ScientiaCME Free CME Courses

Activity Description:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Pyruvate kinase (PK) is an enzyme that plays a major role in a metabolic pathway integral to the production of ATP, and a deficiency in the enzyme (PKD) is one of the most common enzyme-related glycolytic defects in a pathway integral to the production of ATP. It is transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait and is caused by mutations in the PKLR gene on chromosome 1, and over one hundred eighty of these mutations have been associated with PKD. While PKD affects approximately five people of European descent per 100,000 (data in other patient populations are lacking), it is one of the more frequent causes of chronic hemolysis. Anemia arising from the condition may range from mild and fully compensated to life-threatening in severity.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: hematology; nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists who specialize in hematology; and those with an interest in or may clinically encounter patients with PKD.

In this online, self-learning activity:

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an inflammatory kidney disease with IgA deposition in the glomerular mesangium. IgAN is the most prevalent primary chronic glomerular disease worldwide. Globally, IgAN has an estimated incidence of 25 cases per one million people annually. It is more common in children and young adults than in the elderly. Among patients of all ages, the average annual prevalence of IgAN in the United States is 329 per 1 million. The epidemiology and gender distribution of IgAN vary by country and region. In North America and Europe, the prevalence is higher in men.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: nephrologists, internists, and pediatricians; physician associates, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in those areas of specialty; and those who otherwise care for or clinically encounter patients with IgAN.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation and obstruction of airflow in the lungs, resulting in difficulty breathing. It includes the conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which contribute to the deterioration of lung function. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, with a prevalence of 14.2 million.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thymidine kinase 2 deficiency (TK2D) is an ultrarare mitochondrial disease caused by recessive mutations in the TK2 gene and manifesting as a form of mitochondrial DNA depletion/deletion syndrome (MDDS) and mitochondrial myopathy. Under normal conditions, the TK2 gene encodes for the thymidine kinase enzyme present in the mitochondria, which is responsible for the phosphorylating of pyrimidine nucleosides, deoxythymidine, and deoxycytidine. These are the first steps in mitochondrial DNA synthesis, and researchers speculate that TK2 mutations affect muscle tissue because its higher energy demands make it most susceptible to mitochondrial impairment. Mutational analyses of patients with MDDS have found that approximately 15% have TK2 mutations, which may be extrapolated to about 600 to 2,700 individuals in the US.

Target Audience:

HCPs including but not limited to: neurologists, pediatric neurologists, pediatricians, primary care providers, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, and medical geneticists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and nurses who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with TK2D.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Osteoporosis in aging men is a growing public health problem yet remains under-recognized in primary and specialty care. Population-based cohorts show that adults aged ≥80 years now account for most hip fractures, and in this age group men experience higher perioperative morbidity and mortality than women at comparable ages. Contemporary US trend analyses confirm a high and in some groups increasing prevalence of osteoporosis and low bone mass among adults ≥50 years, with substantial burden among older men. Health-economic models and actuarial reports estimate more than two million osteoporotic fractures annually in the United States, costing about $17 billion in 2005 and rising to an estimated $57 billion over the past two decades, with further growth expected by 2040; men already account for more than one-quarter of this burden. Prospective outcomes work from the ICUROS US study and Medicare claims analyses underscores prolonged quality-of-life loss and markedly higher all-cause costs after fragility fractures, especially hip and vertebral fractures in older adults, including men.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS) remains a leading cause of respiratory failure and morbidity among preterm infants worldwide, despite major advances in antenatal steroids, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and surfactant therapy. Contemporary guidelines emphasize early noninvasive respiratory support from birth, selective surfactant rescue once CPAP begins to fail, and structured, protocolized care across gestational age strata. Yet practice-pattern studies across high- and middle-income settings show wide variation in initial respiratory support, surfactant thresholds, and use of minimally invasive techniques, with extremely preterm and late preterm infants often receiving care that diverges from guideline-concordant pathways. These inconsistencies increase cumulative ventilator exposure and risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other complications, underscoring a persistent implementation gap between best evidence and routine NICU care.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Asthma remains a highly prevalent chronic respiratory disease, affecting more than 26 million people in the United States, including over 4.5 million children, with several thousand deaths and substantial emergency department and inpatient utilization each year despite effective preventives. Persistent symptoms, recurrent exacerbations, and preventable hospitalizations indicate gaps in risk stratification and in the consistent application of guideline-based care, even with comprehensive frameworks such as the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) strategy. Many severe attacks still occur, requiring parenteral bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids, magnesium sulfate, oxygen, and respiratory-support devices, underscoring missed opportunities to optimize maintenance regimens and device use upstream.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central vision loss in older adults and a major driver of vision-related disability in high-income settings. In the United States, an estimated 18.3 million individuals have non–vision-threatening AMD and approximately 1.5 million have vision-threatening disease, creating substantial direct and indirect economic costs for patients, caregivers, and health systems. Late-stage AMD is commonly categorized as geographic atrophy (GA) or neovascular (or “wet”) AMD (nAMD); nAMD is characterized by macular neovascularization with exudation and/or hemorrhage that can rapidly compromise central vision if not controlled. Without timely therapy, vision decline after conversion to late-stage AMD may be clinically meaningful over weeks to months, and missed opportunities for early suppression can translate into avoidable functional loss.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorder marked by fluctuating, fatigable weakness that can involve ocular, bulbar, limb, and respiratory muscles. In a U.S. claims-based analysis, diagnosed prevalence in 2021 was 37.0 per 100,000 and incidence was 3.1 per 100,000, underscoring a clinically meaningful population at risk for disability and episodic deterioration. Reviews describe persistent symptom burden and functional consequences that extend beyond clinic-based strength testing. Real-world observational data link higher disease severity to greater impairment in activities of daily living, including reduced independence with self-care and mobility. International consensus guidance recommends stepwise management with early steroid-sparing intent and timely adjustment when treatment targets are not met. Higher severity is also associated with worse work productivity and activity impairment, amplifying socioeconomic burden.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a rare form of early-onset epilepsy syndrome affecting between 1:16,000 and 1:46,000 and is associated with pleomorphic seizure activity, cognitive decline, motor, and behavior abnormalities. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is the cause of death in nearly half of the deaths in patients with DS, with the mean age of death 8.7 years old and 73% of deaths occurring before age 10. Seizures typically begin in the first year of age, with most occurring between months 5 and 8, and it is usually a prolonged, tonic-clonic (accounting for 52% of first seizures) or hemiclonic (35%) seizure. Environmental triggers or events, such as fever, acute stress, and physical exercise may precipitate seizures, and at least 85% of those who are clinically diagnosed with DS have variations in the SCN1A gene. Unfortunately, diagnosis is not uncommonly delayed until a patient 3 years of age or older, prior to which antiseizure medication selection may be suboptimal or ineffective, which may lead to seizure exacerbation, an increased risk of status epilepticus, and worse cognitive outcomes.