Healthcare & Laboratory News

HCP Live (8/11, Brooks) reports a study found that “asymptomatic C difficile carriers have a higher risk of developing CDI, despite antibiotic exposure not significantly increasing this risk among carriers.” Among the study cohort, “exposure to any antibiotic was associated with an increased risk of CDI, with each additional day of exposure to antibiotics having an HR of 1.08. Exposure to piperacillin and tazobactam was associated with increased risk, with each additional day having an HR of 1.13. Further analysis revealed a positive C difficile screening result at admission was associated with a high risk of infection. Among asymptomatic carriers, investigators pointed out antibiotic exposure was not significantly associated with a further increase in CDI hazard.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

MedPage Today (8/11, Bassett) reports, “Genetic testing of” patients with “gastrointestinal cancer...prior to starting chemotherapy proved feasible in a prospective study and showed a signal for a reduced risk of serious side effects.” Investigators found that “compared with patients who received standard dose chemotherapy, those who had a tailored dose of chemotherapy based on rapid genetic testing for variants in DPYD and UGT1A1 had more treatment modifications...as well as numerically fewer severe treatment-related adverse events...and treatment discontinuations.” The findings were published in JCO Precision Oncology.

Infectious Disease Advisor (8/11, Nye) reports a study found that “in the setting of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART), dolutegravir (DTG)-based ART regimens may be an appropriate option for second-line therapy in patients with HIV infection.” Researchers observed that “the rate of virologic suppression at 96 weeks was 76.1% in patients who received DRV/r+2NRTIs, 85.7% in those who received DTG+DRV/r, and 81.6% in those who received DTG+TDF/XTC. Compared with patients who received DRV/r+2NRTIs, the rate of virologic suppression was significantly higher in those who received DTG+DRV/r and those who received DTG+TDF/XTC.” The study was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

ALS News Today (8/8, Shapiro) reported a study found that “immune cells in the brain exhibit distinct profiles in the brain and spinal cord of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).” The research team investigated which “groups of microglia might be associated with ALS, and analyzed gene activity to assess microglia and other immune cells collected from the postmortem brain and spinal cord tissue of people with ALS, comparing them to people without ALS.” They observed that “ALS tissue showed a predominance of a group of microglia, dubbed MG2, that exhibit gene activity alterations consistent with dysregulated cellular energy production.” In addition, “altered gene activity markers for ALS-related microglia subtypes correlated with a marker implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a link between immune changes and motor neuron death.” The study was published in Acta Neuropathologica.

Renal & Urology News (8/8, Persaud) reported a study presented at the World Transplant Congress 2025 found that “a ‘liquid biopsy’ incorporating donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) can reduce surveillance biopsies after kidney transplantation.” For the study, investigators developed “a ‘liquid biopsy’ model incorporating dd-cfDNA along with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), acute kidney injury (AKI) history, rejection history, anti-HLA mean fluorescence intensity, and proteinuria.” Researchers observed that the “liquid biopsy system led to a significant 49% reduction in overall biopsies and a 64% reduction in month 3 biopsies.” The article added that “kidney function was not compromised. At 12 months, mean eGFR was comparable between groups: 53.4 vs 55.9 mL/min/1.73 m² in the liquid biopsy and invasive surveillance groups who received systematic biopsies, respectively. The investigators projected similar graft survival between groups for another 7 years.”

Healio (8/8, Carter) reported a study found that “prophylactic antibiotic use before tunneled cuffed catheter insertion was not linked to a lower rate of early hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections.” Investigators “used a pre-study survey to determine whether a service had a standing policy to administer systemic antibiotics before catheter insertion.” Study findings “showed less than 1% of tunneled cuffed catheters in Australia were associated with hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections within 14 days of placement.” Furthermore, the researchers observed “that of 1,196 tunneled catheters placed in antibiotic-using services, four (0.3%) resulted in hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections and 10 (0.8%) led to catheter removal due to infection within 14 days. Among the 5,027 catheters placed at non-antibiotic services, 40 (0.8%) were linked to hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections and 41 (0.8%) required removal.” The study was published in Kidney Medicine.

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Fierce Pharma (8/7, Liu) reports that the FDA “has removed a pause in the use of Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine,” Ixchiq, for older adults and updated the label with stricter language. The FDA and CDC “recommended suspending administration of the shot...individuals age 60 and older back in May after post-marketing reports of some serious adverse events, including at least two deaths, in recipients of the vaccine who were between the ages of 62 and 89.” The vaccine is now recommended for those at “high risk” of exposure, with new warnings about serious adverse events, stating “that Ixchiq is ‘not advisable’ for most U.S. residents traveling abroad because the risk of exposure to chikungunya is low.”

ALS News Today (8/7, Levinson) reports a study found that “inhibiting a cellular stress response can normalize processes and function” in motor neurons for patients with “ALS related to the P56S mutation in the VAPB gene, a rare genetic abnormality.” According to the article, disrupting the mitochondrial-associated membrane (ER MAM) “can contribute to cellular stress and activate a cell’s integrated stress response (ISR). This is what the team saw in the motor neurons – sensitivity to stress was higher and adaptation to it was impaired in mutated cells relative to healthy ones. The ISR can initially be helpful by enabling a cell to adapt to a diverse stimuli and changes in gene activity. Over time, however, it may lead to cell damage.” Although the findings are specific to VAPB-associated ALS, they “may have broader applicability in ALS and suggest the importance of considering genetic makeup in clinical trials.” The study was published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.