Diabetes danger with common drugs

Two common types of drugs — antipsychotics like haloperidol and antibiotics like fluoroquinolones — have a scary risk for people with type 2 diabetes: They can cause sudden cardiac arrest even in people with no history of cardiovascular disease.

And it’s apparently not just a slight difference.

People with type 2 diabetes who do not have a history of CVD have almost three times the risk of SCA if they take antipsychotic medications and nearly double the risk if they take certain antibiotics that prolong the QT interval, notably, macrolides and fluoroquinolones.

One of the Dutch researchers who discovered this displayed some British understatement when he said, “Perhaps these drugs could be avoided in some cases, and GPs should be more aware of the possible consequences of their use.” Indeed.

Witness the power of this fully armed and operational pharmacy and health sciences center

Mercer’s new 65,000-square-foot pharmacy and health sciences center is now open on the university’s Atlanta campus.

It contains some of the most cutting-edge lab technology found in any academic setting, adjustable classrooms to fit the needs of individual professors, and several areas for students to study and relax between classes.

The building is looking spiffy before all those students get their grubby paws all over it

Boning up on cannabinoids

If you have a mouse with a broken bone, you might try giving it a cannabinoid like CBD or its cousin, CBG. They seem to have a surprising ability: They not only relieve pain, they actually help the bones heal.

Penn State researchers were sorta expecting the pain relief, because there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence of that. But the bone healing caught them by surprise.

In the early phase of treatment, the cannabinoids were associated with an increase in the abundance of periosteal bone progenitors, which later develop into specialized bone cells that help bone tissue form. During the later phase of healing, CBD and CBG accelerated the process by which the body absorbs minerals to strengthen newly formed bone.

Money quote: “We still have a lot to learn about the biological mechanisms behind what we observed.”

Side note: Under no circumstances should you think about the fact that the researchers had to break the mice’s bones to do this study. Karma will take care of that.

Covid: What works, what doesn’t

Cutting to the chase: Statins like simvastatin have a significant benefit for critically ill Covid patients, but vitamin C does nada.

An international team of researchers studied more than 2,600 patients in 13 countries found that simvastatin …

… was shown to have a high probability (96%) of improving outcomes […] and a 92% chance of improving survival at 3 months. This equates to one life saved for every 33 patients treated with simvastatin.

And vitamin C? It was “ineffective and probably harmful^*.” Do they have a recommendation that includes a buzzword? You bet: “[T]he use of vitamin C in hospitalized COVID-19 patients should be de-adopted.”

^* This would have been sad news for Mom of Buzz, who always considered vitamin C a miracle drug.

Pharmacy chains pull back

The plan had been for the big pharmacy chains to dive headlong into primary care. But that’s just not working out thanks to issues like “financial woes, leadership shuffles, [and] staff shortages” and now they’re backpedaling big time.

The problems facing the three retail pharmacies are similar, and include rising drug prices, pressure from insurers, post-pandemic changes in customer behavior that have reduced store traffic, and an alarming spike in shoplifting.

The Long Read: Pharmacists’ Burnout edition

Why the strikes? Why the stress? USA Today has a great overview with “Prescription for disaster: America’s broken pharmacy system in revolt over burnout and errors”.

Pharmacists take an oath to hold patient safety in the highest regard when preparing and dispensing medication. But rising pressures inside the nation’s largest retail chains have forced pharmacists to choose between that oath and their job.

Sneezes: Let them out

If you’re going to sneeze and you’re tempted to hold it in, don’t.

Closing your mouth or nose during a sneeze increases the pressure in the airways five to 20 times more than a normal sneeze. With no escape, this pressure has to be transmitted elsewhere and that can damage your eyes, ears or blood vessels. Though the risk is low, brain aneurysm, ruptured throat and collapsed lung have been reported.

(What if you’re hiding from an axe murderer? Try pressing under your nose to stimulate the trigeminal nerves.)