World Has Record Hot January Despite Outlook for La Niña Cooling
Last month was the hottest January on record, with global average temperatures climbing 1.75C above pre-industrial levels.
The temperature in January averaged 13.2C (55.8F), according to preliminary data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, a UK-based research institute supported by 35 states. The ECMWF data was published by the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine.
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Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Mavacamten Showing Real-World Success in Treating oHCM
MANCHESTER — Mavacamten (Camzyos, Bristol Myers Squibb) continues to show promising results in patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM), a consultant cardiologist said at the recent British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference 2025. William Jenkins, a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, said that real world outcomes mirror those from clinical trials, including EXPLORER and VALOR-HCM. High Rates of Symptom Improvement Notably, data from three UK centres showed that about 70%-80% of patients experienced symptomatic improvement with mavacamten treatment. In addition, 90% saw a 30mmHg drop in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient – considered a significant reduction in obstruction. William Jenkins Although patients initially required 'very intense echocardiographic surveillance', Jenkins said 'it gets much easier' after the first few months of treatment. 'I think our reliance upon echocardiography will probably reduce as we get more experience with this,' he told Medscape News UK . A First-in-Class Therapy Mavacamten, a cardiac myosin inhibitor, is the first drug of its kind. It works by normalising contractility, reducing dynamic LVOT obstruction, and improving cardiac filling pressures in people with HCM. 'HCM is something that develops over decades,' Jenkins said. 'You can develop symptoms early, but you can have those symptoms for a really long time before you go on to develop other things like abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure, or dying suddenly.' He added that although oHCM is considered rare, many patients could benefit from treatment. Managing HCM still falls within general cardiology in some centres, Jenkins noted, raising concerns that patients may not be reviewed as frequently as needed. 'People live with it for years and years — if not decades — before they develop any of the end stage features of HCM,' Jenkins said. 'They can become very adapted to their symptoms.' Patient Advocacy and Experience Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects around 1 in 500 people in the UK and US, with about two thirds of cases involving obstruction. Katharine McIntosh, head of research and policy at Cardiomyopathy UK, told Medscape News UK that mavacamten had been a 'cause for excitement' among patients. 'It's the first big cardiomyopathy-specific drug.' McIntosh expressed frustration at the slow rollout of the drug, which was recommended for NHS use in England and Wales in 2023 and in Scotland in 2024. 'It's at the point now where one would have thought that everyone who should be on it would be getting onto it. But that's just not been the case,' she said. A recent Cardiomyopathy UK survey found that patients who accessed mavacamten were 'very positive' about its effects. Respondents described it as 'life changing' and felt like they had been given their lives back, McIntosh said. Challenges Facing Widespread Use One barrier is that mavacamten must be prescribed and monitored by specialists experienced in treating cardiomyopathies – resources not available at all centres. Prescribing guidance states that patients require echocardiography before and at regular intervals after starting treatment. Genetic testing for Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 (CYP2C19) is also needed to guide dosing. Long-Term Outlook Jenkins said that three key issues must be considered before prescribing mavacamten: Close early monitoring is needed, as the drug can cause left ventricular systolic dysfunction. CYP2C19-related drug interactions require pharmacy input. Counselling is essential due to potential foetal toxicity risks. 'Most people tolerate this [drug] very well', he said. After the initial 12-week period, follow-up can be reduced to every 3-6 months. 'This is an indefinite medication for a lot of people' Jenkins said. However, with an estimated annual cost of almost £14,000 per patient, he stressed the need for careful initial use. 'Right now, the indication is for symptomatic, severe LVOT obstruction,' he said. However, 'there's no reason in the long-term why this shouldn't become first-line'. Whether mavacamten offers benefit for oHCM patients without obstruction remains unclear. Jenkins has acted as a consultant to BMS and AstraZeneca. McIntosh had no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Toxic 'forever chemical' showing up in European food and wine
A team of researchers has found "alarmingly high" levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a so-called forever chemical, in dozens of organic and non-organic pastas, baked goods and breakfast cereals from Europe, as well as in wine. "In conventional grain products, the average levels were so high that a health risk to children can no longer be ruled out," said Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, an environmental chemist part of the Brussels-based Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, which describes TFA as a "product of PFAS pesticides and industrial chemicals." Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, are thousands of long-lasting substances used in household and everyday products since the middle of the 20th century but which have been found to be difficult to remove from the environment and from human bodies. The latest research points to 'widespread contamination from PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) pesticides," PAN Europe said, warning that TFA tends to build up in water and farmland. The amount of TFA in the food items was found to be three times that recorded in a similar study eight years ago, according to PAN Europe, which in April warned of "dramatic rise" of TFA in wine. In a report covering wines from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain, PAN Europe found that while pre-1988 vintages do not contain any such contamination, there has been a "sharp increase" in pesticide and chemical residues in wine bottled since 2010. Such a "steep accumulation" should be "a red flag that calls for decisive action," according to Michael Müller, a professor of pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry at the University of Freiburg. The European Chemicals Agency has warned that TFA "may cause harm to the unborn child" and "may impair fertility."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
NeuroSigma Announces Notice of Allowance for Patent Protecting Monarch eTNS System in China
LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based bioelectronics company commercializing the Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) device for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), today announced a notice of allowance in China for a patent protecting the Monarch eTNS System. The patent, titled Pulse Generator for Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation, protects certain embodiments of NeuroSigma's core eTNS technology, including its second-generation Monarch device. The patent was allowed by China's National Intellectual Property Administration on May 27, 2025. In 2022, NeuroSigma licensed rights to the Monarch eTNS System for treating ADHD in China to Ignis Therapeutics, a leader in the development of novel therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) conditions. 'As NeuroSigma continues to grow and work with our partners at Ignis, China will be a critical market for the Monarch eTNS System,' said Colin Kealey, M.D., President and CEO of NeuroSigma. 'This patent protects our second-generation Monarch device in China and significantly strengthens the company's intellectual property position.' "NeuroSigma's Monarch eTNS System is a highly innovative and effective therapy for ADHD,' added Tom Paschall, Director of NeuroSigma and CEO of Checkmate Capital. 'China is one of the largest and most important markets in the world for new CNS therapies. With this patent award, the Monarch device will benefit from robust intellectual property protection, which, we believe, will facilitate commercialization in this key market.' About NeuroSigma NeuroSigma is a Los Angeles, California-based bioelectronic medical device company developing technologies to transform medical practice and patients' lives. The company's lead product is the Monarch eTNS System, which is the first non-drug treatment for pediatric ADHD cleared by the FDA. Pipeline indications for the Monarch eTNS System include neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), learning disabilities, and epilepsy. NeuroSigma has received Breakthrough Device Designation for the Monarch eTNS System from the FDA in drug-resistant epilepsy. For more information about NeuroSigma, please visit For more information on the Monarch eTNS System, please visit Contact:Colin Kealey, M.D., President of NeuroSigma at CKealey@
