Abdominal pain: update on emergency department management of appendicitis and diverticulitis.

Abdominal pain is one of the most common presenting complaints to the emergency department, and appendicitis and diverticulitis are common causes. Intra-abdominal infections have historically been managed with admission to the hospital, antibiotics, and surgical interventions, and best-practice pathways are an important part of quality programs. Advances in diagnostics and management, supported with outcome data, are impacting care pathways.

An Update from the Benchmark Survey of phactMI™ Member Companies on Providing Medical Information in the Digital Space.

Objective: The Pharma Collaboration for Transparent Medical Information (phactMI™) benchmarking survey of 32 pharmaceutical companies describes the use of technology by Medical Information Departments.

Methods: A survey was distributed to phactMI™ member companies in June 2022 and included 79 closed and open-ended questions. The survey's six sections included demographics, chatbot, social media, instant messaging applications, websites, and technology.

Oral enzyme therapy for maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) suppresses plasma leucine levels in intermediate MSUD mice and healthy nonhuman primates.

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of branched-chain amino acid metabolism affecting several thousand individuals worldwide. MSUD patients have elevated levels of plasma leucine and its metabolic product α-ketoisocaproate (KIC), which can lead to severe neurotoxicity, coma, and death. Patients must maintain a strict diet of protein restriction and medical formula, and periods of noncompliance or illness can lead to acute metabolic decompensation or cumulative neurological impairment.