🧪 According to an analysis by Nature, there was an unprecedented spike in terminations of federal advisory committees in 2025, particularly at four agencies that fund scientific research. #SciSky #MedSky

Key US science panels are being axed — and others are becoming less open

A Nature analysis shows that the Trump administration has terminated more than 100 advisory committees to science agencies — and reduced the transparency and independence of those that remain.

nature.com

🧪 Findings by a team at Mass General Brigham Research reposition the thymus—traditionally regarded as largely nonfunctional in adults—as a central regulator of immune-mediated aging and disease susceptibility in adulthood, per Nature.

Thymic health consequences in adults | Nature

The thymus is essential for establishing T cell diversity early in life, but undergoes profound involution with age and has therefore traditionally been regarded as largely nonfunctional in adults1,2. Here we propose that preserving thymic functionality is integral to adult health and longevity. We developed a deep learning framework to quantify thymic health from routine radiographic images and evaluated its association with longevity and risk of major age-associated diseases in two large prospective cohorts of asymptomatic adults: the National Lung Screening Trial (n = 25,031) and the...

nature.com

Mice exposed to trans-vaccenic acid through breastfeeding—but not those exposed only prenatally—showed improved survival, reduced pathogen burden, and faster T cell responses following infection with influenza A virus or Salmonella, a study in Science Magazine found. #SciSky #MedSky 🧪

Maternal trans-vaccenic acid shapes neonatal T cell development and early-life immune imprinting

How maternal nutrition influences neonatal immune development and imprinting through breastfeeding remains largely unclear. We report that maternal supplementation with trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), the predominant naturally occurring trans-fatty acid in ...

ow.ly

🧪Neighborhood socioeconomics represent the principal axis shaping brain organization during childhood and beyond, Scott Marek, Nico Dosenbach et al. report in Science Magazine. The dominant socioeconomic brain pattern matched the known effects of sleep deprivation & stress: https://ow.ly/55eo50Zs7mC

🧪A randomized clinical trial in JAMA shows that among childbearing physicians in training, a parental support package significantly mitigated postpartum burnout: https://ow.ly/Fw1P50Zs5nz Mass General Brigham Research Boston Children’s Hospital Stanford Medicine

🧪 Does RSV vaccination reduce risk of hospitalization? Study in JAMA finds in adults aged 60 or older, all-cause cardiorespiratory (but not cardiovascular) hospitalization was significantly lower among those receiving RSV vaccine (RSVpreF) vs. those who were not vaccinated: https://ow.ly/92lb50ZtlsK

Recent medical graduates, we need to call out the shameful health disparities our patients experience today. 🧪 #MedEd #HCP #MedSky #SciSky

More than one-third of US adults lack access to primary care. ❤️‍🩹 One potential solution: a primary care common fund that finances and pays for primary care from the perspective of public utility, Kevin Grumbach et al. write in JAMA: https://ow.ly/OkOH50ZoB67 #MedSky Harvard Medical School 🧪

In a study in The Lancet, researchers assessed AI-assisted mammography in >100K women living in Sweden. AI-assisted screening was more accurate at detecting malignant breast tumors than radiologist-read mammography alone: https://ow.ly/zAOv50ZoAcW Lund University #MedSky #SciSky 🧪

🧪Hyocholic acid makes up ~51% of the bile acid content in meconium & ~14% of that in serum in newborns vs. <5% in adult feces & serum, per Cell Metabolism. Hyocholic acid promotes the differentiation of T regulatory cells & suppresses that of proinflammatory T helper cells: https://ow.ly/oyNS50ZozPF

🧪 A study in Science Magazine followed 743 underrepresented minority students, comparing those who participated in NIH-funded undergrad training programs against matched controls. Training program participants were >2x as likely as controls to earn a doctoral degree: https://ow.ly/KpwG50Zozn6

Robert Kennedy once said, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”

Cannabis use may negatively influence a woman’s ability to get pregnant, per Nature Communications study. THC not only affects oocyte maturation, but also altered the expression of certain genes, including those that play a role in chromosome segregation, a University of Toronto team found. 🧪

Cannabis impacts female fertility as evidenced by an in vitro investigation and a case-control study

Cannabis consumption and legalization is increasing globally, raising concerns about its impact on fertility. In humans, we previously demonstrated that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites reach the ovarian follicle. An extensive body of literature describes THC’s impact on sperm, however no such studies have determined its effects on the oocyte. Herein, we investigate the impact of THC on human female fertility through both a clinical and in vitro analysis. In a case-control study, we show that follicular fluid THC concentration is positively correlated with oocyte maturation...

nature.com

🧪The 2024-25 flu season marked the highest hospitalization rate for flu since 2010-11, the CDC reported. 127 flu-associated hospitalizations occurred per 100K people, which is ~1.8-2.8x higher than the median historical rates since 2011, per report in JAMA: https://ow.ly/SXye50ZnuPB CDC (mirror)

🧪 The rate of death from suicide or death related to substance use—indicators of deaths of despair linked to worsening social conditions—has increased more over the past decade among Latino than non-Latino people in the US, per NEJM.org: https://ow.ly/uKLC50ZnuxR Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

🧪 Malaria cases are rising, with 282M cases (9M more than in 2023) & 610K deaths in 2024. Now, WHO has prequalified artemether-lumefantrine, the 1st malaria treatment developed specifically for newborns & young infants, & 3 new rapid diagnostic tests for malaria, per JAMA: https://ow.ly/OTIs50Znum2

Recent graduates, you are launching your careers at a moment when science—from fundamental research to implementation science—can allow humanity to thrive and flourish. #SciSky #MedSky 🧪

🧪 Team at The University of Edinburgh engineered synthetic super-enhancers that selectively target glioblastoma stem cells. In a mouse model, a single gene therapy treatment produced curative outcomes, w/ immunomodulatory payloads generating immune memory that prevented tumor recurrence, per Nature.

Synthetic super-enhancers enable precision viral immunotherapy | Nature

Cell-type-specific promoters are used in gene therapy to restrict expression of the therapeutic payload. However, these promoters often have suboptimal strength, selectivity and size. Here, leveraging recent insights into the function of enhancers, we developed synthetic super-enhancers (SSEs) by assembling functionally validated enhancer fragments into multipart arrays. Focusing on the core SOX2-driven and SOX9-driven transcriptional regulatory network in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs)1, we engineered SSEs with robust activity and high selectivity.&nbsp;Single-cell profiling, biochemical...

nature.com

🧪Vanderbilt School of Medicine team determined 19 genes in cells w/ an important role in predicting the cells' immunotherapy response. They then developed a blood-based biomarker to predict a person’s response to breast cancer cell-targeting treatment, per Science Magazine: https://ow.ly/TKYb50ZkNUn

Who was most affected by the termination of 2,000+ NIH grants last year on topics such as health equity? 🧪#ICYMI: Cuts fell disproportionately on researchers from underrepresented groups, including scientists of color, sexual & gender minorities, & women, per The Lancet: https://ow.ly/upUS50ZkMQh

A Covid infection can have lasting effects—even on kids. 🧪NIH RECOVER data found children & adolescents with #longCovid had worse grades, more education support needs, & more difficulty paying attention & enjoying time with friends, per The American Academy of Pediatrics: https://ow.ly/Poyh50ZkMen

The abrupt withdrawal of USAID led to significant & sustained increase in conflict across Africa’s most USAID-dependent regions, a study in Science Magazine found. Protests & riots increased immediately; the effects on battles intensified over subsequent months: https://ow.ly/u8Yw50ZicYZ #SciSky 🧪

🧪In a study in JAMA Oncology including >1 million males aged 9 to 26, the 9-valent HPV vaccine was associated with a lower risk of HPV-related cancers in adolescents & young adults. The findings support the benefits of sex-neutral HPV vaccination, which many countries lack: https://ow.ly/Am4750Zij3A

🧪Acute stress makes it hard to link memories of past events to fresh information, per study in Science Magazine. Brains of people in the study's high-stress group couldn’t infer connections btw. a shape and a face or scene as strongly as the brains of people in the control: https://ow.ly/WtHs50ZicLj

#ICYMI: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will enroll 20% fewer grad students this year vs. 2024, and has lost more than 20% in federal research funding compared with last year, citing impact of federal actions, president Sally Kornbluth noted in a video message to the school last month. 🧪

MIT Facing “A Real Drop In Research” Says Its President

MIT President Sally Kornbluth acknowledged last month that the Institute faces a “striking loss” in research funding and a dramatic drop in graduate student enrollment.

forbes.com

🧪 Intranasal liposomal vaccine conferred potent, pathogen-agnostic protection against diverse respiratory challenges (SARS-CoV-2, S. aureus, & house dust mite-induced allergic asthma) in mice, per Science Magazine. Vaccine-trained macrophages were essential for protection: https://ow.ly/r95Q50ZibtA

🧪In NEJM.org, adults with chronic HBV receiving standard antiviral therapy were given weekly injections for 24 weeks of new HBV drug bepirovirsen or a placebo. Trials showed bepirovirsen “functionally cured” nearly 1 in 5 patients: https://ow.ly/23aW50ZeZAv

I was honored to give the commencement speech at the Master’s graduation ceremony at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine last week. The accomplishments of the graduates are inspiring, and it was a special treat to join their family and friends in congratulating them. 🧵1/3

🧪 Remote work has greatly increased social isolation. Roughly 1/3 of the overall rise in mental distress and social isolation across the population post-Covid pandemic can be explained by remote work, @natalia-emanuelle.bsky.social et al. report in Science Magazine: https://ow.ly/Xj3N50ZeZAf

🧪 Obesity trends are diverging globally. In many high-income countries, childhood obesity rates plateaued after slowing in the 90s, w/ adult rates leveling off a decade later. In many low- & middle-income countries, obesity prevalence & growth continue to rise, per Nature: https://ow.ly/nrZJ50ZeZzH