freelance science journalist and author
From Medscape Medical News, 24 July 2023 Statins should be considered for primary prevention in people living with HIV who are at low-to-moderate risk of cardiovascular disease, according to final data from the REPRIEVE trial that show pitavastatin therapy is associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events than placebo. “There was a significant 35% lower … Continue reading Daily statin cuts cardiovascular risk in HIV
From Rheumatology News, 25 May 2023: Regular testing of hydroxychloroquine levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus – especially those who are experiencing a disease flare – could help to identify patients who are not taking their treatment and are at risk of worse outcomes. Data presented at an international congress on systemic lupus erythematosus … Continue reading Severe hydroxychloroquine non-adherence linked to worse SLE outcomes
From Rheumatology News, 13 June 2023: A major challenge for clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is how to get the placebo response rate down low enough that the effectiveness of a drug can actually be seen. Better patient selection may be the key. Speaking at an international congress on SLE, Joan Merrill, MD, … Continue reading Patient selection key to lowering placebo response rates in lupus clinical trials
From Rheumatology News, 13 June 2023: B cell–depleting therapies in patients with lupus nephritis have a higher likelihood of complete response if B cells are almost completely depleted, and strategies for achieving more complete B-cell depletion continue to be tested, according to evidence presented by Richard A. Furie, MD, at an international congress on systemic … Continue reading Strategies for complete B-cell depletion evolve for patients with lupus nephritis
From the Guardian, 24 June 2023: Martu desert country, north-east of Wiluna in Western Australia, is green right now. “We had a big rain in this area,” says Yvonne Ashwin, Martu woman and coordinator of the Martu rangers, who care for this country. Normally the desert is dry, the red soil tufted with spinifex and … Continue reading Beyond the fence: what does it mean to rewild the Australian desert?
From BMJ, 4 May 2023: The importation and sale of all e-cigarettes, regardless of whether they are labelled as containing nicotine or not, will soon be banned in Australia, unless they are supplied by prescription through a licensed pharmacist. The crackdown by the Australian government was announced amid concerns that a growing black market in … Continue reading Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children
From Nature, 11 May 2023: Because it makes them better hunters, scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) have evolved a unique method to avoid losing body heat when they dive for prey in deep, cold waters: they close their gills. Numerous fish and marine-mammal species are known to dive from the warm surface to deeper waters … Continue reading Hammerhead sharks are first fish found to ‘hold their breath’
From the Guardian, 15 May 2023: In many ways, Ronin and Ethan are typical young boys. They love Hot Wheels toy cars, Shaun the Sheep, rude noises and pizza nights. Nine-year-old Ethan dotes on the family pets. Ronin, seven, is always booting a soccer ball around the back yard. “They’re two absolutely lovable friendly kids, … Continue reading ‘You mean there’s nothing?’ The families fighting for their children with dementia
From WIRED, 8 June 2023: IN THE CRUSHING, cold depths of the oceans, something unimaginably huge flows inexorably, barely a few centimeters per second, along a path it has traveled for millennia. Dense, dark rivers of water toil ceaselessly around the world, making up around 40 percent of the total volume of the deep oceans. … Continue reading Ocean Currents Are Slowing, With Potentially Devastating Effects
From WIRED, 22 May 2023: Half a century ago, a small group of esteemed thinkers that called itself the Club of Rome got together to chew over a thorny question: What would happen if humanity continued to consume the world’s finite resources as if they were limitless? Their efforts generated the now-famous 1972 paper “The … Continue reading The Planet Can’t Sustain Rapid Growth Much Longer
Bianca Nogrady 