Tragic: 2 more young doctors killed in Ahmedabad plane crash

Ahmedabad: In a heartbreaking incident, two more young and aspiring doctors lost their lives in the tragic Air India plane crash that struck the hostel mess building of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad last week.  

The deceased have been identified as Dr Bhavesh Senta, an intern from the 2019 batch of Government Medical College, Surat, and Dr Taskin Inayatali Saiyed from the 2018 MBBS batch of NHL Medical College, Ahmedabad.

While rumours suggest that the doctors were present at the BJ Medical College mess building when the incident occurred, it remains unclear whether they were passengers on AI 171 or had visited the premises for another reason.

Also read- After beating cancer, Surat doctor and Pathologist wife killed in Air India Tragedy

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association Junior Doctors’ Network (IMA JDN) shared the heartbreaking news on ‘X’, offering their condolences and mourning the loss.

“Their untimely demise is a heartbreaking reminder of how deeply this tragedy has impacted our medical fraternity. IMA JDN stand in solidarity with her family, friends, and colleagues in this moment of grief,” the association said. 

A prayer meeting was held on Tuesday at 5 pm at the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) on Ashram Road, organised in collaboration with the AMA. Officials and members of the medical community from Ahmedabad and across Gujarat gathered to pay their respects to the doctors and medical students who lost their lives in the plane crash.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that four MBBS students unfortunately lost their lives, and 20 students sustained serious injuries after the London-bound Air India plane crashed into the mess building of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.

According to a press note issued by the Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) of BJ Medical College, out of the 20 injured students, 11 have already been discharged from the hospital and are in stable condition.

The crash also impacted the families of doctors living in the Atulyam building, which houses Super Speciality doctors. Four family members have tragically died. Additionally, the wife of a resident doctor from the Super Speciality department has been injured and is under treatment.

The tragedy unfolded just 32 seconds after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM. Eyewitnesses and video footage show the aircraft failing to gain lift before plunging into the BJ Medical College Hostel and bursting into flames. Before the incident, the pilots had sent a Mayday call shortly after take-off, but it was too late.

Also read- 4 MBBS students died, 20 injured: BJ Medical College Ahmedabad doctors issue statement

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Progression of Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome Tied to Increased Cognitive Impairment Risk: CHARLS Study

China: A recent study published in Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome sheds new light on the strong connection between cardio-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome and the development of cognitive impairment. Conducted by Yuanyue Zhu and colleagues from the Medical Center on Aging at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the research explored how different stages and progression patterns of CKM syndrome affect cognitive function over time. 

CKM syndrome represents a broad cluster of interconnected health conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. While the link between these individual conditions and cognitive decline has been previously recognized, the cumulative impact of CKM syndrome as a whole on cognitive outcomes remained uncertain.

The team conducted a longitudinal observational study using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), spanning the period from 2011 to 2018. A total of 8,833 participants were assessed to examine the relationship between baseline CKM stages and cognitive impairment. An additional subset of 4,230 individuals was analyzed to evaluate how changes in the CKM stage over time (classified as improved, stable, or progressed) influenced cognitive outcomes.

Participants’ CKM status was categorized into five progressive stages based on American Heart Association criteria. The study employed logistic regression models to assess the risks associated with each stage and the transitions between stages.

The following were the key findings of the study:

  • Individuals with higher baseline CKM stages had significantly greater odds of developing cognitive impairment.
  • Compared to those with no CKM syndrome (stage 0), the adjusted odds ratios for cognitive impairment were 1.74 for stage 1, 2.05 for stage 2, 2.09 for stage 3, and 3.91 for stage 4.
  • The increased risk of cognitive impairment was especially notable among men and older adults.
  • Participants whose CKM stage worsened over time faced a 61% higher risk of cognitive impairment (aOR 1.61).
  • Participants who showed improvements in CKM status exhibited a positive trend toward reduced cognitive risk (aOR 0.44), although this finding was not statistically definitive.

These findings highlight the crucial role of both early detection and proactive management of CKM syndrome in preserving cognitive health. The study authors emphasized that progression to advanced CKM stages is closely tied to cognitive decline and that reversing or stabilizing CKM status may help mitigate this risk.

The authors concluded, “The study highlights the need for clinicians to monitor and address CKM syndrome comprehensively—not only to prevent cardiovascular or kidney complications but also to safeguard cognitive function in aging populations.”

Reference:

Zhu, Y., Wang, X., Wang, K. et al. Association between baseline cardio-kidney-metabolic syndrome, its transition and cognitive impairment: result from CHARLS study. Diabetol Metab Syndr 17, 211 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-025-01779-5

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Ciliary dysfunction linked to bronchopulmonary dysplasia severity, suggests research

Premature infants are at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD, a type of lung injury associated with increased mortality. Now a new study published at the ATS 2025 International Conference shows that ciliary dynamics may play a role in the pathophysiology of this disease.

Researchers found that infants with more severe BPD showed signs of ciliary dysfunction that were not present in those with moderate disease. It’s the first study to examine the link between BPD and cilia, tiny hairlike structures that help clear the airways of mucus and pathogens.

“Ciliary dynamics have never really been studied before in BPD, and we found they can have a significant impact on the pathophysiology,” said first author Daniel A. Yassa, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at UT Health Houston.

BPD is a type of chronic lung injury that can occur in premature infants as a result of barotrauma and oxygen injury. Existing therapies focus on protecting the functional tissues of the lungs, airway management, and managing vascular complications. However, the impact of ciliary function and the ability of cilia to clear mucus hasn’t been understood.

Cilia work by “beating,” or moving in coordinated pulses to propel mucus out of the body. Dysfunctional mucociliary clearance is known to be linked to recurrent infections and progressive lung damage, Dr. Yassa noted.

For the new, retrospective study, researchers used high-speed video microscopy to observe nasal samples from nine infants with BPD, analyzing four recordings for each patient. The team found a distinct reduction in the angle and amplitude of cilia beats in patients with severe BPD, compared to those with more moderate disease.

The findings provide new insights into the mechanisms that influence BPD severity and point to a potential role of mucociliary clearance in the development of the disease, Dr. Yassa said.

“This potentially allows us to have a better understanding of the disease process, which can affect all aspects of clinical care,” he said. The findings could potentially point to new therapeutic targets, help classify BPD diagnoses, or lead to other advances in managing BPD.

Next, the researchers hope to continue with follow-up studies.

“Future research with larger cohorts and advanced imaging modalities is warranted to further elucidate the implications of ciliary dynamics and physical properties on clinical outcomes in patients with BPD,” he added.

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Cannabis use linked to doubling in risk of cardiovascular disease death

Cannabis use is linked to a doubling in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, with significantly heightened risks of having a stroke or acute coronary syndrome-sudden reduced or blocked blood flow to the heart-finds a pooled analysis of real world data, published online in the journal Heart.

The authors of a linked editorial call for the drug to be treated like tobacco-not criminalised, but actively discouraged, with protection of bystanders from secondhand vapour inhalation.

The use of cannabis and cannabinoids has soared over the past decade, note the researchers. Legalising cannabis in certain jurisdictions and expanding its use for medicinal purposes has probably changed people’s risk perceptions of the drug and helped drive its growing popularity, they suggest.

While previously published studies have linked cannabis use to cardiovascular problems, the magnitude of the risk hasn’t been clear. This is an important gap in light of the recent major changes in consumption and the increased potency of the drug, they add.

To strengthen the evidence base, therefore, the researchers scoured research databases looking for large observational studies, published between January 2016 and December 2023, which explored cannabis use and serious cardiovascular outcomes: cardiovascular disease death; and non-fatal acute coronary syndrome to include heart attack and stroke.

From an initial haul of 3012 articles, 24, involving around 200 million people, were included in a pooled data analysis of the results: 17 cross-sectional studies, 6 cohort studies, and 1 case-control study.

Study participants were mostly aged between 19 and 59. And in those studies where sex was recorded, cannabis users tended to be mostly male and younger than non-users.

The analysis revealed heightened risks for cannabis use: 29% higher for acute coronary syndrome; 20% higher for stroke; and a doubling in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

The researchers acknowledge that there was a moderate to high risk of bias in most of the included studies, largely because of lack of information on missing data and imprecise measures of cannabis exposure. And most of the included studies were observational, precluding the ability to draw causal inferences from the data. Several used the same data.

Notwithstanding these caveats, the researchers say that theirs is an exhaustive analysis of published data on the potential association between cannabis use and major cardiovascular disease and provides new insights from real-world data.

In a linked editorial, Emeritus Professor Stanton Glantz of the University of California at San Francisco and Dr Lynn Silver of the Public Health Institute, Oakland, California, and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California at San Francisco, say the study “raises serious questions about the assumption that cannabis imposes little cardiovascular risk.”

More research is clearly needed to clarify whether cardiovascular risks are limited to inhaled products or extend to other forms of cannabis exposure, they suggest. Cannabis is now generally more potent and has diversified into a wide array of inhaled high potency cannabis concentrates, synthetic psychoactive cannabinoids, and edibles, they point out.

“How these changes affect cardiovascular risk requires clarification, as does the proportion of risk attributable to cannabinoids themselves versus particulate matter, terpenes or other components of the exposure,” they say.

They conclude: “Cannabis needs to be incorporated into the framework for prevention of clinical cardiovascular disease. So too must cardiovascular disease prevention be incorporated into the regulation of cannabis markets. Effective product warnings and education on risks must be developed, required, and implemented.

“Cardiovascular and other health risks must be considered in the regulation of allowable product and marketing design as the evidence base grows. Today that regulation is focused on establishing the legal market with woeful neglect of minimising health risks.

“Specifically, cannabis should be treated like tobacco: not criminalised, but discouraged, with protection of bystanders from secondhand exposure.”

Reference:

Storck W, Elbaz M, Vindis C, et alCardiovascular risk associated with the use of cannabis and cannabinoids: a systematic review and meta-analysisHeart Published Online First: 17 June 2025. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2024-325429

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Flecainide and Digoxin combo Significantly Improves Fetal Tachycardia Treatment Outcomes: Study

A new study published in the journal of Heart Rhythm showed that digoxin monotherapy was effective in only 32% of fetal tachycardia cases, while the addition of flecainide increased the response rate to 93%. Though side effects were more common with combination therapy, they were manageable through dose adjustments. Maternal digoxin levels remained stable throughout pregnancy

When fetal sustained fetal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) occurs without hydrops, digoxin monotherapy is often started. If hydrops develops or digoxin monotherapy is unable to achieve conversion, flecainide is added. Transplacental antiarrhythmic treatment is necessary for persistent fetal tachycardia. The relationship between dosage, concentration, and effect, as well as the safety of the mother, fetus, and baby, is poorly understood. This study assessed maternal and umbilical cord concentrations, side effects, and the association between the maternal dosage of digoxin and flecainide treatment for fetal tachycardia.

A total of 28 pregnant women who were first treated with digoxin monotherapy for fetal tachycardia between June 2007 and January 2023 were included in this retrospective case series. The relationship between maternal medication exposure, effect, and side effects was the primary goal.

9 (32%) fetuses had sinus rhythm conversion by oral digoxin monotherapy after a median of 4.5 days (IQR 3-6.5). The total conversion rate was 93% (26/28), with 18 fetuses requiring extra oral flecainide (300 mg daily). Regardless of gestational age, maternal digoxin concentrations were identical for responders and non-responders with equal initial digoxin dosages (p=0.504). Doses were lowered due to side effects, mostly nausea, but the treatment was still successful.

Throughout pregnancy, maternal digoxin levels were consistent, and there was minimal variation across patients. Exposure to flecainide differed across and between subjects. Both the monotherapy (n=3) and combination (n=9) treatment groups had comparable median fetus/mother digoxin ratios (0.51 (IQR 0.28-0.76) vs. 0.45 (IQR 0.39-0.64), p=0.864). The median flecainide ratio between the mother and fetus was 0.82 (IQR 0.69-1.29).

Overall, important new information on the pharmacological therapy of fetal tachycardia has been added by the current study, which involved a bigger patient cohort. Digoxin and flecainide together are more effective than digoxin alone, but they also cause greater adverse effects, according to one study.

Source:

Smeets, R. M. A., van Beynum, I. M., van Kesteren, C., Cornette, J. M. J., van der Zande, J. A., Roos-Hesselink, J. W., Beex-Oosterhuis, M. M., & Flint, R. B. (2025). The maternal exposure of digoxin and flecainide in relation to the safety and effectiveness in the treatment of non hydropic fetal tachycardia. Heart Rhythm: The Official Journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2025.05.039

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Individuals with cataract at increased risk of developing herpes zoster: Study

A new study published in the journal of Frontiers in Medicine showed that the individuals with cataracts were more likely to get herpes zoster when compared to people without cataracts.

Given their high frequency, related morbidity, and healthcare burden, cataracts and herpes zoster are undoubtedly common illnesses among the elderly population and pose serious global public health issues. The gradual clouding of the lens, which is linked to a reduction in visual acuity, is what defines a cataract. The most common cause of blindness and visual impairment is still cataracts. 

Herpes zoster is a serious health burden since it can produce unpleasant symptoms and therefore lower quality of life. The connection between cataract and herpes zoster is yet unknown, despite the fact that both diseases have some risk factors in common, including age and weakened immune systems. Therefore, this cohort research was to determine if Taiwanese people with cataracts are more susceptible to herpes zoster.

Over the course of 8 years (2013–2020), a cohort of people with cataracts, ages 20 to 84, was compiled using Taiwan National Health Insurance Program electronic health data. The non-cataract group was chosen from the same database of people who had attended an ophthalmology clinic but were not diagnosed with cataracts. Between the two groups, the incidence rate of herpes zoster throughout the follow-up period was computed. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the two groups’ risk of herpes zoster while controlling for possible variables.

Almost, 1,299,685 people with cataracts and 1,138,887 people without cataracts were part of the cohort study. In the cataract group, about 43.9% of study participants were male, and the mean age was 64 years old. About 47.1% of research participants in the non-cataract group were male, and the mean age was 63.6 years old.

In the group with cataracts, the incidence rate of herpes zoster was 10.84 per 1,000 person-years, whereas in the group without cataracts, it was 8.64 per 1,000 person-years (incidence rate ratio = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.24–1.27, P < 0.001). When comparing those with cataracts to those without, the hazard ratio for herpes zoster was 1.22 (95% CI = 1.21–1.23, P < 0.001) after controlling for possible covariates.

Overall, these findings emphasize how crucial it is to take into account the higher risk of herpes zoster in those who have cataracts. This demographic should be vaccinated against herpes zoster as part of public health programs. Since there are not any directly comparable studies, this research recommend more study to determine whether there is a direct link or just a coincidental association between cataract and herpes zoster.

Reference:

Lai, S.-W., Kuo, Y.-H., & Liao, K.-F. (2025). Investigating the association between cataract and the risk of herpes zoster in a cohort study. Frontiers in Medicine, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1492365

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Toothbrush-shaped ultrasound allows for gum monitoring, reports research

When visiting the dentist, you might remember being poked and prodded by a thin metal instrument to check your teeth and gums. This technique, called periodontal probing, is used to look for signs of gum disease.

Now, researchers publishing in ACS Sensors report a toothbrush-shaped ultrasound transducer that can provide a less invasive screening for gum disease. In proof-of-concept demonstrations on animal tissues, the device produced measurements similar to those of a manual probe.

Gum disease is a common condition affecting tissue that surrounds and supports teeth. If left untreated, it causes the gums to pull away from the teeth, creating pockets where harmful bacteria can grow. Currently, manual periodontal probing is the standard way to check for gum disease, but the technique is uncomfortable and can miss early stages. So, Jesse Jokerst and colleagues developed a small, non-invasive ultrasound method capable of imaging teeth and gums — even hard-to-reach molars and premolars at the back of the mouth.

Ultrasounds work by sending sound waves into the body. When the sound waves encounter a structure, like gum tissue or a tooth, they are reflected and detected by a transducer. The transducer then converts the reflected sound waves into an image. Currently, most ultrasound transducers have large heads that are about the same size as a wireless earbuds case.

Although they work for larger parts of the body, these transducers cannot access smaller spaces like those in the mouth. Smaller transducers that are about half the length and width of traditional devices are available, but current models have limited image resolution because they are only able to produce and detect low frequencies. To overcome these limitations, the researchers created an even smaller toothbrush-shaped transducer that operates at a higher frequency and can produce high-quality images of teeth and gums.

To test the transducer’s accuracy, the researchers used the new instrument to measure the gum thickness and gum height of pig teeth. Then the researchers repeated the measurements using a manual metal periodontal probe. After analyzing the correlation between the two sets of measurements, the team found that the ultrasound measurements were statistically similar to those of the manual technique. The results support the reliability of the toothbrush-shaped transducer as a less invasive technique for monitoring gum health.

“We designed this tool to meet the realities of clinical dentistry — it is miniaturized, accurate and easy to use. Future work will use this device with patients to image below the gumline, where we will monitor treatments and diagnose earlier to reduce dental pain and help patients keep a healthy smile,” says Jokerst.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is committed to improving all lives through the transforming power of chemistry. Its mission is to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community and champion scientific integrity, and its vision is a world built on science.

The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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Prenatal Exposure to “Forever Chemicals” Linked to Elevated Blood Pressure in Children: Study

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found that prenatal exposure to PFAS (“forever chemicals”) is associated with higher blood pressure during childhood and adolescence. The effect was most pronounced in male and Black children, indicating potential long-term cardiovascular health risks from in-utero exposure to these toxic substances.

The association between prenatal exposure to forever chemicals and elevated blood pressure was more pronounced among boys and children born to non-Hispanic Black mothers.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a large group of human-made chemicals used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. People are most exposed to PFAS through drinking water, food and household products, such as food packaging, nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, and personal care products. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily and can build up in the environment or in the body over time.

According to previous research, almost everyone in the world is exposed to PFAS through what they eat or drink, breathe or absorb through the skin. In addition, PFAS may also affect the rapidly developing fetus, a particularly sensitive time for exposure to toxic pollutants.

Previous studies have also noted that high blood pressure in children increased worldwide between 2000 and 2015, raising the future risk for heart disease and stroke.

This is one of the first investigations about the association between prenatal exposure to forever chemicals and offspring blood pressure from early childhood to adolescence among a racially and ethnically diverse population. The study evaluated associations of prenatal PFAS exposures with blood pressure by the child’s life stage, sex and maternal race/ethnicity.

“Our study shows that prenatal PFAS exposure is associated with higher blood pressure later in childhood, especially during adolescence,” said Zeyu Li, M.S.P.H., lead author and graduate student researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “This suggests these forever chemicals can have long-lasting and potentially harmful effects that may only become apparent years after birth.”

The study followed 1,094 children from the Boston Birth Cohort over a median of 12 years, analyzed in conjunction with more than 13,000 blood pressure readings taken at routine pediatric visits.

Among children whose mothers had higher concentrations of forever chemicals in blood samples collected after delivery, the analysis found:

  • As levels of chemicals known as PFDeA, PFNA and PFUnA doubled, systolic (top number) blood pressure was between 1.39 to 2.78 percentiles higher, and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure was between 1.22 to 2.54 percentiles higher among children 13 to 18 years old;
  • As levels of these chemicals doubled, the risk of elevated blood pressure increased by 6% to 8% for boys and for children born to non-Hispanic Black mothers.
  • Unexpectedly, some forever chemicals (including Me-PFOSA-AcOH, PFHpS, PFHxS, PFOA, and PFOS) were linked to lower diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure in early childhood. However, these associations did not persist as children grew into adolescence.

“We hope our findings encourage more researchers to follow children into adolescence and beyond,” Li said. “Many past studies stopped at early or mid-childhood, however, our study shows that the health effects of prenatal PFAS exposure may not appear until the teen years.”

While people can try to limit their exposure-by choosing PFAS-free products or cookware-meaningful changes to reduce everyday PFAS exposures requires action at the policy level, researchers said.

“Our results reinforce the need for stronger environmental protections,” said Mingyu Zhang, Ph.D., M.H.S., FAHA, senior author of the study and assistant professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. “Reducing PFAS exposure-especially during pregnancy and in children-requires policy-level action to limit and phase out PFAS in consumer products and industrial uses, and to strengthen monitoring and regulation of PFAS in water systems. This is not something individuals can solve on their own.”

Justin Zachariah, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the Association’s 2024 Scientific Statement Environmental Exposures and Pediatric Cardiology scientific statement, said: “We must remember that these chemicals last in our bodies for years, suggesting that perhaps prenatal exposure may have occurred before conception, and these chemicals may cause changes that can carry forward for generations. Therefore, improvements we make could echo for generations to come.”

The scientific statement summarizes examples of ubiquitous environmental toxicants and pollutants, including the forever chemicals studied by Zhang et al., and their associations with increasingly prevalent precursors and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and congenital heart disease.

Zachariah, who was not involved in Zhang et. al’s study, is an associate professor of pediatric cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and medical director of the cardiovascular clinical research core at Texas Children’s Hospital. He noted that chemicals can interfere with hormones and disrupt usual adolescent development, perhaps including blood pressure. It is already known that boys and Black children are at higher risk of elevated blood pressure, and exposure to these chemicals may contribute to that higher risk, he said.

“If race is indicating socioeconomic disadvantage, shelf-stable processed, packaged foods are more likely to have PFAS exposure than well-rinsed fresh foods,” Zachariah said. “In addition, the children may have lifestyles that expose them to everyday items heavily burdened with these chemicals such as toys they may chew on, rain jackets, camping tents and more.”

He urges all adults to take actions like filtering water and changing cooking implements. Improved product labeling could also inform consumers about PFAS content so they can make healthier choices about exposure to forever chemicals.

Study limitations include that PFAS exposure was measured using a single blood sample from the mother taken within three days after delivery, and that fewer children had blood pressure measurements taken during adolescence compared to earlier childhood.

Study details, background and design:

  • The Boston Birth Cohort is an ongoing study that includes a predominantly low-income population. Since 2004, the Boston Birth Cohort has followed 3,416 mother-child pairs.
  • Women who delivered an infant without major birth defects at The Boston Medical Center were eligible to be included. In this analysis, 61% of participants self-reported as non-Hispanic Black mothers, 22% as Hispanic mothers and 17% as “other race/ethnicity,” which included white women, Asian women, women from Cape Verde or the Pacific Islands, and multiracial/multiethnic women.
  • At the time of delivery, mothers were an average age of 29 years old.
  • This analysis included 13,404 blood pressure measurements from 1,094 mother-child pairs, with maternal blood PFAS data and at least one blood pressure measurement of the child between the age of 3 and 18 years old.
  • The blood was checked for levels of eight types of chemicals: 2-(N-Methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetic acid (Me-PFOSA-AcOH), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA), perfluoroheptane sulfonic acid (PFHpS), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA),perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA).
  • Researchers noted a stronger association between prenatal exposures to perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) with higher blood pressure and risk of elevated blood pressure in adolescence among male children and non-Hispanic Black children.
  • Blood pressure measurements were collected during children’s routine pediatric visits from July 2001 to February 2024. These visits happened multiple times for children ages 3 to 5 years, 6 to 12 years and 13 to 18 years.
  • Analyses were adjusted to consider maternal health, delivery method, socioeconomic factors and the mother’s weekly fish consumption (because fish is a source of PFAS exposure in general populations).

Reference:

Zeyu Li, Prenatal Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposures and Longitudinal Blood Pressure Measurements in Children Aged 3 to 18 Years: Findings From a Racially and Ethnically Diverse US Birth Cohort, Journal of the American Heart Association, https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.124.039949.

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Lack of breastfeeding, low birth weight and smoking during pregnancy predict behavioral difficulties for child: Study

“Lack of breastfeeding, low birth weight and maternal smoking during pregnancy are factors that can be used to react very early, even before the child shows symptoms,” says the study’s lead author, doctoral researcher Xu Zong from the University of Helsinki.

The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, used artificial intelligence to analyse data from nearly 6,000 children in a longitudinal study of UK households. The aim was to use pregnancy and newborn risk factors to predict emotional and behavioural difficulties in children at the age of five.

The study found differences between the sexes: boys were more affected by maternal smoking, while girls were more vulnerable to fussiness in infancy. According to the researcher, these findings highlight the need for gender-responsive approaches in early screening and policy design.’

“Our findings are particularly relevant in a time when both concern for children’s mental health and ‘demand for early intervention are increasing,” Zong says.

The researchers’ observations are based on machine learning and big data. Using an advanced AI approach, the study revealed complex relationships and classified the predictive significance of 14 prenatal and postnatal factors.

“Based on our results, greater investments should be made in preventive care right at the beginning of pregnancy,” Zong points out.

Children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties are increasing worldwide. The study provides up-to-date information on how early life risk factors, which begin as early as pregnancy and the newborn, can shape children’s mental well-being years later.

Reference:

Xu Zong, Yan Li, Can Liu, Edith Aguirre, Predicting children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties at age five using pregnancy and newborn risk factors: Evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, Journal of Affective Disorders, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.04.167.

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Sarcopenia increased the risk of renal toxicity in bladder cancer patients: Study

A new study published in the British Journal of Urology International found that sarcopenia was linked to increased the risk of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC)-associated renal toxicity in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). It may also raise the risk of renal toxicity in individuals with questionable renal function.

There is evidence that individuals with sarcopenia or muscular deficiencies may not benefit from the existing techniques of evaluating renal function using creatinine-based equations. For instance, creatinine-based estimations significantly overestimated renal function in a previous study of individuals with neurogenic lower urinary tract impairment. Therefore, Eiftu Haile and colleagues carried out this study to determine whether borderline renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 40-65 mL/min) modifies the effect of sarcopenia on neoadjuvant chemotherapy toxicity and whether sarcopenia and borderline renal function have an independent relationship with NAC toxicity risk.

All patients with MIBC who had radical cystectomies (RCs) between 2010 and 2022 and had cross-sectional imaging accessible before NAC treatment were included. Using Aquarius Intuition software, skeletal mass was calculated from axial computed tomography scans taken at the level of the L3 vertebral body. Based on agreed-upon standards of the skeletal mass index, sarcopenia was allocated. Version 5.0 of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events was used to rate the toxicity of NAC. The predictors of renal damage linked to NAC were found using binary logistic regression.

There were 216 patients in all and gemcitabine/cisplatin NAC was administered to 76% of individuals with sarcopenia (83%). A substantial risk of renal-associated NAC toxicity was linked to sarcopenia in an unadjusted model (odds ratio [OR] 4.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.65-14.44; P = 0.004).

The OR for renal toxicity with sarcopenia among patients with eGFR 40-65 mL/min was 8.46 (95% CI 1.06-67.72) compared to 3.11 (95% CI 0.81-11.88) among patients with normal renal function (P = 0.43), according to an effect modification model assessing the relationship between sarcopenia and renal function.

Overall, for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is still the standard of care, followed by radical cystectomy. For individuals with MIBC, cisplatin also plays a significant role in trimodality treatment. Although a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) > 60 mL/min has historically been regarded as a cutoff for therapy, individuals with a GFR of 50–60 can still get treatment, albeit with a possibly higher risk of treatment toxicity. 

Source:

Haile, E. S., Lone, Z., Shin, D., Nowacki, A. S., Soputro, N., Harris, K., Campbell, R. A., Wood, A., Haywood, S. C., Eltemamy, M., Haber, G.-P., Weight, C. J., Wood, H. M., Taliercio, J. J., Nizam, A., Gupta, S., Remer, E. M., & Almassi, N. (2025). Sarcopenia may increase cisplatin toxicity in bladder cancer patients with borderline renal function. BJU International, 135(5), 775–781. https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.16606

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