Breakthrough invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains rare (<10%) but varies by vaccine type, schedule, serotype, and host factors. Booster doses significantly reduce breakthrough risk. Serotypes 3, 19A, and 19F cause most failures. High herd immunity mitigates schedule differences. Ongoing surveillance and optimised vaccination strategies are essential to sustain IPD control.

In adults with obesity, H. pylori-negative gastritis was linked to lower microbial diversity and higher levels of Streptococcus, Weissella, and Cryptobacterium. Gastritis cases showed enriched pathways for toluene degradation and metabolite biosynthesis, and had higher cholesterol 1 year post-surgery. Findings suggest a distinct gastric microbiota signature contributing to inflammation independent of H. pylori.

The EUSTAR study on systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) found that a > 10% drop in forced vital capacity (FVC) over 1 year increased mortality risk (HR 3.81). Combining FVC decline with skin scores (mRSS) (2.82) or with ≥15% drop in diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (3.42) also predicted poorer survival, while individual changes in these parameters were not predictive.

A meta-analysis suggested that fecal calprotectin and imaging methods like CT/MR enterography and intestinal ultrasound can effectively detect Crohn’s disease recurrence, offering a non-invasive alternative to colonoscopy. Fecal calprotectin (<50 μg/g) showed 0.76 sensitivity and 0.66 specificity, while imaging methods achieved sensitivity above 0.89, with IUS specificity improved to 0.85 using radiographic parameter...

A large screening across 21 antiretroviral therapy centers in Mumbai found that nearly 24% of people living with HIV had hypertension, with over half being newly diagnosed. Older age, male gender, overweight or obese, CD4 count >200 cells/mm3, suppressed viral load (< 1000 copies/mL) & longer duration of ART were significantly linked to hypertension. Integrating routine hypertension screening may enable early detecti...

Hospitalized acute kidney injury (AKI) patients who exhibited an early spike in D-dimer followed by a gradual decline had twice the risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 2.27) compared to those with stable low levels. Researchers identified two D-dimer patterns—high-peak decline and sustained low-level—with the high-peak group showing increased mortality risk across subgroups, including those with cancer, MI, and CKD.