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Cystic Fibrosis News Today (5/20, Maia) reports, “In young children with cystic fibrosis (CF), infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are linked to more antibiotic use, worse lung function, and more lung damage by early school age, according to a study.” The research “included 81 children diagnosed with CF, of whom 32 (39.5%) had MRSA detected in their airways before the age of 5 years.” The findings were published in Respiratory Medicine.

The AP (5/20, Aleccia) reports a study published in PLOS Medicine found that “molecules in blood and urine may reveal how much energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods, a key step to understanding the impact of the products that make up nearly 60% of the American diet.” Researchers examined blood and urine data “from an existing study of more than 1,000 older U.S. adults who were AARP members.” They observed that “hundreds of metabolites...corresponded to the percentage of energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods.” Researchers then devised scores from 28 blood and 33 urine markers predicting ultraprocessed food intake. They said, “We found this signature that was sort of predictive of this dietary pattern that’s high in ultraprocessed food and not just a specific food item here and there.” Researchers confirmed the findings by measuring the scoring tool using a 2019 NIH study.

The AP (5/20, Perrone, Neergaard) reports the Trump Administration “said Tuesday it will limit approval for seasonal COVID-19 shots to seniors and others at high risk pending more data on everyone else.” Top FDA officials “laid out new standards for updated COVID shots, saying they’d continue to use a streamlined approach to make them available to adults 65 and older as well as children and younger adults with at least one high-risk health problem.” However, the FDA framework published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine “urges companies to conduct large, lengthy studies before tweaked vaccines can be approved for healthier people.” The Washington Post (5/20, A1, Roubein, Sun) reports that “the new guidelines indicate updated vaccines will probably be available in the fall for Americans over the age of 65, as well as those older than 6 months who have at least one condition putting them at higher risk of severe illness, as well as people with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and obesity, in addition to pregnant women.” According to the Post, the FDA “estimate[s] more than 100 million Americans would be eligible for the shots under the new framework.”

Reuters (5/20, Sunny) reports the Texas Department of State Health Services “reported 722 cases of measles in the state on Tuesday, an increase of four since its last update on Friday.” It said the “number of cases in Gaines County, the epicenter of the outbreak in the state, remained unchanged from the last update at 406 cases.” The Houston Chronicle (5/20, MacDonald) adds that one of the new measles cases is the “first in the San Antonio area, according to health officials.” It is “also the first infection reported in South Texas.”

Infectious Disease Advisor (5/19, Nye) reports a study found that “dolutegravir (DTG) plus lamivudine (3TC) has high efficacy as first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in treatment-naive patients with HIV infection, including for those with very high baseline viral load.” Researchers observed that the results of the single-arm STAT study “demonstrated that the fixed-dose combination DTG/3TC had high efficacy and a favorable safety profile when administered as first-line ART in a similar population.” They found the “increase in CD4 T-cell count was similar across patients in all viral load groups...over the study period.” The study was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Healio (5/19, Cooper) reports a study found that “blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes are strongly correlated with the risk for cystoid macular edema and thickening of the central macula after cataract surgery.” Researchers observed that in a “standard” treatment group of patients with HbA1c above 7% receiving only oral hypoglycemic drugs, central macular thickness “significantly thickened at 3 months and 6 months after surgery vs. the day before surgery.” Meanwhile, in the “intensive” treatment group with HbA1c at 7% or below that received both insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs, the “thickening was ‘mildly higher’ after surgery but was not significant through 6 months.” Researchers also “found that HbA1c predicted CMT thickening and CME in a receiver operating curve analysis.” They said, “The results suggest that HbA1c has a predictive validity for CMT thickening and CME in patients after surgery.” The study was published in Clinical Ophthalmology.

MedPage Today (5/19) reports a retrospective cohort study found the “use of antibiotics in patients hospitalized with non-severe COVID-19 was not associated with better outcomes.” Researchers observed that “among more than half a million U.S. patients with COVID, those given antibiotics on their first day of hospitalization had a slightly higher rate of deterioration or death compared with those who didn’t receive antibiotics (20.8% vs 18.4%).” They noted the “difference didn’t meet criteria for being of clinical significance. However, a propensity-matched analysis did show a significantly higher odds of poor clinical outcomes for those who received antibiotics.” Researchers concluded, “Hopefully, studies like this will reduce this uncertainty and improve judicious antibiotic use, thus helping in the fight against antibiotic resistance.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Reuters (5/19, Sunny, Mahatole) reports that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals “said on Monday it will buy genomics firm 23andMe Holding for $256 million through a bankruptcy auction.” Regeneron “aims to bolster its capabilities in genomics-driven drug discovery by integrating 23andMe’s trove of more than 15 million customer DNA profiles,” but it “promised to prioritize the ethical use of DNA data.” The company “said it will uphold 23andMe’s existing privacy policies and comply with all applicable data protection laws,” adding that it is “committed to working transparently with a court-appointed independent overseer who will assess the implications of the deal for consumer privacy.” The Washington Post (5/19, Gilbert) reports 23andMe “filed for bankruptcy in March after spending heavily to expand its business beyond its saliva collection kits.”

Healio (5/16, Stulpin) reported a study presented at the SHEA Spring Conference found that “the use of a disinfectant foam intervention in the sinks in patient rooms led to fewer positive cultures and less sink contamination.” In the study, “sinks were randomized 1:1, with 15 intervention sink drains being cleaned with foam disinfectant every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 15 control sinks undergoing standard disinfection.” Researchers observed that “on the first round of sampling, six intervention sinks and three control sinks already harbored” epidemiologically important pathogens. Of them, “none of the intervention sinks were detected during later samplings, whereas all three from the control arm were detected.”

CNN (5/16, Howard) reported that the FDA “has given marketing clearance to a blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, making the test the first to get signoff to aid in the early detection of the disease in the” US. This “test, called the Lumipulse G pTau217/ß-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio, is for adults 55 and older who are showing signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, the FDA announced.” Also covering the story were the Washington Post (5/16, Gilbert, Roubein), The Hill (5/16, Choi), the AP (5/16, Perrone), and Reuters (5/16, Santhosh).