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The results of a randomized controlled trial conducted in Europe indicate that a common bacterial infection in women could be treated without antibiotics. The trial investigated the efficacy of the broad-spectrum antiseptic dequalinium chloride for treating bacterial vaginosis (BV), which affects an estimated 25% of reproductive-age women and has a high recurrence rate attributed to bacterial biofilm. The results, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, showed that when compared with metronidazole, dequalinium chloride was not only noninferior but also had better tolerability and fewer adverse events. (Dall, 5/3)

Investigators discovered that a subset of myeloid and lymphoid leukemias depend on a molecular complex called PI3Kgamma for survival. The study provides both mechanistic and preclinical evidence supporting the rapid initiation of clinical trials for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to test an existing medicine that inhibits the complex, called eganelisib, both alone and in combination with the most used AML chemotherapy, cytarabine. (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 5/8)

US children were prescribed ineffective and potentially harmful drugs to treat COVID-19, such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), according to a study published today in Pediatrics. (Soucheray, 5/8)

Symptoms associated with long COVID in children differ based on the child's age, according to a nationwide, multisite study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2024 Meeting late last week in Toronto. School-age children, adolescents, and young adults all reported more fatigue, headaches, and trouble concentrating and focusing. Change in smell or taste was more commonly described by adolescents and young adults. Chest pain and palpitations were more common in young adults, but not in the younger age groups, the authors said. (Soucheray, 5/7)