MedPage Today (10/30, Dotinga) reported that in a presentation given at the virtual American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) annual meeting, “a team of emergency physicians urged colleagues to cast off their hesitation and start initiating treatment with the opioid withdrawal drug buprenorphine in the emergency department [ED].”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (10/30, Ernst) reported researchers found “SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins triggered a proinflammatory response in brain endothelial cells that may influence a change in the function of the blood-brain barrier.” The findings were published in Neurobiology of Disease.

Related Links:

— “Spike proteins provide ‘plausible explanation’ for neurological complications of COVID-19 “Julia Ernst, MS, Healio, October 30, 2020

During this election year, many people are feeling stress and anxiety. Taking care of your mental well-being is very important. The American Psychiatric Association has put a page online providing resources to assist you in finding the help you need:

“Address Your Feelings During This Election Cycle and Seek Medical Care if Needed”

It provides four online resources and four crisis and support phone numbers to assist you.

We have added the link to the Featured section of our Links & Publications page, too.

Healio (10/29, Weller) reports, “Stigma and potential career consequences may prevent ED physicians from seeking mental healthcare…poll data discussed during an American College of Emergency Physicians’ teleconference” indicated. Currently, “depression and burnout are common among ED physicians, according to Mark Rosenberg, DO, MBA, FACEP, president-elect of ACEP,” who “cited research indicating about 6,000 ED physicians in the U.S. contemplated suicide and almost 400 had a suicide attempt in 2018.”

Related Links:

— “ED physician’s death by suicide sparks dialogue on culture, policy changes “Madison Weller, Healio, October 29, 2020

HealthDay (10/29) reports, “Maternal use of valproic acid, but not lamotrigine, is associated with an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (AD/HD) “among children,” investigators concluded after using “Swedish-registry data to examine the risks for ASD and” AD/HD “in 14,614 children born from 1996 to 2011 to women with epilepsy.” Researchers then examined “maternal-reported first-trimester use of any antiseizure medications and the three most commonly reported individual” medicines “(valproic acid, lamotrigine, and carbamazepine).” The findings were published online Oct. 28 in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Maternal Use of Valproic Acid Linked to ASD, ADHD in Offspring, HealthDay, October 29, 2020