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Flu vaccine could protect against Alzheimer's disease
People who received a minimum of one influenza vaccine dose were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than unvaccinated people, as per a study. The protective effect increased with the increase in the number of annual flu vaccines a person received, indicating that people who consistently received a yearly flu vaccine had the lowest risk of Alzheimer's disease.
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

BioGX and Cepheid announce collaboration to generate monkeypox PCR test
Cepheid and BioGX announced a business collaboration between the companies for validating and delivering a PCR test to diagnose monkeypox, which could work on the GeneXpert System. The globally installed base of about 40,000 GeneXpert Systems across 180 countries enables this test to be quickly deployed in multiple settings where immediate information is needed.
PR Newswire

Glucagon analogue could halt the hypoglycemia faster than oral carbohydrates
Dasiglucagon, a glucagon analogue, appeared to be effective and highly acceptable for patients with type 1 diabetes with non-severe hypoglycemia, as per a study. Although dasiglucagon produced a similar effect on the target range for blood glucose levels compared to oral carbohydrates, dasiglucagon decreased 5 minutes of median time to achieve euglycemia.
Medmds

Antibiotic-resistant typhoid has been spreading widely since 1990: Study
Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S.typhi) strains, originating in South Asia, East and Southern Africa, had spread to other countries such as the US, UK and Canada nearly 197 times over the past 30 years, as per the analysis. The speed of emergence and spread of S.tyhi in recent years highlights the need for urgent preventive measures, especially in nations at greater risk.
Public News Times

Early use of tofersen could slow the disease progression in patients with ALS
Early initiation of tofersen showed slow progression of disability and improvements in muscle strength, lung function and quality of life in patients with a mutation in the SOD1 gene compared with a 6-month delay in treatment, as per a study. Also, the early use of tofersen was accompanied by a sustained and pronounced decrease in the neurofilament light chain.
ALS News Today

Atogepant shows good response rates as prophylactic migraine therapy
Oral atogepant treatment showed response as early as four weeks and enhanced over time, in adults with migraine, as per a study. Mean monthly migraine days (MMDs) was reduced by 50% with the atogepant treatment for 12 weeks. Higher doses of the drug produced the greatest rates of response. Its response rates were consistent with the other migraine treatments
Twitter @JAMANetworkOpen

Vaccines saved 20 million people from death due to COVID-19 in the first year
COVID-19 vaccines protected 19.8 million lives during their first year, according to a study. An additional 0.6 million COVID-19-associated deaths would have been avoided if the WHO target of vaccination to 40% of the global population by the 2021 end had been met. The study excluded China due to uncertainty around the COVID-19 effect on its vast population.
AP News

FDA approves Mekinist plus Tafinlar for treating tumours with BRAF mutations
Novartis announced that the FDA granted accelerated approval for Mekinist (trametinib) plus Tafinlar (dabrafenib) for treating individuals aged above 6 years with metastatic or unresectable solid tumours with the BRAF V600E mutation who were left with no other alternative treatments. Mekinist plus Tafinlar showed overall response rates of 80% in phase II studies.
Novartis

No difference noticed between tretinoin therapy and tretinoin precursors
There was no difference in the treatment efficacy between topical tretinoin precursors (TTP) and tretinoin retinoic acid (RA), as per a trial. However, patients treated with RA more often reported erythema during the treatment course than those in the TTP group. The patients on TTP showed a decrease in the score of Griffiths photodamage by week 24 than those in the RA group.
Healio

FDA recalls SafeStar 55 Breathing System Filters due to obstruction issues
The agency issued a Class I recall on the Draeger's SafeStar 55 Breathing System Filters as they cause death or severe injuries. The company recalled the filters because a manual inspection showed some defective filters. Obstruction of filters on the breathing system or ventilator might lead to improper oxygen flow to the patient and cause serious effects and death.
FDA