Concerns Rise Over Vitamin B3 And Link To Heart Health Risks

Stat: New Study Raises Questions About Niacin And Heart Health
Niacin, or vitamin B3, has long been a U.S. public health darling to the point that it is added, by law, to cereal products. But a new study published Monday in Nature Medicine points to a potentially concerning effect of an excess of the vitamin: It may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Merelli, 2/19)

Newsweek: Too Much Vitamin B3 May Up Heart Attack And Stroke Risk
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble B vitamin found in meat, fish, nuts, legumes, brown rice and fortified cereals. Its main role in the body is as an assistant to our cell's molecular machines, helping convert sugar into energy, create and repair DNA, remove dangerous metabolic waste products and build healthy fats and "good" cholesterol. ... In a study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, the team, led by Stanley Hazen, analyzed blood plasma samples from 4,325 people from across the U.S and Europe. From these blood samples, the team found that the presence of two molecules, produced by the breakdown of excess vitamin B3, was associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. (Dewan, 2/19)

Newsweek: Scientists Create Lab-Grown Testicles
A pair of tiny artificial testicles have been created in a lab, which scientists hope will provide solutions to male infertility and improve our understanding of testicular development and function. Roughly 1 in 12 men of reproductive age in the United States have experienced problems with infertility. But while male infertility can be easily identified, we know very little about the actual causes behind this condition. (Dewan, 2/19)

Reuters: Pfizer Inflammatory Bowel Disease Drug Wins EU Approval
Pfizer's (PFE.N), opens new tab drug to treat patients with an inflammatory bowel disease called ulcerative colitis has been approved by the European Commission, the company said on Monday. The approval for Velsipity follows backing from the European Medicines Agency's panel of experts in December, opens new tab. The drug was approved for use in patients aged 16 or older and who did not show adequate response or were intolerant to previous treatment, Pfizer said. (2/19)

Reuters: EU Drug Regulator To Review Lilly's Mounjaro In Multi-Dose Pen
The European Union's healthcare regulator will this week review the use of Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), opens new tab approved Mounjaro drug against diabetes and obesity when prefilled in a multi-dose injection pen, according to a meeting agenda, opens new tab posted on the watchdog's website on Monday. The U.S. drugmaker won EU approval for the weekly injection late last year and has initially made starter doses available in member states Germany and Poland packaged in vials, so that patients need to draw the medication into syringes before injection. (Burger, 2/19)

CIDRAP: Most Mycoplasma Genitalium Isolates In Belgium Macrolide-Resistant
More than half of sequenced samples of Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) in Belgium were resistant to macrolides, researchers reported last week in Eurosurveillance. From July to November 2022, a team led by researchers with the National Reference Centre of Sexually Transmitted Infections Belgium analyzed a collection of frozen MG-positive samples from 21 Belgian laboratories. MG is a sexually transmitted bacterium that can cause symptomatic and asymptomatic urethritis in men and has been associated with cervicitis in women. (Dall, 2/19)

Stat: Researchers Tackle Phage Therapy Hurdles For Wider Adoption
Lynn Cole was in a never-ending cycle of getting recurrent blood infections. And no antibiotic drugs managed to kill off her zombie-like bacteria. “It just got so frustrating over the years because we couldn’t find the source, so we couldn’t figure out how to treat it and prevent it from happening,” said Mya Cole, Lynn’s daughter. Lynn would be in and out of the hospital. And because she had Sjogren’s syndrome — an autoimmune disease — her health continued to deteriorate. (Balthazar, 2/20)

Reuters: US Study Uncovers 275 Million Entirely New Genetic Variants
A study that analyzed the genetic code of a quarter of a million U.S. volunteers found more than 275 million entirely new variants that may help explain why some groups are more prone to disease than others, researchers reported on Monday. The whole genome sequencing data from a wide range of Americans aims to address the historical lack of diversity in existing genomic datasets by focusing on previously under-represented groups. The U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded "All of Us" study turned up 1 billion genetic variants in total. (Steenhuysen, 2/19)

Stat: Non-Europeans Account For Half The DNA Sequenced By All Of Us
Six years ago, the National Institutes of Health placed its biggest ever bet on precision medicine, launching a study to enroll over 1 million participants in an ambitious data-gathering gambit unmatched in its scope and diversity. Since then, Americans from all walks of life have been showing up and handing over their blood, spit, and pee to the project, dubbed “All of Us.” From those samples, scientists have recovered a trove of new genetic information — more than 275 million never-before-seen DNA variants. (Molteni, 2/19)

Reuters: Neuralink's First Human Patient Able To Control Mouse Through Thinking, Musk Says
The first human patient implanted with a brain-chip from Neuralink appears to have fully recovered and is able to control a computer mouse using their thoughts, the startup's founder Elon Musk said late on Monday. "Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with neural effects that we are aware of. Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking," Musk said in a Spaces event on social media platform X. Musk said Neuralink was now trying to get as many mouse button clicks as possible from the patient. (2/20)

AP: 'Soaring' Over Hills Or 'Playing' With Puppies, Study Finds Seniors Enjoy Virtual Reality
John Knox Village, a suburban Fort Lauderdale, Florida, retirement community ... was one of 17 senior communities around the country that participated in a recently published Stanford University study that found that large majorities of 245 participants between 65 and 103 years old enjoyed virtual reality, improving both their emotions and their interactions with staff. The study is part of a larger effort to adapt VR so it can be beneficial to seniors’ health and emotional well-being and help lessen the impact dementia has on some of them. (Spencer, 2/19)