A genetic variant that sits between genes involved in silencing endogenous retroviruses and cell membrane repair and regeneration was linked with a faster time to disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). People with 2 copies of the allele, called rs10191329, required a walking aid a median of 3.7 years sooner than those who weren’t homozygous carriers, according to the genome-wide association study of 22 389 people with MS published in Nature. Moreover, people who were homozygous carriers tended to have a greater number of brain stem and cortical lesions in brain tissue.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Medical News story discusses the updated COVID-19 vaccines expected in the US this fall.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Medical News article is an interview by JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, about maternal deaths and disparities in the US.
Source: JAMA Online First
A previously healthy individual in his 20s had 3 months of annular skin lesions, with numbness and paresthesia in the affected areas. Physical examination revealed multiple tattoos, bilateral palpable thickened auricular and ulnar nerves, and claw-hand deformity; test results for rapid plasma reagin, antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, acid-fast bacilli, mycobacteria, and fungi were negative, and biopsy did not identify Mycobacterium leprae. What is the diagnosis and what would you do next?
Source: JAMA Online First
In this narrative medicine essay, an internist suffering from portal communication burnout explored several solutions, none of which sat well with him, so he decided to write a letter to his patients explaining his fatigue and asking them to abide by some usage guidelines.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Arts and Medicine feature summarizes events and scholarship honoring Abbot Gregor Mendel, founder of the science of modern genetics, on the occasion of the bicentennial of his birth.
Source: JAMA Online First
This study evaluates changes in the number of births in Texas after passage of Texas’ Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which bans abortions as early as 5 weeks’ gestation.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Viewpoint highlights several key steps that states could take to expand perinatal care coverage for noncitizens.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Viewpoint analyzes the scope and legal implications of tracking on hospital websites, including potential HIPAA and state privacy law violations, and suggests that hospitals limit such tracking.
Source: JAMA Online First
Men who received testosterone therapy for an average of about 22 months did not experience a greater number of major adverse cardiac events compared with those who received a placebo, based on results from a randomized clinical trial that enrolled 5246 patients aged 45 to 80 years. All participants had low levels of testosterone as well as symptoms of underfunctioning gonads—such as decreased libido, low mood, or loss of body hair—in addition to a preexisting or high risk of cardiovascular disease.
Source: JAMA Online First