Archive for category: News

A newly published retrospective cohort study (APeX‑P trial) in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice found that oral berotralstat—a once‑daily plasma kallikrein inhibitor—was well tolerated and highly effective in reducing hereditary angioedema (HAE) attack rates in children aged 2–11 years. Among the 29 pediatric participants (median age 8), berotralstat led to early and sustained reductions in attack frequency: whereas the baseline median attack rate was 0.96 per four weeks, most children maintained zero to near‑zero attack rates through week 48. There were no drug‑related serious adverse events, discontinuations, or Grade 3/4 toxicities. Mild common side effects included nasopharyngitis, headache, and upper respiratory infections. pharmacokinetics showed a median Tmax of 3.9 hours and consistent exposure levels, supporting reliable once‑daily dosing. These findings suggest berotralstat could be a game‑changer as a first approved oral prophylactic option for children under 12, a population previously limited to injectable prophylaxis. Given its safety and early efficacy, this therapy offers a promising long‑term management strategy that may improve quality of life and reduce the treatment burden for young HAE patients. Experts note that further real‑world studies and longer follow‑up are needed to confirm durability and generalizability across diverse pediatric groups. 

A new study published in the journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology revealed that greater dietary diversity during pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of atopic dermatitis in early childhood. The findings of the study emphasize on the potential protective role of maternal nutrition.

The research followed 677 mother-infant pairs from pregnancy through the children’s first 3 years, examined how maternal dietary diversity influenced the development of atopic dermatitis, while also considering the role of the infant gut microbiome.

To assess diet quality, this study used the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) guideline developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization. This measure evaluates whether a mother consumes foods from a broad range of groups, including whole grains, proteins, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, during pregnancy. Infant gut microbiota was analyzed at 2 months postpartum, and the incidence of atopic dermatitis in the children was monitored up to age three.

Also, while maternal diet did not appear to influence the overall diversity of the infant gut microbiome (alpha and beta diversity) it did alter its composition. The study highlighted 2 bacterial genera namely Rothia and Parabacteroides, both of which were linked to reduced risk of atopic dermatitis when present in greater abundance.

The analysis also revealed a connection between maternal nutrient intake and microbiome composition. Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables, like carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens, were linked to higher levels of the Parabacteroides genus, which suggests a potential pathway through which maternal diet supports infant immune resilience.

The mothers with the lowest dietary diversity had the highest rates of children developing the condition, whereas the individuals with the broadest food group intake showed markedly lower incidence. Additional data demonstrated that while microbiome diversity metrics (alpha and beta diversity) were not significantly different across groups, shifts in microbial composition were consistently observed in association with maternal diet quality.

Overall, the findings suggest that maternal dietary diversity during pregnancy may help protect against atopic dermatitis in children, possibly through modulation of the infant gut microbiome. However, further studies are required to confirm these findings and clarify the biological mechanisms involved.

Source:

Huynh, L. B. P., Fan, H.-Y., Huang, S.-Y., Nam, N. N., Nguyen, T. T., & Chen, Y.-C. (2025). Influence of maternal dietary diversity during pregnancy on infant atopic dermatitis: Exploring the microbiome link in a Taiwanese birth cohort. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology: Official Publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 36(9),. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.70200

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found biparametric MRI to performs just as well as the current gold-standard multiparametric MRI in detecting clinically significant prostate cancer. The findings could reshape global diagnostic practices, particularly in health systems struggling with capacity and cost constraints.

Multiparametric MRI has long been considered the standard for diagnosing prostate cancer, combining T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and dynamic contrast–enhanced (DCE) sequences. While highly effective, this approach is resource-intensive and relies on gadolinium-based contrast, raising both logistical and financial barriers. Biparametric MRI excludes the DCE sequence and offers a faster and less costly alternative. 

From April 2022 to September 2023, this trial enrolled 555 biopsy-naive men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels or abnormal digital rectal exams. Conducted across 22 centers in 12 countries, the study analyzed data from 490 participants after exclusions. The men, with a median age of 65 years and median PSA of 5.6 ng/mL, underwent both biparametric and multiparametric MRI. The radiologists first reported on biparametric scans without access to DCE data, then assessed the full multiparametric images.

If either imaging modality suggested clinically significant cancer, patients received targeted biopsies, with or without additional systematic sampling. The trial was designed to test whether biparametric MRI was “noninferior” to multiparametric MRI, with a 5% margin set for acceptable difference.

The study found biparametric MRI help identify cancer in 29.2% of men (143 out of 490) while multiparametric MRI detected it in 29.6% (145 out of 490). The difference was a mere −0.4 percentage points, statistically insignificant and well within the noninferiority margin.

Detection rates of clinically insignificant cancers were also nearly identical. Biparametric MRI flagged 9.2% of men, when compared with 9.6% for multiparametric scans. Also, central quality control showed that 99% of all scans were diagnostically adequate, highlighting the reliability of the abbreviated technique.

With approximately 4 million prostate MRIs performed worldwide each year, the shift to biparametric imaging could free up scanner time, shorten waiting lists, and reduce costs without compromising care. Overall, the findings suggest that, provided imaging quality is maintained, biparametric MRI has the potential to become the new global standard in prostate cancer diagnosis. 

Reference:

Ng, A. B. C. D., Asif, A., Agarwal, R., Panebianco, V., Girometti, R., Ghai, S., Gómez-Gómez, E., Budäus, L., Barrett, T., Radtke, J. P., Kesch, C., De Cobelli, F., Pham, T., Taneja, S. S., Hu, J. C., Tewari, A., Rodríguez Cabello, M. Á., Dias, A. B., Mynderse, L. A., … PRIME Study Group Collaborators. (2025). Biparametric vs multiparametric MRI for prostate cancer diagnosis: The PRIME diagnostic clinical trial. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13722