An Ohio Couple Welcomes a Baby Boy From a Nearly 31-Year-Old Frozen Embryo
A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth. In what’s known as embryo adoption, Lindsey and Tim Pierce used a handful of donated embryos that have been […]
Maternal obesity may promote liver cancer
Obesity, which could reach 50% of the population in certain developed countries by 2030, is a major public health concern. It not only affects the health of those who suffer from it, but could also have serious consequences for their offspring. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have […]
Here’s How Common Long COVID Is in Children
Six to 12 months after COVID-19 infection, very few children developed post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), a prospective Canadian study found. At 6 months after being tested for SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric emergency departments (EDs), just 0.52% of children who tested positive had symptoms and changes in quality of life […]
Lab Tests That Escape FDA Oversight May Come Under Agency Review
The FDA issued its long-awaited proposal for regulating laboratory developed tests (LDTs) on Friday. The proposed rule would amend FDA regulations to make explicit that in vitro diagnostic products (IVDs) are medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including when the manufacturer of the IVD is a laboratory. The agency also wants […]
CDC Details Multidrug-Resistant TB Outbreak in an Unlikely Spot
An outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) developed in Kansas in November 2021, and included multiple children who were born in the U.S. and became infected in the state, CDC researchers reported. The outbreak involved 13 people across four households in Kansas City and spanned 1 year. While a majority of the seven adults identified were […]
New form of omega-3 could prevent visual decline with Alzheimer’s disease: By crossing into the retina, new DHA supplement achieves what previous ones could not
For the first time, researchers have developed a form of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that is capable of crossing into the eye’s retina to ward off visual declines related to Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and other disorders. The DHA found in fish oil capsules and other supplements is typically in a form called […]
Investigational ALS Drug May Have Clinical Benefit, FDA Staff Says
Tofersen, an investigational antisense drug developed to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with a mutation in the SOD1 gene (SOD1-ALS), may have clinical benefit, FDA reviewers indicated in briefing documents ahead of an advisory committee meeting. On Wednesday, the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee will vote on whether evidence supporting a […]
Investigational ALS Drug Betters Biomarkers, but Can It Improve Motor Functions?
Tofersen, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide developed to treat an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), changed biomarkers and curbed neurodegeneration but did not improve motor control and muscle strength at 6 months, the phase III VALOR trial showed. In a subgroup of patients with fast-progressing SOD1 ALS, the 28-week change in scores on the […]
Why Has This Young Man Lost the Ability to Squat and Clench His Fists?
Why has this 31-year-old man gradually developed significant stiffness in his joints, which is now preventing him from clenching his fists or squatting? That’s what Yafang Zhou, MD, PhD, of Xiangya Hospital in Hunan, China, and colleagues wanted to figure out. As they reported in JAMA Neurology, the man’s experience began about 6 months previously, […]
Swimming without brains and muscles: Physical mechanisms behind the movement of microswimmers
Bacteria and other unicellular organisms developed sophisticated ways to actively navigate their way, despite being comparably simple structures. To reveal these mechanisms, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) used oil droplets as a model for biological microswimmers. Corinna Maass, group leader at the MPI-DS and Associate Professor at the University […]