Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl

Seven days after receipt of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, rates of myocarditis were greater than expected and were highest after the second vaccine dose among males 12 to 24 years old—although the condition was still exceedingly rare, finds a descriptive US study today in JAMA. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, a condition that peaks in incidence in infancy and adolescence or young adulthood. Some patients require no treatment, yet others die or experience severe heart failure necessitating heart transplant. (1/25)

Among 1,068 US adults surveyed about their mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 12% to 15% reported serious psychological distress that persisted throughout the study period, mostly among young adults, low-income respondents, and Hispanic participants. The data were published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (1/25)

Eating dinner close to bedtime, when melatonin levels are high, disturbs blood sugar control, especially in individuals with a genetic variant in the melatonin receptor MTNR1B, which has been linked to an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. The high melatonin levels and food intake associated with late eating impairs blood sugar control in carriers of the MTNR1B genetic risk variant through a defect in insulin secretion. (Massachusetts General Hospital, 1/25)

Faulty versions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are well known to increase the risk of breast cancer in men and women, and in ovarian cancer. Now BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been linked to several other cancers, including those that affect men. (University of Cambridge, 1/25)

In a phase 3 trial, an investigational oral microbiome therapy was superior to placebo in reducing the risk of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, researchers reported yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The double-blind, randomized trial involved patients who had had three or more episodes of C difficile infection within 12 months and had resolution of symptoms following standard-of-care antibiotic therapy. (1/21)

The nonprofit TB Alliance announced yesterday that it has received $30 million in funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop new treatments for tuberculosis (TB) and optimize current treatments so that they can be used in children. TB Alliance will also use the funding, which will be administered over 5 years, to strengthen health systems in high-TB-burden countries so that all TB patients can get proper treatment. (1/21)

An analysis of antibiotic prescribing at two academic urgent care clinics found a sustained decline in antibiotic prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite a transition to telemedicine, researchers reported late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (1/24)