PrECOG, LLC, today announced the publication of final results from the pivotal phase 3 PATINA study in the New England Journal of Medicine which evaluated whether adding palbociclib to anti-HER2 and endocrine therapy, following induction chemotherapy, could delay disease progression in patients with hormone receptor–positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer. Results showed a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 44.3 months in the palbociclib arm, compared with 29.1 months in the control arm.

A Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines review outlines how AI can help clarify the molecular mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine formulas, from pharmacokinetics prediction to target and synergy discovery.

Continuous monitoring of biomarkers is essential for early disease detection, treatment evaluation, and personalized health management, yet most clinical tests rely on invasive, single-point blood sampling. 

With an increasing use of ultrasonography-based diagnosis, there is a need to develop affordable alternatives to conventional ultrasound gel, ensuring patient comfort. A team of researchers from Japan has recently developed a reusable, solid ultrasound gel pad composed of tamarind seed gum. This gel pad demonstrated improved patient satisfaction compared to conventional gel, eliminating discomfort such as stickiness or tickling, while showing no degradation in image quality.

An association between oral microbiota and cognitive performance in schizophrenia has been reported by researchers at Science Tokyo. By analyzing saliva samples and cognitive test scores from patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, the study shows that lower oral microbial diversity is associated with poorer cognitive function, with specific predicted microbial metabolic pathways potentially linked to this relationship. These association patterns offer testable hypotheses for future longitudinal and experimental studies.

Researchers from Incheon National University have discovered that prolonged nutrient depletion can significantly increase toxin production in harmful marine algae even when growth appears stable. Although nutrient starvation reduced photosynthetic efficiency, toxin levels continued to rise, revealing a hidden risk phase of harmful algal blooms. The findings highlight the need for monitoring strategies that go beyond bloom size and consider cellular toxin dynamics to better protect seafood safety and public health.

An INRAE research team has developed a microscopic model of the human liver to study the effects of different food contaminants. The spherical model, measuring 0.3 mm in diameter, includes the four cell types found in the human liver, unlike most current laboratory tests, which rely on a single type of cell. The researchers have designed an innovative process to assess the toxic effects of a contaminant across the entire 3D model and pinpoint the location and types of cells that are affected. Published in NAM Journal, the findings are expected to improve health risk assessments for food contaminants by enabling testing at more realistic doses and reducing the need for animal testing. The work also opens up wider prospects in medicine, notably for drug development.