NIH grant awards delayed (again)

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NIH grant awards delayed (again)

Nearly halfway through the fiscal year, NIH is far behind in spending its budget: As of March 3, the agency had spent 74% less than the average from 2021-2024. The deficit, STAT’s Anil Oza reports, largely does not fund many new awards from the agency. Rather, the grants it has funded are usually renewals of multi-year projects.

Outside experts point to various explanations for the delay. There were closings in the fall, layoffs, confusing guidance for freelance reviewers, and delays in receiving notifications for funding opportunities. At this time, last year, there was a similarly large reduction in grant funding from the NIH, although by the end of the fiscal year in September, the agency had found a way to spend all of its budget. Today, researchers and others who track administration spending are still trying to understand the full impact of the Trump administration’s policy changes. Read more from Anil on where things stand.

New information on limitations during ventilation

It’s an undeniably uncomfortable image: a loving patient in a hospital bed, a tube down their throat connecting them to a ventilator, their arms tied to their sides. This type of hand restraint during mechanical ventilation, to prevent self-injury, is widely used in ICUs worldwide, although there is little research on its effectiveness. The randomized clinical trial of more than 400 people, published this morning in JAMA, aims to understand whether an aggressive or more conservative approach to patient tolerance is better for patient outcomes.

The study found that two weeks after the initial intubation, there was no significant difference in the chance of patients entering delirium or coma between the group in which physicians chose a conservative, patient-friendly approach and the group that restricted the patient across the board. There was also no difference in safety outcomes, such as unplanned removal of the ventilator or other action from distressed patients. This means that a more cautious restriction strategy can be used safely, the study authors conclude. Especially since they also note, the results do not even take into account the presence of stress-related experiences or mental health problems among patients and their families.

How to type with your mind

A brain-computer interface has allowed two people with paralysis to type with their minds, according to a new study. The brain implant described an attempt to move a finger to type on a virtual keyboard. One of the patients 80% quickly typed as a competent person.

“This study marks a major step forward for the field,” said Taylor Singer-Clark, Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. student and BrainGate Consortium member, told STAT O. Rose Broderick. This is the latest in a series of successful studies on the use of brain implants to communicate with people with disabilities. Still, as Rose previously reported, significant regulatory hurdles remain for the field to overcome. For now, read more about the latest science.

Federal judge halts major ACIP changes

A federal judge yesterday blocked key parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to reshape American vaccine policy. The initial decision, while not final, states that the reorganization of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the group’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, were both potentially unconstitutional.

“There is a method to how these decisions have been made historically — a method that is both scientific in nature and codified into law through procedural requirements,” Justice Brian E. Murphy wrote in the decision. “Unfortunately, the government has ignored these methods and thus undermined the integrity of its actions.” Read more about the decision and how it will affect the next ACIP meeting scheduled to begin tomorrow.

People want workplaces to do more about mental health

One in four people say they quit their job at least partly because of its impact on their mental health, according to a poll released today by the National Psychiatric Association. Of the more than 2,100 respondents, half said they believed their company prioritized their mental health. Some other interesting findings include:

• About 80% of respondents want their workplace to offer training on mental health conditions, including how to recognize and respond to a crisis, how to manage stress and burnout, and what kind of resources employers offer.
• Less than a third of respondents receive mental health training at work. Those who report feel more supported by their manager and leadership than those who do. They are also less likely to be concerned about mental health stigma at work.
• Among respondents who are managers in their jobs, only 28% report that they have received training to support conversations about mental health with their team.

Anyone can be here no Taking blood pressure medication is essential

It’s not every day that medical advice turns toward less medicine, but a research paper yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine says just that. An analysis of the 2025 hypertension guidelines concluded that 11% of people aged 65 to 79 years with stage 1 hypertension (130-139 mm/Hg for high blood pressure or 80-90 mm/Hg for low blood pressure) do not need blood pressure pills if their risk is low.

The update takes into account not only age, but also a new preventive risk calculator. Data from the National Health Survey from 2013 to 2020 revealed that people who would no longer be eligible for the drug were particularly female non-smokers in their mid-60s with low heart risk scores.

A similar preventive risk equation is the basis of guidelines issued last week to reduce the age at which lipid-lowering therapy is initiated. Like blood pressure medications, statins are underused. When they were first shown to reduce heart attacks and strokes, some jokingly suggested adding them to water. Decades later, when fluoridated water is under attack, it’s a non-starter.

Now the movement is one-size-fits-all removed. Or, as the researchers wrote, “Our findings underscore a shift in direction toward personalized, risk-based care among older adults.” — Elizabeth Cooney

What we read

• 13 Years, 6 Doctors and a Trial: The Path to Diagnosing Endometriosis, The New York Times

• Influencers push for parasite cleanup but doctors say clean up, NPR

• Comment: Semaglutide goes off patent in India. But can the people who need it get it? STAT
• My fitness tracker is my secret weapon against chronic illness, Verge
• The White House is mulling STAT’s “best in the nation” drug prices, despite a good reception from Congress