WASHINGTON — Nirsevimab and maternal vaccination offered similar levels of protection against respiratory syncytial virus among newborns, according to recently published data.
Previous studies have shown that nirsevimab (Beyfortus, AstraZeneca/Sanofi) and the maternal vaccine (Abrysvo, Pfizer) protect infants from hospitalization and other complications of RSV disease, but the literature is light on comparisons.
“Directly comparing these effectiveness estimates is challenging. The people who are getting one vs. the other are different,” Karen B. Jacobson, MD, MPH, a research scientist at the

Researchers with the University of Alabama at Birmingham will embark on a pilot study to determine the effects of a ketogenic diet on people with bipolar disorder in rural central Alabama.
When followed consistently, ketogenic diets can shift how the body uses energy, according to Will Rutland, MD, JD, assistant professor and regional chair of psychiatry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Montgomery Psychiatry.
Recent research has shown this shift can have metabolic benefits as well as psychiatric benefits for people with mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major

For patients returning to primary care after sepsis, respiratory failure or prolonged hospitalization, persistent pain can complicate recovery long after ICU discharge.
Burning feet, electric shock-like discomfort or pain from light touch can interfere with sleep and walking. When these symptoms accompany weakness and fatigue, they may be attributed to general deconditioning without a closer examination of their cause.
There is a need to distinguish neuropathic symptoms from the broader physical challenges of ICU recovery, as pain can become a barrier to rehabilitation. In a recently published

Click here to read the Point/Counter to this Healio Exclusive.
Far from being “just a headache,” migraine is a complex neurological condition that manifests with a wide variety of symptoms, some of which significantly involve the eye and vision.
“Up to almost two-thirds of the brain is involved with vision, and migraine occurs in the brain,” Kathleen B. Digre, MD, professor of ophthalmology and professor emerita of neurology at the John Moran A. Eye Center, University of Utah, told Healio | OSN. “Visual aura occurs in about 30% of people with migraine, photophobia affects about 90% of people

Las Vegas — Six studies published in 2026 offer important lessons for primary care providers, from selecting anticoagulants to interpreting evidence on alcohol use disorder, cholesterol management and antibiotic duration.
Andrew Buelt, DO, a hospitalist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bay Pines, Florida, selected the studies and presented his analysis of the findings at the annual OMED conference and on his podcast, QUESTioning Medicine.
Buelt discussed the first head-to-head randomized trial comparing bleeding risk with apixaban vs. rivaroxaban in patients with acute venous

The public’s trust in cancer information from health agencies like the FDA and CDC has fallen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, but not from physicians themselves.
A survey of more than 17,000 individuals found 95.7% of respondents trusted cancer information coming from physicians before the pandemic, and that rate has remained relatively unchanged since.
“Your patients still trust you. You are a trusted source of information about cancer screening, risk factors and all the other things cancer-related,” Todd Burus, PhD, assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Kentucky

Former NFL players with clear cognitive symptoms were roughly five times more likely to donate their brains to brain banks upon death than those without clear symptoms, according to researchers with Boston University.
However, the estimated prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among deceased former NFL players was 74.5% (95% CI, 69.6%–78.3%), even after accounting for bias in brain donation, said Julia Gallini, MSPH, a PhD candidate in biostatistics at Boston University.
A more conservative, lower-bound estimate placed CTE prevalence at 63.7% (95% CI, 57.2%–68.9%), which Gallini

At least five U.S. residents developed nontuberculous mycobacteria infections after traveling to Zapopan, Mexico, for facelift surgery, according to findings from an investigation published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
All patients sought treatment in the U.S. and no deaths occurred, according to the report. Some patients are still receiving medications or undergoing corrective surgeries for scarring and disfigurement, as well as drainage procedures, according to the CDC.
“Clinicians should consider nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) when patients have postsurgical signs of

DENVER — Ravulizumab-cwvz was associated with reduced proteinuria and hematuria resolution vs. placebo at 34 weeks, according to study data presented at ASN Kidney Week.
Ravulizumab-cwvz (Ultomiris, Alexion Pharmaceuticals/AstraZeneca) is a terminal C5 complement inhibitor that blocks the formation of C5a and C5b-9, which are drivers of glomerular injury, according to Richard Lafayette, MD, external scientific committee cochair of the I CAN trial. Lafayette and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of ravulizumab-cwvz vs. placebo in a prespecified interim analysis of the phase 3 I CAN trial.
The

In this Diabetes in Real Life column, Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDN, CDCES, FADCES, talks with Arpan Mohanty, MD, MSc, about why hepatitis B warrants greater attention in diabetes care and what to know about vaccination, screening and more.
Weiner: What is the clinical guidance for hepatitis vaccination for people living with diabetes?
Mohanty: The American Diabetes Association recommends hepatitis B virus vaccination for all adults with diabetes younger than 60 years. For those aged 60 years or older, vaccination should be considered based on individual risk factors, such as exposure risk, living