Insulin lasts longer than you think

Stored at room temperature, insulin may have a shelf life up to four times longer than what’s on the package — that’s according to a new international study led out of Sweden’s University of Gothenburg.

How’d they test? Let’s just say they didn’t use any fancy temperature controls:

Six different families in Nagpur, India, stored the insulin for a period ranging from one to four months in the summer. It was stored either in a box in the coolest room in the home or in clay pots designed to serve as simple cooling systems, with evaporation of water keeping the contents cool.

Larger studies are needed, they say, but “The period when insulin may still be used can potentially […] be extended to three or perhaps even four months.”

High BP now, smaller brain later

Don’t wait to treat high blood pressure. A new study out of UC Davis found that having hypertension in your 30s could mean that, 40 years down the line, your brain isn’t working properly.

The researchers found that the high blood pressure group had significantly lower regional brain volumes and worse white matter integrity. Both factors are associated with dementia.

The research also showed that the negative brain changes in some regions — such as decreased grey matter volume and frontal cortex volume — were stronger in men.

With treatment for dementia so limited, the researchers point out, it’s critical to find ways to reduce the risk as early as possible.

RSV vaxes gets closer still

New stage 3 trials confirm Pfizer’s earlier results: The company’s RSV vaccine “was found to be 82 percent effective in preventing severe cases of RSV in infants when it was given to pregnant mothers in the second half of their pregnancy.”

One downside is that it only prevented severe cases, but didn’t do well to prevent non-severe infections.

Side note: There’s more

The University of Rochester would like you to know that there are three other RSV vaccines in the works (and it’s been involved in the testing of Pfizer’s vax and two of the others, including a candidate from GlaxoSmithKline).

Minty not-so-goodness

There was a lot of hubbub regarding the regulation of mint-flavored e-cigarettes, mostly because they were disproportionately marketed to and used by kids and the Black community.

But a new study out of the University of Pittsburgh finds that …

… e-cigarette liquids containing menthol generated a larger number of toxic microparticles in the lungs compared to menthol-free juice.

And when they looked at patients themselves, they confirmed that yep, there was a “difference in lung function between menthol e-cigarettes and non-menthol smokers.”

New Medicare Advantage rules in place

CMS has finalized a rule for Medicare Advantage providers designed to keep those insurance companies in line. First of all it sets marketing rules (e.g., prohibiting confusing words and imagery) and second, it improves the prior-authorization process.

[It] requires prior authorization approvals to be valid as long as medically necessary and states that coverage denials based on medical necessity must be reviewed by healthcare professionals with relevant expertise before issuing a denial.

It will also make it easier for patients to switch MA plans, and “implements provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act to improve access to affordable prescription drug coverage” by expanding eligibility to individuals with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

Short Takes

Bird Flu Watch

It’s infecting condors in Arizona and — notably — more pet cats.

Gut health goes even more mainstream

Food processing giant Archer Daniels Midland is working with a biotech startup called Brightseed to develop biological products designed to improve that ol’ gut microbiome. As they put it “natural and plant-based solutions that target immune function, metabolic health and mental well-being.”

The companies are expecting to launch their synbiotics as functional ingredients in foods, beverages, dietary supplements and medical foods, by 2025.

Another Lyme vax is in the works

A new vaccine for Lyme disease is still coming down the pike — this one’s from Moderna.