Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
MedPage Today:
Early Rituximab Can Delay Need For Chemo In Follicular Lymphoma
Long-term results from a randomized trial confirmed that early rituximab monotherapy for advanced-stage, asymptomatic, low tumor burden follicular lymphoma can substantially delay the need for further treatment. At nearly 15 years of follow-up, 65% of those assigned to rituximab maintenance and 48% of those given rituximab induction only required no further treatment, as compared with 34% of patients randomized to watchful waiting, reported researchers led by Michael Northend, MBBS, of University College London Hospitals. (Bassett, 5/5)
CIDRAP:
Study Highlights Threat Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Cancer Patients
A new study of cancer patients indicates that drug-resistant bacteria may pose more of a threat than previously known. The study, published last week in The Lancet Oncology, mined 4 years of microbiologic data and found that the proportion of antibiotic-resistant and non-susceptible bacteria, along with incidence rates of key multidrug-resistant pathogens, were up to three times higher in outpatients with cancer than those without cancer. (Dall, 5/6)
MedPage Today:
One-Size-Fits-All Ranges May Be Misclassifying Thyroid Diseases
Adjusting the reference intervals of thyroid function diagnostic tests -- for age, sex, and race -- reclassified many people into different disease categories when compared with current reference intervals, a cross-sectional study found. Among 8,308 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants, using the adjusted reference intervals reclassified almost half (weighted 48.5%) of those with subclinical hypothyroidism as having normal thyroid function, especially women and white patients, according to Yongfeng Song, MD, PhD, of Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University in China, and colleagues. (Monaco, 5/5)
ScienceDaily:
Insights On Preventing Organ Transplant Rejection
Researchers identified a natural 'brake' within the innate immune system: the inhibitory receptor Siglec-E (SigE) and its human counterparts, Siglec-7 and Siglec-9. This receptor helps prevent overactivation of immune cells that drive rejection. When this brake is missing, inflammation worsens, leading to faster rejection in preclinical models. Importantly, transplant patients with higher levels of Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 showed better graft survival, highlighting this pathway as a promising target for new therapies. (Mass General Brigham, 5/7)
CIDRAP:
CDC Review Of Two More US H5N1 Viruses Similar To Earlier Assessments
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 2 published assessments for two more H5N1 avian flu clade 2.3.4.4b viruses, noting that the risk is moderate, similar to that posed by other recent viruses from the same clade. In other developments, two different research teams shared new results from animal studies, one that looked at virulence of a virus that infected a Michigan dairy worker and another that examined pigs’ susceptibility to the B3.13 genotype and whether they can transmit the virus. (Schnirring, 5/5)
New England Journal of Medicine:
BCG Revaccination For The Prevention Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection
BCG revaccination in QFT–test negative, HIV-negative adolescents did not provide protection from sustained M. tuberculosis infection. (Schmidt et al, 5/7)
