Editor’s note Moderna’s mRNA-based RSV vaccine is effective in preventing RSV-associated lower-respiratory tract disease in adults aged 60 an older, according to randomized phase II-III trial results published December 14 in The New England Journal of Medicine. Results also confirmed the safety of a single dose of the vaccine, researchers…
Editor's Note The US Senate has appointed Monica Bertagnolli, MD, as the new director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agency’s first permanent leader in nearly 2 years and the second woman to hold the post. She is expected to face significant scrutiny from lawmakers, Chief Healthcare Executive…
Editor's Note Although Congress first required the National Institutes of Health to include more women and people of color in medical studies in 1993, progress has been slow until recently. Now, researchers are making a concerted effort to diversify medical studies, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) November 16 reports. According…
Editor's Note Video laryngoscopy was found to lead to higher intubation success rates over direct laryngoscopy in critically ill adult patients, an August 2023 randomized controlled trial published by the The New England Journal of Medicine shows. The findings were consistent whether they were intubated in an emergency room or…
Editor's Note In this investigative study done by the Boston Medical Center (BMC), patients were shown more likely to agree to participate in clinical studies when approached by research staff of the same race or ethnicity as them. The findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology on October 19. The study…
Editor's Note A new study in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery finds that long-term survival rates are extremely promising for patients who receive low-risk isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The study, titled "Survival Following Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients: A Contemporary Trial Benchmark," was published on October…
Editor's Note A 5-day limit on opioid pain medication prescriptions in Michigan did not negatively impact patient-reported pain levels or satisfaction, JAMA Network October 13 reports. The study, titled "Changes in surgical opioid prescribing and patient-reported outcomes after implementation of an insurer opioid prescribing limit," was published by JAMA Health…
Editor's Note A new nasal vaccine in development by Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics in Australia could provide long-term protection against the deadly bacteria Streptococcus A (Strep A), Griffith University's Griffith News October 5 reports. Strep A causes 700 million human infections each year, and there are more than 500,000…
Editor's Note In a first of its kind surgical procedure, doctors have installed artificial intelligence (AI) implants in the brain of a 46-year-old man who was paralyzed from a fall on the ice, CNN September 27 reports. The AI implant formed a "digital bridge"–an idea pioneered by the French neuroscientist…
Editor's Note Eisai, the Japanese drug maker, said on Tuesday September 27, that its experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease helped slow cognitive decline to those experiencing early stages of the illness. In the phase 3 clinical trials, the drug, called lecanemab, slowed cognitive decline by 27% after 18 months, the…