Not just a common cold: Studies show RSV’s severity and impact on long-term health

Often confused for a common cold, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can in fact be serious and should be studied more closely. In studies led by Singapore General Hospital (SGH), researchers collaborating under the Program for Research in Epidemic Preparedness And REsponse (PREPARE) found that the illness could be of comparable severity to other more well-known respiratory viral infections (RVIs)—such as influenza and COVID-19.

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FDA warns 18 websites for selling fake Botox linked to injuries

U.S. regulators have issued warnings to 18 websites that were selling fake or unapproved versions of Botox and similar wrinkle-relaxing injections.

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New screening tool helps identify emotional needs after childhood injuries

Injuries not only cause physical harm to children but can also present psychosocial challenges for pediatric patients and their families.

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Yes, you can be intolerant to fruit and veg

For most people, eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables is the cornerstone of a healthy diet.

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Study finds heart health in midlife predicts dementia risk in older age

People with signs of damage to their heart during middle age are more likely to develop dementia in later life, according to a new study led by University College London researchers.

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Study shows hormone combination improved strength and function in FSHD patients

New research has demonstrated that a combined regimen of growth hormone and testosterone is safe, well-tolerated, and is associated with meaningful improvements in muscle mass, strength, and mobility for men living with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Researchers believe that this regime could benefit patients with other forms of muscular dystrophy.

“We’ve never seen a therapy in FSHD deliver both real gains in strength and lasting benefit after treatment stops,” said Chad Heatwole, MD, director of the University of Rochester Center for Health + Technology, and principal investigator and lead author of the study in Neurology Genetics. “This hormone combination could mark the first treatment to not only slow this disease, but help patients regain function.”

FSHD is a genetic muscle disorder that usually begins in adulthood. It causes gradual weakness of the face, shoulders, upper arms, and hips. Over time, many patients struggle to walk independently and perform everyday tasks, and there are currently no treatments that can slow or reverse these losses.

Duo of rhGH and Testosterone Boosts Muscle and Mobility

Heatwole and his team enrolled 20 adult men with FSHD who were still able to walk on their own. For six months, participants gave themselves a daily injection of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), which helps cells grow and regenerate, and received a testosterone shot every two weeks to support muscle building.

During treatment, the researchers monitored safety through blood tests and tracked changes in body composition, walking ability, and overall strength. After the six-month treatment period, everyone stopped the hormones for three months so the team could see how long any improvements would last.

Nearly every participant (19 out of 20) completed the program without serious side effects-most only reported mild soreness at the injection site. By the end of six months, the men had gained an average of about 4.5 lbs. of lean muscle and lost around 3 lbs. of fat.

In a simple walking test-where patients walk as far as they safely can in six minutes-participants improved by roughly 37 meters (120 feet), enough to make everyday outings, like walking to the mailbox or down the hallway, noticeably easier.

Muscle strength increased by about 3 percent over what was expected for their age and size, and men reported a reduction in their overall disease burden, as measured by the FSHD-HI, a clinical trial outcome measure developed at the University of Rochester with extensive patient input. Importantly, many of these gains remained even three months after they stopped the hormone injections.

Implications and Next Steps

The success of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial paves the way for larger studies. Heatwole’s team is planning larger, controlled, multi-center, randomized studies to confirm these benefits, fine-tune dosing, and include women with FSHD. If future research supports these findings, the combination of growth hormone and testosterone could become the first treatment not only to slow FSHD but to restore strength and improve quality of life for patients.

Heatwole emphasizes that this therapy has potential across multiple muscular dystrophies. He specifically notes that while many companies are pursuing genetic therapies for common muscular dystrophies, there are hundreds of different types of neuromuscular diseases with no effective treatments. The combination therapy could be a generic approach applicable to many of these rare and undertreated conditions.

Reference:

Chad Rydel Heatwole, Elizabeth Luebbe, Study of Testosterone and Recombinant Human Growth Hormone in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy, Neurology Genetics, https://doi.org/10.1212/NXG.0000000000200292

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Beyond the Belly: How Sleep Disorders Influence Pregnancy Outcomes in Gestational Diabetes, finds study

Sleep disorders are increasingly recognized as a significant factor influencing glucose metabolism and pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM, prevalent in approximately 14% of pregnancies globally, poses risks of various complications for both mothers and their offspring, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, and psychological issues. Changes in sleep patterns during pregnancy, exacerbated by physiological, psychological, and environmental factors, may hinder glucose homeostasis.

Prevalence of Sleep Issues in Pregnant Women

Recently published Qualitative research indicates that about 44% of pregnant women in China experience sleep disorders, a prevalence echoed in other diverse populations where half continue to suffer from such disorders even postpartum. Key identified barriers to sleep in this population include anatomical changes like frequent urination and discomfort due to weight gain, alongside psychological stress such as anxiety about childbirth and childcare. These stressors not only impede sleep but also negatively affect blood glucose levels, further complicating GDM management.

Factors Affecting Sleep Health in GDM

Factors influencing sleep health in women with GDM stem from daily behaviors, such as late-night snacking or prolonged device usage, and environmental aspects like inadequate healthcare resources or support. Participants reported that poor sleep hygiene and pre-bedtime habits detract from sleep quality, whereas activities like light exercise or engaging in calming routines, such as listening to music, improve restfulness. Furthermore, family support plays a crucial role; partners can influence sleep through emotional and practical assistance. Despite the recognition of sleep’s impact on glucose management and maternal health, current medical practice lacks adequate sleep health education for women with GDM. Limitations in existing studies primarily reflect a heavy reliance on quantitative measures rather than subjective experiences and feelings regarding sleep. Few interventions specifically address the sleep needs of women with GDM, underscoring the necessity for tailored approaches integrating behavioral therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and relaxation strategies like Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation (APMR). Recommendations for future research highlight the importance of larger, multicenter studies to better understand the causative links between sleep and diabetes management. Enhanced education on sleep in antenatal care, dedicated support workshops, and developing family-focused strategies may ultimately mitigate the adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with GDM. Addressing these identified barriers to sleep could significantly contribute to improved maternal-fetal health and optimize glycemic control during pregnancy.

Key Points

– Sleep disorders are a critical risk factor for glucose metabolism and pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with prevalence in around 14% of pregnancies worldwide, leading to severe complications such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and mental health issues.

– Approximately 44% of pregnant women in China, with similar rates observed in diverse populations, report experiencing sleep disorders, particularly persisting even postpartum. Key barriers include anatomical discomfort from weight gain, frequent urination, anxiety surrounding childbirth, and the stresses of childcare, all contributing to disrupted sleep and poor glucose regulation.

– Factors adversely affecting sleep quality among women with GDM include unhealthy daily behaviors like late-night eating and extensive device usage, as well as environmental constraints such as insufficient healthcare access and support systems. Reported improvements arise from good sleep hygiene practices and activities that promote relaxation, with family support playing an essential role in enhancing sleep quality.

– Despite acknowledging sleep’s significance on glucose management and maternal health, current clinical practices lack adequate educational resources addressing sleep health for women with GDM. The prevailing research primarily focuses on quantitative metrics, overlooking individual subjective experiences related to sleep health.

– Existing interventions designed to address sleep-related concerns in women with GDM are minimal, highlighting the need for customized approaches that encompass behavioral therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), and relaxation techniques like Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation (APMR).

– Future research should aim for larger, multicenter studies to elucidate the causal relationships between sleep disturbances and diabetes management, coupled with enhanced sleep education within antenatal care, support workshops, and family-centered strategies to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes related to GDM and bolster glycemic control during pregnancy.

Reference –

Tingting Lai et al. (2025). Sleep Facilitators And Barriers In Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Qualitative Study. *BMC Pregnancy And Childbirth*, 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07652-7.

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PET imaging of inflammation predicts recovery, guides therapy after heart attack: Study

A new approach to PET imaging offers a promising way for physicians to promptly identify patients who are at risk for poor functional recovery after a heart attack according to new research published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. By visualizing CXCR4–a cellular protein that plays key role in inflammation–this technique can enable the timely implementation of treatments to mitigate inflammation and prevent heart failure progression.

Heart attack, also known as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is a major cause of cardiovascular death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 800,000 Americans have a heart attack each year. After a heart attack, patients may develop progressive heart failure. Reliable tools to determine which patients will functionally recover and which patients will experience future heart issues, however, are lacking.

“We know that AMI triggers an inflammatory response in the heart, which is a determinant of subsequent healing,” noted Johanna Diekmann, MD, senior physician at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Germany. “Our study sought to image this inflammatory response to gain spatial and functional information that could predict outcomes and better inform treatment strategies.”

Researchers speculated that CXCR4 upregulation early after AMI would predict left ventricular remodeling in the heart as well as cardiac structural functional outcome. To test this hypothesis, they performed comprehensive multimodal evaluations with CXCR4-targeted PET/CT, myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), and cardiac MRI on 49 patients within the first week after AMI. Follow-up cardiac MRI was also acquired approximately eight months after AMI in 40 of the patients.

The integrative approach demonstrated that CXCR4 upregulation extends beyond the infarct core, involves the border zone, and correlates with subsequent left ventricular dysfunction. These findings offer mechanistic insight into the link between post-ischemic inflammation and remodeling and underscores the clinical relevance of inflammatory activity after AMI.

“Conventional imaging modalities, including MPI and cardiac MR, predominantly quantify the extent of irreversible tissue damage but do not capture the dynamic inflammatory response that governs healing,” noted Diekmann. “By including CXCR4-targeted PET, we can identify patients who exhibit excessive or prolonged inflammation which may predispose them to adverse remodeling and heart failure. Such information could, in the future, support risk stratification and guide emerging anti-inflammatory or reparative therapies in a precision medicine framework.”

“What’s more,” she continued, “this approach may ultimately facilitate image-guided therapeutic strategies, allowing nuclear medicine to play an active role in monitoring and optimizing interventions that modulate inflammation, repair, and regeneration after cardiac injury.”

Reference:

Johanna Diekmann, Tobias König, Annika Hess, Carolin Zwadlo, Andreas Schäfer, Tobias L. Ross, James T. Thackeray, Frank M. Bengel and Johann Bauersachs, CXCR4 PET/CT Predicts Left Ventricular Recovery 8 Months After Acute Myocardial Infarction, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.125.270807

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Age-Related Eye Diseases Raise Risk of Heart Disease–Depression Combo, Long-Term Study Shows

China: Patients with age-related eye diseases (AREDs) face a significantly higher likelihood of developing both coronary heart disease (CHD) and depression together than either condition alone, a large population-based study has found.

“Over nearly 12 years of follow-up, the presence of AREDs was linked to a 10% higher risk of CHD, a 28% higher risk of depression, and a striking 37% higher risk of developing the two conditions simultaneously,” the researchers reported in Psychology Research and Behavior Management.
The research, led by Xue He and colleagues from the Guangdong Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, used data from the extensive UK Biobank. The team set out to clarify how common age-related eye disorders—such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract, and diabetes-related eye disease (DRED)—might contribute to the dual burden of heart disease and depression, a combination already known to increase mortality.
Drawing on baseline health assessments from March 2006 to December 2010 and tracking participants through July 2021, the investigators analyzed records of 116,501 adults who were free of both CHD and depression at the start of the study.
The following were the key findings of the study:
  • Over an average follow-up of 11.8 years, 7,750 participants developed coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • During the same period, 3,682 individuals were diagnosed with depression.
  • A total of 741 participants experienced both CHD and depression.
  • After adjusting for lifestyle factors and other medical conditions, age-related eye disease (ARED) was linked to a 10% higher risk of CHD (HR 1.10).
  • ARED was associated with a 28% increased risk of depression (HR 1.28).
  • ARED carried a 37% greater risk of developing both CHD and depression together (HR 1.37).
  • Cataract was tied to a 57% higher likelihood of CHD–depression comorbidity.
  • Cataract also showed a 26% increased risk of depression alone.
  • Diabetes-related eye disease was connected to a 33% higher risk of CHD compared to those without this eye condition.
The findings highlight the importance of considering eye health as part of broader cardiovascular and mental health screening, particularly in older adults. “Our results highlight that age-related eye diseases should not be viewed in isolation,” the authors noted, emphasizing that early detection and management of CHD and depression should be integral to caring for patients with these visual disorders.
Age-related eye conditions are already recognized for their impact on quality of life and independence, but the research suggests their consequences may extend far beyond vision. By revealing a strong link to two serious and often interconnected conditions—heart disease and depression—the study supports a more integrated approach to patient care. Regular cardiovascular and mental health evaluations for those diagnosed with AREDs could help prevent or mitigate the dual burden, ultimately improving long-term outcomes.
Reference:
He X, Li C, Wang Y, Du Z, Jiang J, Zhang W, Peng J, Peng Z, Huang T, Li H, Kuang Y, Yu H, Liu L, Yang X. Association of Age-Related Eye Diseases with Comorbidity of Coronary Heart Disease and Depression in a Population-Based Cohort Study. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2025;18:1931-1942. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S533879f

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Small Intestinal Dilation Linked to Severe Symptoms in Adult patients with FPIES: Study

According to a new study published in the journal of Allergy, small intestinal dilation contributes to severe abdominal symptoms in adults with Food-Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES). Food protein–induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non-IgE-mediated food allergy characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, though its anatomical basis and underlying mechanisms are not well defined. The study was conducted by Sho W. and colleagues.

Although abdominal distention frequently occurs in individuals with FPIES, symptom presentation varies among patients. This study aimed to develop objective criteria for assessing abdominal distention and to explore the underlying pathophysiology and anatomical basis of FPIES. FPIES does not include the usual allergic markers of skin rashes or anaphylaxis and hence is difficult to diagnose, unlike IgE-mediated allergies. Abdominal distention, nausea, and abdominal pain are common presentations of adults presenting with FPIES after ingestion of offending food, but anatomical and physiological mechanisms underlying it remain obscure.

The research included 26 adult patients with a diagnosis of FPIES. Abdominal distention, a characteristic sign, was examined at length by breaking it down into eight separate factors of evaluation. According to the most common observed traits, the researchers developed an evaluation algorithm for determining the severity of distention objectively. In addition, 14 out of the 26 subjects completed an oral food challenge (OFC) to verify their clinical reactivity. Blood and computed tomography (CT) scans were collected prior to and after the challenge to examine physiological reactions and anatomical alterations during acute FPIES attacks.

Results

  • Seven of the 14 patients treated with OFC (50%) had positive responses, and active FPIES was confirmed.

  • The median latency period (i.e., time from ingestion of food to onset of symptoms) was 1.5 hours.

  • The most frequent symptom in positive reactors was abdominal distention (100%), followed by abdominal pain and nausea (71.4%).

  • All patients with a reaction were given intravenous infusions of extracellular fluid and ondansetron, which were successful in reducing the length of symptoms.

  • Blood work failed to show consistent or universal biomarkers for FPIES, with the exception of one severe patient, and therefore serologic testing alone cannot be useful for diagnosis.

  • CT imaging yielded essential evidence. With acute attacks, imaging demonstrated marked dilation and edema of the small intestine, highly suggestive that the small bowel is the source of anatomy for the symptoms of adult FPIES. These results offer the first objective evidence to associate intestinal dilation with the pathophysiology of adult FPIES.

This study provides strong evidence that dilation and edema of the small intestine are typical features of adult FPIES. By integrating clinical evaluation, laboratory blood test, and imaging, researchers now have a template for objective FPIES diagnosis and demonstrated that the small intestine is likely to be the anatomic origin of symptoms.

Reference:

Watanabe, S., Sato, A., Shibuya, K., Kusuda, R., Yauchi, T., Fukuie, T., Yamamoto-Hanada, K., Ohya, Y., & Nomura, I. (2025). Small Intestinal Dilation Is Associated With Severe Abdominal Symptoms of Food-Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome in Adults. Allergy, 10.1111/all.70081. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.70081

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