischemic Placental Disease - Postpartum Depression Peer-to-Peer

Women with ischemic placental disease (IPD) during pregnancy are more than twice as likely to be readmitted for postpartum depression (PPD) within a year of delivery, with risks intensifying for those with multiple forms of IPD, according to a new study from a team of 5 New Jersey-based investigators.1

PPD, with an estimated global prevalence of 6% to over 20%, presents significant health risks, including a heightened vulnerability to suicide during the peripartum period.2,3 These data, however
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