Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Study Finds New Semaglutide Benefits, No Link to Suicidal Thoughts

A study published in the Lancet last week investigated millions of U.S. medical records to determine whether semaglutide increased the risk of neurological and psychiatric conditions within the first year of use compared to 3 other common antidiabetic medications. Authors found no association between semaglutide and a higher risk of the 22 studied conditions (eg, psychosis; bipolar disorder; depression; anxiety; opioid and alcohol use disorder; etc.). In fact, patients on semaglutide showed lower rates of …

Antimicrobial-Resistant Gonorrhea Becomes Global Concern

Canada’s public health agency has reported an increase in antimicrobial-resistant gonococcal infections. Data on 3,377 gonorrhea cases revealed that over a span of 2 years, antimicrobial-resistant gonococcal infections increased while gonococcal cultures demonstrating resistance rose from 24.8% in 2020 to 44.5% in 2021. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was most prevalent, rising from 46.6% of cases in 2020 to 63.1% in 2021. More than 80% of the gonorrhea cases studied were among males, and 55.5% of those …

EDs See Summer Surge of COVID-19 Cases

Cases of COVID-19 have surged in emergency departments (EDs) over recent weeks, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and surges are now demonstrating upward slopes that could lead to peaks similar to what communities might expect in the cooler months of fall. The weekly average of ED patients with COVID-19 has reached 1.18% in the United States overall but 2.9% in Florida, making the “sunshine state” a leader …

Staff Salary Survey Provides Benchmarks

A recent survey conducted by Physicians Practice provides some benchmarking insight for operators regarding staff salaries. According to survey respondents, more than a quarter of them say their full-time nurse practitioners earn within the range of $100,000-$125,000; only a small percentage earn less than $75,000 a year. As for medical assistants, the largest portion of survey respondents (37%) pin those salaries in the range of $30,000 to $40,000 a year with another 23% saying they …

When to Consider Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the Differential

A new study in Emerging Infections Diseases describes 5 children who had Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and manifested clinical symptoms similar to multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in Mexico. Although the number of cases was small, it may be an important differential because Rocky Mountain spotted fever can progress rapidly to death or severe illness if appropriate antimicrobial drug therapy is not delivered within the first 5 days after illness onset. Among the 5 cases, …

Flu and COVID Vaccines Recommended for Pretty Much Everyone This Fall

In a new brief, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine once the updated formulations become available this fall—ideally aiming for vaccination in September or October. A few distinct situations have varying dosing schedules for flu vaccines. Just as one example, CDC said adults (especially those 65 years old and older) and pregnant moms in the first …

Rare Flu Strain Sparks Concerns For Treatment Resistance

At least two human cases of “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 influenza have been detected in Connecticut and Michigan, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Genetic changes are concerning because they could reduce the effectiveness of current antiviral treatments. Mutations of H1N1 appear to have 13-fold greater resistance to the flu treatment oseltamivir—the most commonly prescribed treatment for flu. An analysis of the new H1N1 flu viruses with …

Women More Likely to Have Long COVID

New analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that nearly 18 million US adults have experienced long COVID. Data gathered through the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of more than 17,400 adults found 8,275 had a history of COVID-19, and 1,202 reported long-COVID symptoms. Women (8.6%) were more likely than men (5.1%) to report long COVID, and adults aged 35 to 64 were more affected than other age groups. White and …

CDC: Americans Have Little Immunity Against Avian Flu

Preliminary findings from ongoing testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that Americans have little to no pre-existing immunity to the H5N1 avian flu virus found on dairy and poultry farms. The CDC’s conclusions are based on blood samples collected from the 2021-2023 flu seasons. These samples showed low antibody levels against the H5N1 virus, suggesting minimal immunity. Despite this, the risk to the general public remains low, according to CDC, …

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