Women who choose to stop treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding are putting their health at risk, and have to weigh their desire to have children and breastfeed against a risk that we know very little about. In two ongoing clinical trials, researchers establish a new standard for human lactation studies that includes sampling of breast milk and plasma from both mothers and breastfed infants. The new protocol is described in a new article in BMJ Open.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection is primarily driven by inflammation-induced myocardial injury through both direct and indirect mechanisms. Effective clinical management requires a dual approach: addressing cardiovascular lesions while also mitigating virus-induced local and systemic inflammation. This comprehensive approach is essential for improving the diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2-associated ACS. Emerging evidence highlights the potential of myocardial protective agents, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-modulating drugs and traditional Chinese medicine, which not only stabilize plaques and improve endothelial function but also confer cardioprotective effects. Furthermore, advancements in nanotechnology offer promising strategies for targeted therapy—particularly through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor modulation—by enhancing the precision and efficacy of herbal medicine delivery. This review explores the complex interplay between SARS-CoV-2 infection and ACS pathogenesis, and evaluates the therapeutic potential of pharmacological, herbal, and nanotechnology-based interventions in managing this multifaceted condition.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study by researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering finds that neutrophils — the most abundant type of white blood cells in humans — may be altered by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to cease their normal function of destroying pathogens in the body and, instead, significantly inhibit other immune cells critical for fighting the virus.