Healthcare & Laboratory News

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The AP (5/22, Perrone, Neergaard) reports the FDA’s advisory panel was split Thursday “on whether drugmakers need to update their COVID-19 vaccines for next season.” The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee consists of outside experts who “have met annually since the launch of the first COVID-19 vaccines to discuss tweaking their recipes to stay ahead of the virus.” Some panelists “voiced support for a switch to a newer coronavirus subtype named LP.8.1,” the current dominant subtype. Other panelists “noted that subtype is such a close relative that last year’s shots seem to offer cross-protection, at least for now but with no guarantee there wouldn’t be a different version circulating by the time a vaccination campaign ramps up” later this year.

Rheumatology Advisor (5/22, Khaja) reports a study found that “long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants, particularly nitrogen oxides, may alter circulating metabolite levels and contribute to bone mineral density (BMD) loss among postmenopausal women.” Researchers observed that exposure to nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), but not particulate matter 10 μm or less (PM₁₀), “was significantly associated with changes in multiple metabolites, including C38:4 phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), taurine, inosine, and cytidine monophosphate.” In addition, “exposure to NO at the 3-year average timepoint was negatively associated with C38:4 PE levels, which in turn showed a positive association with lumbar spine BMD. Results of mediation analyses suggested that C38:4 PE may account for approximately 31% of the relationship between NO exposure and lumbar spine BMD loss.” The study was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

The Washington Post (5/22, Chesler) reports a study suggests that “people who have a higher vitamin D intake may be slowing down a biological process linked to aging.” In the study, researchers observed “telomeres – the protective caps of DNA code at the ends of chromosomes – which tend to shorten as we age.” However, they found that vitamin D supplements “may slow that shrinking process.” They believe “vitamin D supplementation’s benefit is related to tamping down inflammation.” With that said, researchers “emphasized that it is not a cure-all” because “there are many chronic diseases that do not seem to be reduced by vitamin D supplementation.” The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

MedPage Today (5/22, George) reports a study found that “older adults whose cognitive symptoms were more severe than their biological Alzheimer’s disease stage often had additional pathologies.” Researchers observed that patients “with more advanced clinical impairment compared with their biomarker-based Alzheimer’s stage often were positive for alpha-synuclein pathology or had higher neurofilament light (NfL) levels, a TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) imaging signature, or more cerebral small vessel disease than a reference group.” They said the findings are in line with neuropathology studies “showing that the presence of multiple pathologies is the norm rather than the exception with advanced age and neurodegenerative disease.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.

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Infectious Disease Advisor (5/21, Nye) reports study results indicate that “nonpharmaceutical interventions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the 2020 to 2022 reduction in norovirus and other viral foodborne illnesses.” Researchers analyzed data “sourced from the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS) as well as state and local health department records” over three time periods: 2014 to 2016, 2017 to 2019, and 2020 to 2022. They said 2,677 foodborne illness outbreaks were “examined in the final analysis, of which 42.7%, 42.2%, and 15.1% occurred in the first, second, and third time periods, respectively.” The rate of bacterial outbreaks “increased from 41.9% to 48.4%, and the rate of viral outbreaks declined from 33.3% to 23.2%. Contamination-related outbreaks decreased over time (from 85.6% to 81.0%), whereas those involving proliferation factors decreased initially (from 40.3% to 35.0%) but remained stable thereafter.” Results from the study were published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Infectious Disease Advisor (5/21, Nye) reports a study found that “the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) within 2 years of HIV acquisition is associated with reduced risk for viral blips, indicating reservoir plasticity may extend past the acute disease phase, as well as the possibility of a smaller reservoir size.” Compared with those who experienced no viral blips, researchers said “the subset of patients with viral blips were older at ART initiation (median, 34.9 vs 31.6 years), exhibited a longer time period from HIV acquisition to ART initiation (median, 33.9 vs 16.6 months), had lower rates of NNRTI use (28.4% vs 46.6%), and showed worse ART adherence.” They concluded, “Our findings suggest that the window of opportunity to intervene with ART and achieve a beneficial effect in preventing blips may extend to two years after HIV acquisition.” The study was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.