Screening urged for iron deficiency to prevent anemia: Screening for iron deficiency in patients with risk factors can prevent progression to conditions such as microcytic anemia, according to a presentation at a family medicine meeting. Nonanemic iron deficiency is common, affecting 38.3% of women of reproductive age, and is linked to hospitalizations and reduced quality of life, according to a study.
Experts urge caution when interpreting incidental findings on mammograms: Some radiology practices are offering to analyze mammograms for breast arterial calcification, a potential indicator of heart disease risk, using AI (Artificial Intelligence). Some studies have found an association between calcification and cardiovascular risk; however, experts urge caution, noting that the correlation is not as strong as with coronary artery calcification and the absence of breast arterial calcification does not necessarily equate to an absence of heart disease.
Mortician turned scientist unlocks secrets of ancient brains: Former wedding planner, dishwasher and mortician Alexandra Morton-Hayward, now a 35-year-old molecular paleontologist at Oxford University, spends a lot of time in medieval graveyards, mass graves and even crime scenes collecting brains from old skulls buried there. In the mid-1990s, archaeologist Sonia O’Connor discovered that some brains remain intact for decades — even centuries — after death, and Morton-Hayward, whose own brain subjects her to severe cluster headaches every night, uses mass spectrometry, particle accelerators and other advanced technologies to determine how, potentially reshaping our understanding of neurodegenerative conditions.
Parents advocate for newborn genetic screening initiative: Jessica and Pete Williams enrolled their newborn son in the Generations Study at The Rosie Hospital, Cambridge, England to screen his DNA for 200 rare but treatable genetic conditions, and they are advocating for other parents to participate. Led by Genomics England, the study may involve up to 100,000 newborns across England, enabling early disease detection while deepening our understanding of the genetic links to various conditions.
Gene therapy shows promise for neurologic disease: Six (6) years after receiving “eli-cel” gene therapy for the genetic condition cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, most of the 77 boys treated remained free of disability, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. However, in a second study, 6 of 35 boys who were treated with one form of the gene therapy developed blood cancer.
Genes tied to epilepsy identified in largest such study: In a sweeping study by 40 scientific teams from around the world, individual genes, gene sets, and gene variants that raise people’s risk of developing epilepsy have been identified using whole-exome sequencing of DNA to compare the genes of 20,979 people with epilepsy to those of 33,444 people without the condition. This is the biggest research effort of its kind, published in Nature Neuroscience, and it could lead to better diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy, a neurological disorder that affects 4 to 10 in 1,000 individuals.
What a difference a week makes. After hundreds of FDA employees were suddenly laid off last weekend — including dozens at the Agency’s device center tasked with reviewing products for clearance and approval — the government has begun rescinding some of those cuts and attempting to rehire lost workers.
While the FDA’s Diversity Guidance for clinical trials has been temporarily restored, the page it is housed on now carries a message from the Trump administration that the guidance “does not reflect biological reality.”
An unknown number of probationary staff at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were fired this past weekend as part of the Trump Administration’s effort to shrink the size of the federal government. While the administration has not provided any specifics on the scope of the reductions, the round of firings, which affected staff across several federal health agencies, targeted workers with fewer employment protections.
First new schizophrenia drug approved in decades: KarXT, the first new schizophrenia medication granted approval in decades, introduces a novel mechanism that activates brain muscarinic receptors to slow the release of dopamine, demonstrating antipsychotic and cognitive benefits without many of the side effects of older drugs. While the drug’s high price and twice-daily dosing regimen present challenges for patients, researchers are working to create alternatives with easier dosing schedules and investigating selective activation of muscarinic receptors to deliver either cognitive or antipsychotic benefits.