Influenza vaccination: key facts for general practitioners in Europe—a synthesis by European experts based on national guidelines and best practices in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands

George Kassianos, Patricia Blank, Oana Falup-Pecurariu, Ernest Kuchar, Jan Kyncl, Raul Ortiz De Lejarazu, Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, Gerrit A Van Essen

Article Type

Original Research

Published

In this article the authors aim to harmonise the diagnosis of seasonal influenza and the approach of European general practitioners to vaccination in order to better identify influenza outbreaks and achieve a target vaccination rate of 75% throughout Europe.

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Anticoagulation for the prevention of stroke in non-valvular AF in general practice: room for improvement

Adam Ioannou, Sofia Metaxa, George Kassianos, Constantinos G Missouris

Article Type

Original Research

Published

The aim of this study was to assess whether the recommendations and guidelines for thromboprophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have been adopted in general practice (GP) in the UK. The authors concluded that one in four patients with non-valvular AF, at risk of a stroke, is not being adequately treated with an oral anticoagulant in primary care and suggest that a review of GP practice databases should be considered to identify patients with non-valvular AF, at risk of a disabling or fatal event, and measures taken to initiate anticoagulant therapy.

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Combination therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: adding empagliflozin to basal insulin

Andrew Ahmann

Article Type

Case Report

Published

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management is complex, with few patients successfully achieving recommended glycemic targets with monotherapy, most progressing to combination therapy, and many eventually requiring insulin. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are an emerging class of antidiabetes agents with an insulin-independent mechanism of action, making them suitable for use in combination with any other class of antidiabetes agents, including insulin. In this review the evaluates a 78-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial investigating the impact of empagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, as add-on to basal insulin in patients with inadequate glycemic control on basal insulin, with or without metformin and/or a sulfonylurea.

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Metastatic squamous cell non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): disrupting the drug treatment paradigm with immunotherapies

Sarah L Scarpace

Article Type

Review

Published

Lung cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. This paper provides an overview of drug therapy options for squamous cell NSCLC with a focus on the evidence and clinical application of the anti-PD1 therapies. A comparison of the dosing, administration, indications, and differences in the measurement of PD-L1 expression in the clinical trials of nivolumab and pembrolizumab is also provided.

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