New Magnetic Scoliosis Treatment Gives Kids A Less-Traumatic Remedy

CBS News: How A Magic New Treatment For Scoliosis Is Helping Kids In Delaware
Doctors at Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware are treating a common spine condition with something called "magic rods." For one little girl with scoliosis, the rods are making a big difference. ... Sadie's spine is being treated with a technology called MAGnetic Expansion Control — or MAGEC rods. After the rods are surgically implanted, they can be slowly expanded with internal and external magnets, Dr. Suken Shah with Nemours Children's Hospital said. (Stahl and Nau, 6/26)

CIDRAP: Trial Of Jynneos Mpox Vaccine Begins In Infants, Toddlers, Pregnant Women
Bavarian Nordic said today that the first of two clinical trials of the use of its Jynneos (MVA-BN) mpox/smallpox vaccine has begun in vulnerable populations: infants and children 2 years old and younger, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The first participants have been vaccinated in a study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of Jynneos in 344 infants aged 4 to 24 months. (Wappes, 6/26)

MedPage Today: SAVR With Root Enlargement Crucial For Women With Small Annuli
Women with severe native aortic stenosis (AS) gained significantly better results from surgery with aortic annular enlargement (AAE) than transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), researchers found. (Lou, 6/26)

Studies show —

Stat: Addiction Medication Access Lags For Black, Hispanic Patients 
Black and Hispanic people are “significantly less likely” to receive two medications used to treat opioid addiction, according to a new study. (Facher, 6/26)

MedPage Today: RSV Vaccine Tied To Lower Dementia Risk
Two AS01-adjuvanted vaccines for different pathogens -- the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine (Arexvy) and the recombinant shingles vaccine (Shingrix) -- were tied to a lower dementia risk, an analysis of over 400,000 U.S. older adults showed. Compared with the flu vaccine, the AS01-adjuvanted RSV vaccine was associated with a 29% increase in time without a dementia diagnosis, with a restricted mean time lost [RMTL] ratio of 0.71 (95% CI 0.61-0.83) over 18 months, reported Paul Harrison, BMBCh, DM, of the University of Oxford in England, and colleagues. (George, 6/26)

CIDRAP: Analysis Shows 2023-24 COVID Vaccine Offered Strong Protection Against Critical Illness
A new study shows good 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in adults against medically attended COVID-19, especially against critical illness. The study, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, is based on outcomes seen among US patients in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's VISION Network during the XBB and JN.1 Omicron subvariant waves. (Soucheray, 6/26)

CIDRAP: Antibiotics Used In Food-Animal Production Linked To Resistance In People
New research suggests that a class of antibiotics commonly used in poultry and other food-producing animals, but not in people, could contribute to antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. The antibiotic class in question is ionophores, which are used to treat the parasitic infection coccidiosis in poultry and to promote growth and prevent disease in pigs and cattle. ... Regulated less strictly than medically important antibiotics, ionophore use accounts for 37% of antibiotics used in food-producing animals on the United States. (Dall, 6/26)

Fox News: Study: Heart Attack Deaths Plummet As Heart Failure Rates Increase
Heart attack deaths have plummeted in recent years — but other types of cardiovascular disease still pose a major threat. A new study by the American Heart Association (AHA) found that overall heart disease-related death rates have declined by 66%, and heart attack deaths have dropped by almost 90%. While heart attacks are no longer the most fatal form of heart disease, there have been increases in other types — heart failure, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and hypertensive heart disease (long-term high blood pressure). (Rudy, 6/26)