Jordy Cohen’s interest in hypertension began when she was “working” in her father’s medical office at a tender age.
“He was obsessed with blood pressure measurement. He had a mercury column on his wall. Every patient had to have their blood pressure checked correctly. ... That was something I’ve been hearing since I was 6 years old, and it ended up a part of my being,” Jordana B. Cohen, MD, MS, FASN, told Healio.
Cohen is the recipient of the Donald W. Seldin Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Nephrology and American Heart

DENVER — Atacicept-vymj stabilized eGFR, reduced risks for a composite kidney disease progression outcome and was well tolerated vs. placebo for adults with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, according to findings presented at ASN Kidney Week.
In July, the FDA granted accelerated approval to atacicept-vymj (Trutakna, Vera Therapeutics) for proteinuria reduction in adults with primary IgA nephropathy at risk for disease progression. Data from a prespecified interim analysis of the ORIGIN 3 clinical trial at 36 weeks served as the basis for accelerated approval.
Jonathan Barratt, PhD, FRCP, professor

WASHINGTON — Preliminary results of a clinical trial indicate that starting patients on two IV antibiotics significantly reduces the duration of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia compared with the traditional single-antibiotic IV treatment.
“Hit early, hit hard,” Arif R. Sarwari, MD, said of starting patients on dual therapy for the dangerous bloodstream infection that he noted has a mortality rate as high as 40%.
Sarwari, a professor and associate dean for clinical affairs at West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine, co-presented the trial to a packed room at IDWeek.
The trial found

A previously healthy 14-year-old male has a 3-week history of slowly but progressively worsening dull, aching pain that wakes him up at night in the area about his left knee, along with intermittent fever and worsening limp.
He denies any associated injury to the leg, hip, abdomen or back, but like many adolescent boys, he occasionally engages in rough play and school sports. His fever was initially low-grade, but recently has been as high as 103°F. This problem was not preceded by any other medical complaints or infections. His past medical history is unremarkable, and both parents are

For women in midlife, undergoing hormone therapy and taking GLP-1 receptor agonists at the same time was linked to significantly higher, sustainable weight loss, according to research presented at The Menopause Society’s annual meeting.
Regina Castaneda, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow and MSc candidate at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and colleagues conducted a retrospective observational cohort study including 2,379 women aged 45 years or older with a BMI of at least 27 kg/m2 who were using either semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy, Novo Nordisk) or tirzepatide

A 25-year-old Black man presented to the Tufts Medical Center emergency department with blurred vision in both eyes.
The vision changes started in the left eye and progressed to involve the right eye 4 days later. He denied pain, photophobia, flashes or floaters in either eye. The patient had presented to an outside ED with fever and headache just before onset of the vision changes, and he was subsequently discharged with migraine headache. He also endorsed a significant amount of stress as a banker with additional recent stressors related to his family life. Medical history was unremarkable,

Ophthalmic companies report updates on recent regulatory moves, studies and trials.
The FDA approved Lytenava (bevacizumab-vikg, Outlook Therapeutics) for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
The FDA granted 510(k) clearance for iPredict-DR (iHealthScreen), an AI-powered screening software designed to detect more than mild diabetic retinopathy in adults with diabetes.
The FDA cleared an expanded indication for the TearCare system (Sight Sciences). The system can be used to improve meibomian gland function in evaporative dry eye disease.
The FDA granted 510(k) clearance

In October, several leadership changes were announced across the ophthalmic space.
“Adding Justin to our team brings a depth of market access and reimbursement experience that aligns directly with Balance’s commercial needs.”
The Deya platform aims to connect eye care professionals with patients through a smartphone.
“Dr. Jens and I have worked in perfect synchrony to create an optometry-ophthalmology partnership where any ECP can deliver value to their patients with the Deya technology,” Deya CEO and cofounder Jovi Boparai, MD, said in a press release.
“In her new role, Henderson will lead the

Cataract surgery in highly myopic eyes presents distinct challenges that require careful planning, surgical technique adjustment and close postoperative management.
When the axial length exceeds 26 mm, the structural mechanics of the eye change completely: We are working with a deeper anterior chamber, a larger capsular bag, thinner sclera, potentially weaker zonules and a vulnerable posterior segment. Operating on these long eyes as if they were standard routine cases can lead to intraoperative surprises such as lens-iris diaphragm retropulsion syndrome, capsular rupture or postoperative

A monoclonal antibody conferred greater improvements in serum phosphate and other outcomes compared with conventional therapy for adults with X-linked hypophosphatemia, researchers reported.
As Healio previously reported, the FDA approved burosumab-twza (Crysvita, Kyowa Kirin) in 2018 as the first therapy to treat X-linked hypophosphatemia, a rare form of rickets. Steven W. Ing, MD, MSCE, physician and professor in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said the phase 3 trial assessing burosumab-twza compared the therapy with