Month: November 2023

Applesauce linked to elevated lead levels in children: Fifty-two cases of elevated blood lead levels in children aged 1 to 4 have been reported in 25 states, potentially linked to WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches. Following a product recall, the FDA is investigating, and parents are considering legal action as concerns grow over the FDA’s struggles to regulate baby food and protect against heavy metal contamination.

Menopause stage indicator rolled out by Clearblue: Clearblue has announced the US launch of the Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator, which determines a woman’s probable menopause stage. The app integrates a woman’s cycle history and age and the findings of five urine follicle-stimulating hormone tests.

Blood-based test shows promise in Parkinson’s Disease: A blood-based test that measures mitochondrial DNA damage to detect high levels, which are associated with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, was described in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The test also found elevated damaged DNA levels among people with an LRRK2 mutation, which is linked to greater odds of developing Parkinson’s.

Researchers in Japan may have solved the problem of air bubbles in sweat affecting the performance of microfluidic wearable sensors. A new technology aims to solve the long-standing problem of air bubbles in sweat affecting the performance of microfluidic wearable sensors

Under a newly signed decree, EPA has only eight months to finalize new rules on EtO sterilization standards

In late August 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Abrysvo (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine), the first vaccine approved for use in pregnant individuals to prevent lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and severe LRTD caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants from birth through 6-months of age.

Test developed to predict blood cancer risk: A test based on limited sampling of blood samples has been developed to assess risk of developing blood cancers by the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Hematology.

FDA issues guidance on remote interactive inspections: The FDA has issued draft guidance explaining how it plans to request and conduct voluntary remote interactive evaluations of drug manufacturing sites and other facilities covered by its bioresearch monitoring program. “When facilities agree to participate in a remote interactive evaluation, FDA expects them to cooperate with the same level of transparency as they would during an FDA inspection,” the FDA wrote, adding that it expects staff “to be available at scheduled times for interviews and other virtual interactions, and we expect the facility to be operational to the extent possible for FDA to evaluate areas and operations of interest.”

Blood-based test can help determine cause of fever: A blood-based test that can detect and distinguish 18 different inflammatory or infectious diseases and determine the underlying cause of childhood fever has been developed by an international team of researchers led by Imperial College London scientists. Researchers worked on the test by looking at the gene expression patterns in the blood in response to different diseases.