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Cumulative aluminum exposure from vaccination during the first 2 years of life did not raise the risk of autism, asthma, or other chronic disorders, a 24-year study of over 1.2 million children in Denmark showed. (George, 7/14)

Vaping improved smoking cessation rates better than nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults, a randomized trial from Australia showed. Breath test-verified continuous smoking abstinence after 6 months nearly tripled with use of vaporized nicotine products (VNPs) compared with NRT during a quit attempt, with rates of 28.4% compared with 9.6%, a significant difference that Bayesian analysis suggested was 99% certain for superiority. (Phend, 7/14)

A hidden genetic mutation could predict a man’s likelihood of developing dementia. That’s according to an Australian study led by Monash and Curtin Universities, which analyzed the medical data of thousands of Australians and Americans. Men who had a certain variant in the haemochromatosis (HFE) gene — which regulates iron levels in the body — were found to be at a higher risk of dementia, the researchers found. (Rudy, 7/14)

There's one main way to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Control inflammation by whipping the immune system into shape, a process that can go haywire or fail to work. But what if the body could promote healing by regenerating new tissue? That's the promise -- and the challenge -- of stem cell therapy, an experimental treatment for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis that's been studied in this context for at least two decades. The treatment isn't ready for routine clinical use, and some studies have failed to uncover any benefit. But other research suggests that it has potential, especially in Crohn's disease. (Dotinga, 7/14)

Three-fourths of patients avoided long-term immunosuppression after matched kidney transplant procedures involving donor stem cells, a small randomized trial showed. More than 2 years after transplantation, 15 of 20 patients remained off all immunosuppression after receiving the allogeneic cellular product MDR-101. (Bankhead, 7/14)

The vast majority of patients with stage III resectable melanoma treated with neoadjuvant and adjuvant dual immunotherapy -- nivolumab (Opdivo) and relatlimab (Opdualag) -- remained alive and disease-free after almost 4 years, according to a phase II study. At a median follow-up of 47 months, 87% of 30 patients treated with the combination were alive, and 80% remained disease-free, reported Elizabeth Burton, PhD, MBA, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues. (Bassett, 7/14)

AstraZeneca’s drug candidate baxdrostat lowered systolic blood pressure in a phase 3 clinical trial involving patients with uncontrolled or treatment-resistant hypertension. In the trial, patients who received either 1 mg or 2 mg of baxdrostat once daily had a greater reduction in mean seated systolic blood pressure after 12 weeks compared with those who received a placebo, according to a July 14 news release from the drugmaker. (Murphy, 7/14)

Popular weight loss medications like Ozempic can help reverse low testosterone levels in men with obesity or Type 2 diabetes, according to new research. Building on previous studies that show weight loss surgery or lifestyle changes can increase testosterone levels in the body, researchers at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital analyzed the electronic health records of 110 men with obesity or Type 2 diabetes to monitor changes in the hormone while taking GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semgalutide and tirzepatide. (Sudhakar, 7/14)

A review of clinical Aspergillus fumigatus isolates collected over nearly 30 years from Dutch hospitals shows rising resistance to triazole antifungals, researchers reported last week in The Lancet Microbe. (Dall, 7/14)

Warming trends across North America have helped establish West Nile virus (WNV) as an endemic disease in New York state, and in the future continued climate change will help increase transmissibility of the virus, according to new research published late last week in Scientific Reports. (Soucheray, 7/14)