Subsidies enacted a year into the COVID-19 pandemic to expand eligibility and offset premium costs of insurance purchased on Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces led to significant enrollment gains among eligible children ages 18 and under, Black and Hispanic individuals, and residents of rural areas, according to a new study by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

)— As the population ages, renewed attention is being given to the institutional buildings where many older adults reside, such as nursing homes and long-term care settings, which affect the health and quality of life of those living in them. Research suggests that built spaces exert strong and subtle influences on the brains and bodies of aging persons. For example, the way space is designed can play a role in the risk of falling, infection control, avoidable hospitalization and confusion.

Unfortunately, this research is not currently incorporated in a systematic way into new construction or renovation projects. A multidisciplinary team led by Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has developed a framework for evaluating long-term care architectural drawings and designs. Entitled “Bioethics Peer Review for Long-Term Care Design (BPR-LTC),” the framework’s intent is for evidence-based design principles to be incorporated into the development of spaces for older adults.

- Randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2a study of SPL026 met its primary endpoint demonstrating a clinically significant reduction in depressive symptoms as measured by MADRS score (mean difference: -7.35) versus placebo at two weeks

- Antidepressant treatment effects observed within one week and sustained for up to three months

- Findings reinforce the therapeutic potential of short-acting serotonergic agonists and inform Helus Pharma’s HLP004 development program, with Phase 2 topline data in generalized anxiety disorder (“GAD”) expected in Q1 2026