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October 29, 2026

Staying the Course: Sitting Down With Mike Cooke

Henry Thomas
James Strachan
October 29, 2026
10 min

Mike Cooke moved from a planned academic career to cofound AmacaThera after his PhD work led to a Toronto research position.
AmacaThera’s injectable hydrogel is shear-thinning and gels at body temperature, helping keep drugs localized at the injection site.
After consulting about 100 surgeons and anesthesiologists in 2014, AmacaThera focused on nonopioid management of postoperative pain.
AmacaThera’s lead program, AMT-143, combines its hydrogel with an anesthetic; the company completed 2 Phase I studies and is preparing a Phase II study with Pacira.
Cooke said opioids may still be needed after major surgery, while localized anesthetics could manage pain and potentially avoid opioids after some procedures.

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October 29, 2026

Musings from The Power List: Laura Carbonell Rozas

October 29, 2026
5 min

Objective: The article examines the objective, findings, and clinical context described in Musings from The Power List: Laura Carbonell Rozas. Approach: Researc

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2 min

October 29, 2026

Inside the Brain’s Hidden Lipid Map

October 29, 2026
3 min

Objective: To map how membrane lipids vary across adult mouse brain regions, cell types, neural connections, and physiological states. Approach: Imaging: Resear

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2 min

October 28, 2026

FDA adds generic valganciclovir oral solution

Mouj Hijazi
October 28, 2026
2 min

Objective: The article examines the objective, findings, and clinical context described in FDA adds generic valganciclovir oral solution. Approach: Approval: FD

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2 min

October 28, 2026

PET/MRI may reveal MRI-occult inflammation

Andrea Surnit
October 28, 2026
4 min

Objective: To describe the use of F-18–DPA714 PET/MRI to assess neuroinflammation in a patient with anti-vimentin IgG-associated autoimmune encephalitis and unr

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2 min

October 28, 2026

Miliary tuberculosis may masquerade as toxoplasmosis

Andrea Surnit
October 28, 2026
4 min

A 30-year-old woman had multiple rim-enhancing brain lesions on routine MRI despite no initial fever, pulmonary symptoms, or neurologic abnormalities.
The MRI findings suggested toxoplasmosis or neurocysticercosis, but chest CT showed bilateral 1- to 3-mm pulmonary nodules consistent with miliary tuberculosis.
Sputum PCR detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA, whereas sputum cultures and CSF tuberculosis PCR were negative and CSF analysis was unremarkable.
The researchers diagnosed probable parenchymal CNS tuberculosis with miliary pulmonary tuberculosis and treated the patient with antituberculosis drugs and adjunctive corticosteroids.
After 12 months of therapy, brain lesions regressed, and complete clinical and radiologic remission was documented 12 months after treatment.

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October 28, 2026

Persistent anxiety linked to cognitive lapses

Andrea Surnit
October 28, 2026
4 min

Objective: To examine associations between anxiety, depressive symptoms, physical activity, and self-reported cognitive difficulties during pregnancy and early

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The Pathologist

October 28, 2026

I Was 36 Years Old and Head of Pathology

Helen Bristow
October 28, 2026
8 min

Aleš Ryška became chair of the pathology department at age 36 after his predecessor reached the mandatory retirement age and Ryška was the only potential internal candidate.
Ryška had no formal leadership training; he drew on Boy Scout experience and advice from his predecessor, who remained in the department after stepping down.
To preserve his diagnostic and clinical work amid increased administrative duties, Ryška reduced his research activities, a decision he still regrets.
Ryška adopted a democratic approach, discussing proposed changes with the team and avoiding major reforms because the department was functioning well.
He reorganized pathology coverage by creating small specialist groups for lower-volume areas and distributing high-demand work across staff, making the department more flexible.

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October 28, 2026

NUT carcinoma may defy typical staining patterns

Andrea Surnit
October 28, 2026
4 min

Objective: To describe variation in morphology, immunohistochemical findings, and clinical course in two patients with pulmonary NUT carcinoma. Approach: Cases:

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2 min

October 28, 2026

Anti-CGRP antibodies may raise miscarriage risk

Andrea Surnit
October 28, 2026
4 min

Objective: To assess whether exposure to anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies or propranolol was associated with spontaneous abortion among pregnancies in patients w

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2 min

October 28, 2026

Magical practice may not signal belief

Andrea Surnit
October 28, 2026
5 min

A conceptual synthesis in Evolution and Human Behavior examined whether magical practices reflect genuine belief or other attitudes, including imagination, symbolism, and make-believe.
The researchers argued that neither genuine belief nor non-doxastic commitment should be treated as the default explanation for magical practice.
Seeking magical help for consequential problems, choosing shamans with better track records, and changing methods after failures were cited as evidence of genuine belief.
Ethnographic examples showed that some people participate in magical rituals despite skepticism, potentially because of social obligations or a desire to hedge against possible efficacy.
The authors proposed a heterogeneous account of attitudes but said available evidence cannot establish how common each attitude is or reliably classify individual practitioners.

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The Pathologist

October 28, 2026

AI Diagnostic Tool Outperforms Clinicians

October 28, 2026
2 min

Objective: To evaluate whether Diagnostic Orchestrator (DxO), an AI system that selects tests and updates diagnoses as evidence emerges, can improve diagnostic

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2 min

October 28, 2026

Video: Leading the Alpha Charge – with Øystein Soug

October 28, 2026
1 min

Øystein Soug leads Oncoinvent after a career spanning military training, finance roles in Russia and China, and more than a decade as a CFO.
Oncoinvent is developing Radspherin, a receptor-independent alpha-emitting radiopharmaceutical for cancers that have spread to the abdominal cavity.
Radspherin is delivered directly into the peritoneum to concentrate radiation around residual cancer cells while limiting exposure elsewhere in the body.
Soug discusses lessons from helping bring Xofigo to market and identifies manufacturing and supply chains as persistent radiopharmaceutical challenges.
Soug also discusses new isotopes, delivery methods, combination strategies, Oslo’s radiopharmaceutical sector, and the practical demands of leadership.

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October 28, 2026

Prime Editing Creates Drug-Controllable T Cell Therapies

October 28, 2026
3 min

A preclinical prime-editing platform engineered therapeutic T cells to resist tacrolimus while remaining sensitive to cyclosporin.
In T cells from 3 patients with HAVCR2-associated lymphoma, prime editing corrected the pathogenic variant in 18.7% to 35.8% of cells and restored TIM-3 expression in up to 44.4%.
In humanized mice, tacrolimus selection increased corrected HAVCR2 sequences to an average of 76.8% of spleen reads after 8 weeks, compared with 9.3% without selection.
Tacrolimus-exposed, edited CD19-directed CAR T cells retained viability, proliferation, and tumor-killing activity, and maintained tumor control in mice with CD19-positive tumors.
The researchers also tested edits for resistance to methotrexate and mycophenolate, with resistance varying by edit.

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October 28, 2026

Engineering a New Generation of Cancer-Fighting Cells

October 28, 2026
3 min

Objective: To develop a scalable platform for expanding and genetically engineering granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs) for potential CAR-based cancer immun

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2 min

October 28, 2026

GC×GC Detective Stories: Closing the Case?

Pierre-Hugues Stefanuto
October 28, 2026
8 min

Objective: Review the development, applications, strengths, and remaining challenges of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), as presented i

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3 min