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EVERYTHING
States Sue to Stop NIH Funding Cuts (Plus Some Murmurs of Republican Opposition)
What: The Trump administration over the weekend announced significant cuts to NIH funding that would hit research universities and medical centers across the country. On Monday, a federal judge issued a temporary stay on the funding freeze, after attorneys general from 22 states sued the administration to stop the cuts. The group includes several states that voted for Trump in the 2024 election, like North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Key line: “Maine Sen. Susan Collins became the first Republican lawmaker to speak out forcefully against the new policy. Her opposition is significant because she chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. ‘I oppose the poorly conceived directive imposing an arbitrary cap on the indirect costs that are part of NIH grants and negotiated between the grant recipient and NIH,’ she said in a statement…She said that appropriations legislation ‘prohibits the use of funds to modify NIH indirect costs’ and that she had spoken Monday morning with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to lead HHS, and that he had promised to ‘re-examine this initiative’ as soon as he is confirmed.”
Source: Stat News
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
There’s More to Heart Problems Than Complicated Pregnancies
What: A study looking at the sisters of women who had a pregnancy complications found they too have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, even if their own pregnancies had no complications. In other words, the association between complicated pregnancies and cardiovascular disease risk may be influenced by genetics and/or environmental factors.
Key line: “’Our results show that the risk of cardiovascular disease after a pregnancy complication does not depend solely on the pregnancy itself, but can be influenced by genes and environmental factors,’ says lead author Ängla Mantel, docent at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet.”
Source: Karolinska Institutet
Early Evidence Emerges for GLP-1s Helping Pregnancy Outcomes
What: A retrospective study found women who used GLP-1 medications at any point in the two years before conception were less like to have high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, preterm birth or a C-section delivery. Researchers say the next step is to study patients before they actually get pregnant, instead of looking backwards at the data.
Key line: “’Relatively little is known how preconception GLP-1 receptor agonist use may impact pregnancy outcomes,’ Christopher T. Nau, MD, assistant professor in the department of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the division of maternal fetal medicine at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, told Healio. ‘This study suggests that [GLP-1s] may have potential to be a powerful tool to optimize preconception health.’”
Source: Healio
ABORTION ACCESS
Missouri Voters Approved Abortion Access in November. Why Hasn’t it Happened Yet?
What: ProPublica explains that three months after Missouri voters approved abortion access in their state constitution, services are still not accessible in the state. Why? Because a court order left in place “strict structural requirements” (i.e. how wide the hallways are) that make it impossible for Planned Parenthood to operate in the state with their current facilities.
Key line: “Abortion rights advocates argue these regulations are medically unnecessary and create barriers to care. At a hearing last week in Kansas City, a lawyer for Planned Parenthood asked the judge to reconsider, emphasizing that the restrictions make it impossible for clinics to resume offering full services. … The judge gave both sides until the end of this week to submit further briefings before her ruling.”
Source: ProPublica
MENOPAUSE
Acupuncture for Menopause Insomnia: Real Stuff Better Than Sham
What: A systematic review of acupuncture treatment for insomnia caused by menopause found the treatment “may play a positive role” in reducing symptoms. The analysis looked at 28 randomized control trials, including six that provided “sham” acupuncture procedures.
Key line: “This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that acupuncture as an independent therapy or [along with] western medication may play a positive role in managing menopausal insomnia and is associated with few side effects, although the evidence level was low or moderate.”
Source: PLOS One
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