- Doctors say this is the most important virus you've never heard of
- A new type of antibiotic, discovered with artificial intelligence, may defeat a dangerous superbug
- Experimental drugs aim to surpass weight-loss stars like Ozempic and Wegovy
- As colorectal cancer rises among younger adults, some seek colonoscopies earlier
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Doctors say this is the most important virus you've never heard of |
The past winter was a heavy one for respiratory viruses, dominated by surges of RSV, influenza and Covid-19. But just as it was winding down, a little-known virus that causes many of the same symptoms – a lower lung infection, hacking cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever – was picking up steam. Cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, spiked this spring, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's respiratory virus surveillance systems. It filled hospital intensive care units with young children and seniors who are the most vulnerable to these infections. At its peak in mid-March, nearly 11% of tested specimens were positive for HMPV, a number that's about 36% higher than the average pre-pandemic seasonal peak of 7% test positivity. Studies show that HMPV causes as much misery in the US each year as the flu and a closely related virus, RSV. One study of patient samples collected over 25 years found that it was the second most common cause of respiratory infections in kids behind RSV. In fact, blood tests indicate that most children have had it by the age of 5. A study in New York conducted over four winters found that it was as common in hospitalized seniors as RSV and the flu. Like those infections, HMPV can lead to stays in intensive care and fatal cases of pneumonia in older adults. Most people who caught it probably didn't even know they had it, however. Sick people aren't usually tested for it outside of a hospital or ER. Unlike Covid-19 and the flu, there's no vaccine for HMPV or antiviral drugs to treat it. Instead, doctors care for seriously ill people by tending to their symptoms. |
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A new type of antibiotic, discovered with artificial intelligence, may defeat a dangerous superbug |
Using artificial intelligence, researchers say they've found a new type of antibiotic that works against a particularly menacing drug-resistant bacteria. The bacteria researchers focused on was Actinetobacter baumanii. It hangs out in hospitals and other health care settings, clinging to surfaces like doorknobs and counters. Because it is able to grab bits of DNA from other organisms it comes into contact with, it can incorporate their best weapons: genes that help them resist agents doctors use to treat them. When they tested the antibiotic on the skin of mice that were experimentally infected with the superbug, it controlled the growth of the bacteria, suggesting that the method could be used to create antibiotics tailored to fight other drug-resistant pathogens. The researchers also tested the antibiotic against 41 strains of antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. The drug worked on all of them, although it would need to be further refined and tested in humans before it could be used in patients. What's more, the compound identified by AI worked in a way that stymied only the problem pathogen. It didn't seem to kill the many other species of beneficial bacteria that live in the gut or on the skin, making it a rare narrowly targeted agent. If more antibiotics worked this precisely, the researchers said, it could prevent bacteria from becoming resistant in the first place. |
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Experimental drugs aim to surpass weight-loss stars like Ozempic and Wegovy |
New drugs on the market for type 2 diabetes and obesity, including popular medications Ozempic and Wegovy, are more effective for weight loss than any previous medications, but doctors and researchers say there's still room for improvement. Next-generation options now in development may be easier and more convenient to take, turbo-charge weight loss and offer additional health benefits. "This is all really good news," said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. "We need drugs that work in different ways." Some of the most advanced experimental drugs are medicines that can be taken in pill form, rather than as injections. Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are currently approved for type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, which is cleared for weight loss, are all given as self-injections once a week. Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, has a daily tablet version of the same drug, called semaglutide, approved for diabetes and is testing it in a higher dose for weight loss. In late-stage study results, the drug was found to help people lose 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% for people who took a placebo. However, despite coming in tablet form, oral semaglutide – sold under the brand name Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes – can still be complicated to take, doctors say. "Patients taking Rybelsus have to be instructed about strict requirements before and after oral administration," said Dr. Priya Jaisinghani, an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health. They can't eat, drink anything other than 4 ounces of water or take other medicines within 30 minutes of taking the drug, or its effects could be diminished, she said. Still, there's no shortage of injectable drugs being developed as well, with many attempting to surpass the weight loss seen with currently available options. |
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| As colorectal cancer rises among younger adults, some seek colonoscopies earlier |
An unexplained rise in colorectal cancer rates among younger adults is leading more people – including physicians – to get screened for the disease early, sometimes far ahead of the recommended age of 45 for those at average risk. Scientists are racing to find clues to help understand why cases of colorectal cancer are climbing among younger people. As the search for answers continues, some younger adults in the United States have sought colorectal cancer screenings, although there's concern that it could lead to the overuse of colonoscopies. As the email marketing coordinator for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Francesca Arminio, based in Washington, DC, knew the effects this disease was having on people around her age. Last year, when she started having symptoms that are common in people with colorectal cancer, she began tracking her experience. Such symptoms can include a change in bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal pain and unexpected weight loss. Arminio had blood in her stool and constipation. She immediately talked to her doctor about a colonoscopy, although she worried that she might meet some resistance because she was 33. She was ready to be her own advocate, she said, and to fight for a colonoscopy. To her surprise, Arminio's doctor agreed that she needed one. "I was really lucky," she said. "My doctor, after asking me a myriad of questions, was like, 'We're going to get you a colonoscopy,' and I was like, 'Thank you.' " During her 30- to 45-minute procedure, the medical team found three polyps, one of which was concerning and classified as "aggressive," Arminio said, adding that it could have developed into cancer within the next few years. The polyps were removed, and she recovered quickly. Arminio plans to get a colonoscopy every three years. That's typical for people who had certain types of polyps removed during a colonoscopy, according to the American Cancer Society. Anyone who is not at higher risk for colorectal cancer may be told to get a colonoscopy every 10 years. The American Cancer Society emphasizes that its guidelines to start screening at age 45 are for people of average risk; individual patients and their doctors may decide it makes sense to screen early. |
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| After her divorce, poet Maggie Smith found connection around her journey to her independent self. |
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Science can often be a slow and tedious process, but every step can feel like a monumental achievement, especially if you're Gert-Jan Oskam. More than a decade after a motorbike accident left Oskam paralyzed, scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne have helped him walk again. Dr. Grégoire Courtine and his colleagues found a way for Oskam's brain to communicate with his body again. They did this by implanting a "brain-spine interface" that creates a neurological link between his brain and spinal cord. So when his brain says it wants to move, that intention is wirelessly transferred to a processing unit, which he wears like a backpack. That unit sends those commands to electrodes implanted in his spinal cord that allow him to move. Oskam says he can walk about the length of a football field (about 330 feet) and stand without using his hands for a few minutes – actions that, he says, have become extremely useful in his daily life. We have seen research before showing that targeted electrical pulses can stimulate areas of the leg needed to walk, but Courtine and his team say this technology allows for smoother movements that can better navigate challenging terrain. They said it's because it reconnects two regions of the central nervous system. Oskam has actually had other implanted stimulation devices, but he says the difference is that those devices required him to make a movement to trigger the stimulation, but with this new one, he just has to think about what he wants to do. Courtine said this stimulation is different because Oskam has "full control over the parameter of stimulation, which means that he can stop, he can walk, he can climb up staircases." Even more encouraging is that this connection has been reliable for more than a year and that walking independently with aid from the "digital bridge" has helped him regain enough strength to take some steps when it's turned off. So even though Oskam was the first participant in the trial, the researchers are excited about the possibilities for this technology. It might just be something you have to see to believe. |
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| Ten years ago, when Dr. Sanjay Gupta began investigating medical marijuana, very few people had ever heard of cannabidiol, or CBD. Six years later, two-thirds of Americans were familiar with CBD and 1 in 7 had tried it. Dr. Gupta's fifth documentary on medical marijuana explores how the science has grown by leap and bounds and could benefit everything from autism to anxiety. |
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