Here are the top medical news for the day:
Post-Treatment Blood Test Offers New Hope for Personalized Cancer Therapy Decisions
A new Yale study has found evidence to support the value of a tool that measures the presence of cancer-derived molecules in the blood of patients with lung cancer years after their treatment.
This tool is a type of molecular residual disease (MRD)detector, which is used after patients have completed their primary treatment in order to monitor their cancer status. Researchers say it could inform clinical intervention, including whether to restart or intensify treatment.
The study findings, published in Nature Medicine were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor (EGFR)-activated mutations. The ADAURA trial findings showed a significant benefit in disease-free survival with osimertinib, compared to placebo, making it the recommended standard of treatment for patients up to three years after surgery.
We know patients benefited from osimertinib in the ADAURA trial, but we want to know if they are cured or whether their cancer will come back,” said Dr. Roy Herbst, the study’s first author who is also the assistant dean for translational research at Yale School of Medicine. “MRD detection is a more personalized approach for patients with EGFR mutations in the adjuvant setting [after the primary treatment has completed], and now we're understanding at what point patients start to benefit and how we can more precisely target their therapy.”
If MRD proves valid for clinical purposes it could improve outcomes by identifying high-risk patients who might benefit from intensifying or restarting treatment. Conversely, MRD could also identify patients with low risk of recurrence, possibly sparing them from further treatment and any associated drug toxicities as a result.
Ref: Herbst, R.S., John, T., Grohé, C. et al. Molecular residual disease analysis of adjuvant osimertinib in resected EGFR-mutated stage IB–IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer. Nat Med (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03577-y
Regular Exercise Before Hospitalization Linked to Improved Heart Failure Outcomes, Study Finds
Heart failure is a major health concern, especially for ageing populations—it significantly increases mortality rates, and severely impacts quality of life for those affected. Exercise therapy has been shown to be particularly effective for patients with heart failure. Previous research, however, has mainly examined the benefits of exercise after a diagnosis of heart failure. There is a considerable gap when it comes to our understanding of the role that exercise plays before a patient with heart failure is hospitalized.
In a recent study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology researchers from Japan have explored the link between exercise habits before hospitalization and post-discharge outcomes in older patients with heart failure.
The team analyzed data from the FRAGILE-HF study, which was conducted at 15 hospitals across Japan, including 1,262 patients aged 65 years and older who were hospitalized for heart failure. In addition, they assessed the exercise habits of these patients before hospitalization.
Of the 1,262 patients included in this study, it was found that 675 (53.4%) patients reported regular exercise habits before hospitalization—this included moderate exercise lasting 30 minutes or vigorous activity lasting 20 minutes, performed at least once daily per week. Interestingly, the researchers found that those patients who reported regular exercise habits before hospitalization had a lower risk of death, compared to patients who did not exercise regularly. Additionally, it was found that patients who exercised regularly had greater grip strength and higher gait speeds (measured as the time taken to walk over a specified short distance). This indicated that regular exercise was also linked to better strength and physical function in older patients.
The findings of this study emphasize the importance of promoting regular exercise for older patients. They suggest that even a minimal level of physical activity (such as walking or moderate exercise once or twice a week) is linked to better outcomes in this population.
Ref: Nakade T, Maeda D et al. Association of pre-admission exercise habit with post-discharge outcomes for older patients with heart failure, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2025;, zwaf069, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf069
Study Links Maternal Infections to Disrupted Brain Development and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Newborns
A pioneering peer-reviewed research study published in Brain Medicine provides compelling evidence that maternal infections during pregnancy can have lasting effects on offspring brain function.
Researchers from the Slovak Academy of Sciences investigated the impact of maternal immune activation (MIA) on hippocampal pyramidal neurons in newborn rat offspring and found that prenatal inflammation significantly impairs neuronal excitability. These changes in brain function may underlie the increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with maternal infections.
During pregnancy, infections trigger an immune response that releases cytokines—chemical messengers that can cross the placenta and impact fetal brain development. Using a well-established animal model, the researchers induced MIA in pregnant rats with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial component that stimulates the immune system. They then examined the hippocampal neurons of newborn offspring to assess how prenatal immune activation affected their excitability.
The study’s electrophysiological analysis revealed several major changes in hippocampal neuron function in newborns exposed to MIA. There was an increased threshold potential where the neurons required a stronger stimulus to activate, suggesting impaired excitability.
There was also a delayed action potential latency where the neurons took longer to respond to stimulation, affecting signal transmission. Reduced peak potential and firing rates showed that both spontaneous and evoked activity were significantly decreased, indicating lower neurotransmitter release. Lastly, sex-specific effects showed that the male offspring showed a greater reduction in spontaneous neuronal activity, which may have implications for the higher prevalence of certain neurodevelopmental disorders in males.
The study’s results support the hypothesis that prenatal immune challenges can disrupt early brain wiring, leading to long-term cognitive and behavioral impairments.
Ref: Moravcikova L, Moravcik R et al. Maternal immune activation impairs hippocampal pyramidal neuron excitability in newborn rat offspring: Implications for neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain Med:18th March, 2025. https://doi.org/10.61373/bm025a.0029
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