LAURA H. CYPHERS

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription nalmefene hydrochloride nasal spray, an opioid receptor antagonist. Nalmefene, sold as Opvee, can be used to treat adults and children aged 12 years or older who are experiencing a known or suspected opioid overdose, according to the FDA’s statement.
Source: JAMA Online First

Treatment with transcranial alternating current stimulation, a noninvasive method that alters brain activity using electric currents, led to improved cognitive function in areas including working and long-term memory, attention, and executive control, according to a meta-analysis of 102 studies that enrolled a total of 2893 participants. The findings applied to healthy people as well as older adults and people with neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, Parkinson disease, and mild cognitive impairment.
Source: JAMA Online First

This Medical News feature discusses the prospect of the first birth control pill available without a prescription in the US.
Source: JAMA Online First

This Medical News article discusses how the frequency and distribution of US power outages affects patients who use electronic medical equipment.
Source: JAMA Online First

This JAMA Insights in the Women’s Health series examines the management of asthma during pregnancy, including diagnosis, treatment, and the handling of exacerbations.
Source: JAMA Online First

This Viewpoint discusses how sex and gender subpopulations may be differentially affected by tobacco products and suggests that the FDA formulate regulations in clinically meaningful ways.
Source: JAMA Online First

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, patients and clinicians reported the persistence of initial symptoms and the onset of new symptoms after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, collectively referred to as postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or more colloquially called long COVID. Persistent anosmia as well as debilitating physical symptoms, such as chronic cough, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, malaise, myalgias, pain, and lack of clarity of thought (“brain fog”), with or without obvious organ dysfunction, were prominent ailments identified by numerous patients after acute COVID-19. This phenomenon has been a major focus of research. Investigators have sought to determine the pathogenesis of illness with a goal of designing effective interventions to mitigate or resolve the symptoms.
Source: JAMA Online First

This study aims to develop a definition of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) based on self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections using a cohort of adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Source: JAMA Online First

Although supports such as counseling, case-management, and peer support are important parts of treatment plans for people with an opioid use disorder (OUD), providing buprenorphine should not be tied to their participation in those services, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) underscored in a letter to clinicians.
Source: JAMA Online First

Guidelines from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other groups recommend the use of antidepressants for treating patients with chronic pain. No solid evidence, however, supports their long-term effectiveness or safety for pain lasting more than 3 months, according to a meta-analysis of more than 28 000 participants from 176 trials, most of which excluded people who also had low mood.
Source: JAMA Online First