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Aptyx has promoted CFO David Price to the role of CEO effective immediately, succeeding former Aptyx CEO Gregg Tobin. Price joined the Tempe, Arizona-based medical device contract development and manufacturing organization as CFO in 2025 and is “the right leader to build on Aptyx’s strong foundation and accelerate the company’s continued growth,” said John Pless,…
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Medline (Nasdaq:MDLN) announced today that it plans to open a new distribution facility in Perris, California. The approximately 1-million-square-foot facility marks the latest expansion to the company’s distribution network, following a buildout in Texas earlier this year. Northfield, Illinois-based Medline says it adds capacity and operational flexibility to support healthcare providers across the state. The…
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When Sanofi won FDA approval in July 2026 for the first anticancer treatment administered with an on-body injector (OBI), the Enable Injections enFuse platform made it possible. The enFuse OBI secured its initial combination product FDA approval in 2023 for adults with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare blood disorder. That milestone made enFuse the “first…
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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive, multisystem disease requiring long-term monitoring of respiratory, cardiac, and functional status. Advances in care have extended survival, increasing the need for continuous, coordinated management. In parallel, digital health technologies have enabled remote monitoring and data collection outside traditional clinical settings. This Viewpoint examines the role of device-based remote monitoring in DMD and argues that it should be understood as an emerging multisystem digital surveillance framework rather than a collection of isolated technologies. This Viewpoint is based on a synthesis of published literature on device-based remote monitoring and digital health technologies in DMD and experiences at our center. The aim was to outline the current clinical and technological landscape and support an interpretive perspective. Device-based monitoring in DMD encompasses a range of technologies, including home spirometry, ventilator-integrated telemonitoring, wearable activity sensors, cardiac rhythm monitoring, and interactive rehabilitation systems. These approaches enable longitudinal assessment of physiological and functional parameters in real-world settings. However, the current evidence base is heterogeneous and largely limited to feasibility studies, small cohorts, and extrapolated data. While data acquisition is technically feasible and increasingly available, integration into clinical workflows remains constrained by the lack of validated digital biomarkers, standardized monitoring frameworks, and interoperable data systems. Remote monitoring in DMD is evolving toward a connected, multisystem model of disease surveillance. Its clinical impact will depend on the validation of digital end points, development of decision support frameworks, and integration into multidisciplinary care pathways. Bridging the gap between data generation and clinical decision-making remains a key priority for future research and implementation. These findings support a shift from isolated technologies toward a coordinated, clinically integrated model of multisystem care in DMD.
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Background: Intravenous drug incompatibility is a significant medication safety hazard, particularly in complex multidrug regimens. Traditional text-based, pairwise query methods are inefficient and impose a substantial cognitive load on clinicians. While network visualization has the potential to address these challenges, its application in drug compatibility queries remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a novel drug compatibility query system based on a WeChat Mini Program. The system integrates diverse data sources and uses network visualization to present complex compatibility relationships. We sought to empirically assess its impact on efficiency and user experience. Methods: A preliminary crossover usability and efficiency evaluation was conducted. Phase 1 involved the construction of a drug compatibility knowledge base from authoritative handbooks and drug labels, and the development of the query system. Phase 2 comprised a system evaluation with 36 pharmacists, 6 physicians, and 5 nurses. The evaluation included a scenario-based task completion time analysis comparing the system (Mode A) with traditional print-based resources (Mode B), a quality assessment using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS), and structured posttask user feedback to gather insights on user experience. Results: The query system demonstrated a substantial reduction in task completion time, with median time savings of 2.85 (IQR 1.98‐4.15) minutes, 5.45 (IQR 3.95‐7.20) minutes, and 31.2 (IQR 27.5‐35.1) minutes, respectively, in 3 scenarios with different complexity. The system received a high mean overall quality score of 3.88 (SD 0.35) on the MARS. The functionality dimension scored the highest (mean 4.21, SD 0.51), while engagement scored the lowest (mean 3.21, SD 0.62). Posttask structured feedback revealed five major areas of user feedback: (1) baseline experience and first impressions, (2) user experience with network visualization, (3) perceived efficiency and cognitive load, (4) trust and information quality, and (5) future application considerations. Users praised the system’s efficiency and intuitive design but expressed a strong need for transparent data sources and management advice to build trust. Conclusions: A query system based on network visualization demonstrates potential to support the efficiency of multidrug compatibility queries within this preliminary evaluation. It may mitigate cognitive load and offer an at-a-glance understanding of complex drug relationships. However, formal clinical accuracy validation remains a mandatory precondition before bedside clinical deployment is considered.
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The Trump administration on Tuesday said it was deferring more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to Minnesota and California because of “suspected fraud and noncompliance,” the latest in a series of punitive steps it has linked to allegations of fraud in mostly Democratic-led states.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the new actions — which come after previously announced Medicaid funding deferrals in those states — are part of the administration’s strategy to “stop the fraud before it happens” rather than claw back problematic spending after bad actors are prosecuted, as previous administrations had done.
Background: Depression carries the highest burden of mental health–related disability in the United States. Approximately 13% of military veterans report elevated rates of depression. Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for depression, nearly 50% of veterans in need of mental health care remain untreated. Internet-based interventions show promise in reducing this gap; however, there are currently no standard self-guided internet-based interventions for depressive symptoms in veterans. Deprexis is one such intervention that leverages cognitive behavioral therapy to target depressive symptoms. Objective: This pilot study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of Deprexis, a fully self-guided internet-based intervention for depression, in US military veterans with mild to severe depressive symptoms. Methods: This open-label pilot trial recruited 19 veterans with mild to severe depression (mean age 55.5, SD 8.2 y; baseline Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology—Self-Report [QIDS-SR]: mean 16.2, SD 4.1) for an 8-week course of Deprexis, with self-report assessments at baseline, posttreatment (8 wk), and follow-up (16 wk). Primary outcomes included depressive symptoms (QIDS-SR), functional disability (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0), and symptom-related disability (Sheehan Disability Scale). Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates, and acceptability was measured using validated questionnaires (Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire). Multilevel models examined change over time, with effect sizes calculated using pooled SDs from unconditional models. Results: Recruitment and retention targets were met, with 15 out of 19 (79%) participants meeting the adherence criteria (ie, ≥60 min of active program use). Of these, 14 participants completed posttreatment questionnaires and were included in the completer analyses. The program received a positive acceptability rating: of the 18 participants who completed follow-up assessments, 78% (n=14) rated services as good or excellent and 72% (n=13) were satisfied with the amount of help received. No safety concerns were reported. Among completers (n=14), QIDS-SR scores decreased from baseline to posttreatment (estimate −2.22, SE 1.44; =.14; =−0.54, 95% CI −1.07 to 0.13) and follow-up (estimate −2.85, SE 1.19; =.02; =−0.70, 95% CI −1.21 to −0.08) with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Effect sizes were similar in the total sample. Functioning (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0) improved among completers at follow-up (estimate −8.09, SE 3.80; =.045; =−0.41, 95% CI −0.96 to −0.05). Disability (Sheehan Disability Scale) did not significantly improve from baseline to posttreatment or follow-up. Conclusions: This pilot trial demonstrates that Deprexis is feasible and acceptable for veterans with mild to severe depression, with preliminary evidence of effectiveness for depressive symptoms. The delayed emergence of functional improvements and sustained gains at follow-up support the potential of this scalable intervention. The results provide a strong foundation for the ongoing randomized controlled trial. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06217198; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06217198 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/59119
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Researchers from Keio University School of Medicine and Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center in Japan transplanted neural stem/progenitor cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into the injured spinal cords of four men with recent, complete cervical spinal cord injuries. The first-in-human Phase I study, published in Nature Medicine, primarily evaluated safety, following participants for up to four years after treatment.
Spinal cord injury affects more than 20 million people worldwide and often results in permanent paralysis because the adult spinal cord has only limited capacity to regenerate. Current treatments—including surgery and rehabilitation—can stabilize the injury and maximize remaining function but cannot rebuild the damaged neural circuits responsible for movement and sensation.
The transplanted cells were manufactured from clinical-grade iPSCs under strict quality controls before being differentiated into neural stem/progenitor cells. Approximately two million cells were injected directly into each patient’s spinal cord injury site two to four weeks after injury while patients received temporary immunosuppressive therapy to reduce the risk of rejection.
The trial met its primary objective. Researchers observed no tumor formation, abnormal cell growth, or other serious complications attributable to the transplanted cells during the initial 52-week study period or the subsequent long-term follow-up. Imaging studies likewise revealed no evidence of graft-related abnormalities, addressing one of the field’s greatest concerns regarding therapies derived from pluripotent stem cells.
Although safety was the principal endpoint, investigators also tracked neurological recovery. All four participants showed improvements in motor function, and two improved enough to advance from complete paralysis (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade A) to grades C or D, indicating recovery of some voluntary movement below the injury level. Median motor scores improved by 13 points after one year, exceeding the recovery typically observed in a comparable historical patient registry, although the researchers caution that the small, uncontrolled study cannot establish that the stem cell treatment caused these gains.
The encouraging results build on years of preclinical research showing that transplanted neural stem cells can differentiate into neurons and supporting cells, promote remyelination, stimulate regrowth of damaged nerve fibers, and release molecules that support tissue repair. Animal studies have also suggested that the transplanted neurons can integrate into existing spinal cord circuits, although such integration cannot yet be directly confirmed in patients.
The investigators emphasize that many questions remain before the therapy could become a standard treatment. The study enrolled only four participants, lacked a placebo control, and included only men with recent cervical spinal cord injuries. Larger randomized clinical trials will be needed to determine whether the treatment consistently improves neurological recovery and to identify which patients are most likely to benefit. Researchers also plan to continue monitoring participants to assess the long-term safety of the transplanted cells.
Even with those caveats, the findings represent a significant advance for regenerative medicine. Rather than demonstrating a cure for paralysis, the study establishes that carefully manufactured iPSC-derived neural stem cells can be transplanted into the human spinal cord without the serious safety issues that have long challenged the field. That achievement provides a critical foundation for the next generation of clinical trials aimed at determining whether stem cell therapy can ultimately restore function after devastating spinal cord injuries.
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Having a common birth complication such as preterm birth, preeclampsia, high blood pressure and gestational diabetes puts women at increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease in later life.
As reported in PLOS Medicine, all five of the common complications listed were associated with an increased risk for peripheral artery disease, a form of atherosclerosis in the legs, up to 46 years after giving birth in a large Swedish study.
Overall, women with gestational diabetes had almost four-times higher risk of developing peripheral artery disease than women who had a healthy pregnancy with preeclampsia, high maternal blood pressure, preterm birth or small for gestational age babies increasing risk 1.3–1.7-fold.
“Peripheral artery disease affects more than 230 million people worldwide and is a strong predictor of future stroke, ischemic heart disease, and premature mortality,” write Casey Crump, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist and family physician at McGovern Medical School, and colleagues.
“Despite its high prevalence and clinical importance, it is understudied compared with other cardiovascular diseases.”
Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia are known to increase the risk of other types of cardiovascular disease so Crump and team carried out a study to assess if this was also the case for peripheral artery disease.
The team drew on Swedish national birth and health registries to follow more than 2.2 million women who had single‑baby pregnancies between 1973 and 2015. They focused on the five common birth complications and tracked new diagnoses of peripheral artery disease from hospital, specialist clinic, and primary care records for up to 46 years after childbirth.
The researchers compared women with and without these complications while accounting for age, education, income, smoking, weight, and existing conditions like hypertension or diabetes. The also compared sisters to check whether shared genes or family lifestyle could fully explain the patterns they saw.
Overall, 13,211 women developed peripheral artery disease, mostly in their early 60s. All the complications were linked to higher risk of arterial disease, with the association becoming stronger with age. Experiencing more than one complication also increased risk further and women with three or more had around three times higher risk of peripheral artery disease in later life than women with none. The research also showed links were not likely to be genetic or related to a shared upbringing.
“Women who experience an adverse pregnancy outcome need early preventive actions and long-term clinical follow-up to reduce their risk for peripheral artery disease and other associated cardiovascular diseases,” write the authors.
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