Diagnosis
STIs in pregnancy triple risk of preterm birth
Sexually transmitted infections during pregnancy are linked to higher risks of preterm birth, stillbirth and babies born smaller than expected, a large Australian study has found.
Researchers analysed almost 60,000 births in the Northern Territory between 2005 and 2020, identifying strong associations between maternal infections and adverse birth outcomes.
Congenital syphilis was found to triple the risk of preterm birth and more than double the risk of growth restriction — when a baby is smaller than expected for its gestational age.
Other common infections — including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis — were also significantly linked to babies being small for gestational age. Gonorrhoea was associated with almost double the risk of stillbirth.
Researchers from Curtin University’s School of Population Health and enAble Institute examined the impact of maternal STIs in a region with some of Australia’s highest infection rates.
“This research shows STIs during pregnancy may lead to potentially devastating outcomes,” said Dr Jennifer Dunne, lead author.
“Current STI screenings happen early in pregnancy, but we need additional checks later in pregnancy, especially in high-risk areas.
“Many of these infections are common, preventable and treatable — we just need to be able to catch them in time to treat them as early as possible.”
The findings highlight ongoing inequalities in healthcare access, particularly in remote and regional areas where barriers to timely testing and treatment persist.
“Barriers to timely testing and treatment still exist in isolated communities,” said co-author Dr Jacqui Hendriks.
“Our research suggests a need to strengthen culturally appropriate, accessible services to improve outcomes for parents and babies.
“This includes follow-up care in remote settings, plus targeted education to raise awareness of STIs in pregnancy and the importance of early antenatal care.”
Although current Australian guidelines recommend STI screening early in pregnancy, the researchers say further testing later on could help detect infections in time to avoid complications.
The FDA has granted accelerated approval to AstraZeneca drug Etcamah for certain adults with advanced breast cancer carrying an ESR1 mutation.
Etcamah, also known as camizestrant, was approved in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor, either abemaciclib, palbociclib or ribociclib.
The treatment is for adults with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer when an estrogen receptor-1 (ESR1) mutation is detected during aromatase inhibitor and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy using an FDA-authorised test.
ESR1 mutations are acquired resistance mutations that tumours may develop during treatment with aromatase inhibitors, a type of endocrine therapy commonly used as a front-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
Fewer than 5 per cent of patients have the mutation when HR-positive metastatic breast cancer is diagnosed, according to the FDA. After disease progression on an aromatase inhibitor, nearly 40 per cent have the mutation.
Acting FDA commissioner Kyle Diamantas said: “Women living with metastatic breast cancer face an uphill battle as their tumors continuously evolve to escape treatment.
“We owe them every weapon in our arsenal.
“Today’s approval delivers a win to these patients by granting them a targeted therapy designed specifically to overcome resistance, giving them more time before their disease progresses.”
The accelerated approval programme allows earlier approval of drugs that treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need based on surrogate or intermediate endpoints.
For Etcamah, approval was based on how long patients lived without their disease worsening, measured from when the resistance mutation was first detected in their blood.
The FDA said it has not yet been confirmed whether intervening when the mutation is detected, rather than waiting until disease progression is confirmed, results in a clinically meaningful benefit. Confirmatory studies are therefore required to verify and describe clinical benefit.
Angelo de Claro, director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, said: “I commend both the FDA and the sponsor for their commitment to advancing cancer care and securing this accelerated approval.
“This marks the first FDA approval of a cancer therapy guided by the detection of a resistance mutation in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) before imaging tests show that the disease is progressing.
“But additional evidence is needed to confirm clinical benefit.”
Circulating tumour DNA, or ctDNA, consists of small pieces of tumour DNA released into the blood and can allow earlier molecular detection of resistance mutations.
The FDA also authorised the Guardant360 CDx assay as a companion diagnostic to identify patients with breast cancer who have ESR1 mutations for treatment with camizestrant.
Efficacy was assessed in a clinical trial comparing a switch to Etcamah plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor with continued treatment using an aromatase inhibitor plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
Estimated median progression-free survival was 16 months in the Etcamah group, compared with 9.2 months in the aromatase inhibitor group.
Etcamah’s prescribing information includes a boxed warning about the risk of irregular heart rhythm when taken with certain other medicines. It also includes warnings about an abnormally slow heart rate and potential harm to an unborn baby.
The FDA convened its Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee for the application on 30 April 2026.
Four leading cardiovascular health groups have agreed new guidance for healthcare professionals assessing patients with suspected heart attacks.
Historically, some less common forms of heart attack, which evidence shows affect women far more than men, have been classified as less important, with treatment and care often worse as a result.
Experts said women had been receiving less effective treatments that did not always target the specific cause of their heart attack and could even make them more unwell.
The changes were announced in Munich on the opening day of the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer of the British Heart Foundation, said: “This is a landmark moment, a radical shift in how we define and diagnose heart attacks worldwide which will transform people’s care.
“For decades, women have missed out on accurate diagnoses and treatment.
“This focus on finding less common causes of heart attacks, which predominantly affect women, should help to change that. It could be life-changing for huge numbers of women in the UK and worldwide.”
The new guidance upgrades three types of heart attack that can be up to 10 times more common in women and are often caused by childbirth, exercise and emotional stress.
The most serious cases, previously known as “type 1” and now classed as “primary” heart attacks, had previously prioritised those caused by a clot blocking blood flow to the heart.
Other forms can involve reduced blood flow for different reasons, including the tightening or tearing of coronary arteries. These can be more likely to be missed or treated less urgently.
The guidance also introduces a lower diagnostic threshold for women based on levels of troponin, a protein released into the blood when the heart is injured and damaged.
Previously, women were expected to meet the same troponin threshold as men to receive a diagnosis.
Williams said the streamlined heart attack categories would also help patients understand the cause of their heart attack and what comes next.
The three upgraded types are coronary artery spasm, coronary embolism and spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).
Coronary artery spasm involves the tightening of an artery, which can deprive the heart muscle of blood and oxygen. It can be caused by emotional stress, exercise or extreme cold.
Coronary embolism occurs when a blood clot or fatty deposit travels to a coronary artery and causes a blockage.
SCAD is caused by a tear in a coronary artery. Around 80 per cent of cases occur in women, and it often happens during or soon after pregnancy.
Professor Nicholas Mills, a cardiologist at the University of Edinburgh who led the international taskforce behind the guidance, said it was “the first time that we’ve had a truly global approach to aligning how we diagnose what is probably the most important diagnosis there is”.
He said: “It kills so many people, and we’ve never got everyone together around the world to agree how we’re going to describe it, classify it, explain it to our patients.
“Our job now is to implement this as widely as possible. It’s just as relevant for the UK as it is for any other country around the world. It is a revolution. It’s going to make care better for patients.”
Mills said there had been “unintended systematic bias against women”, including through the use of the key blood test for diagnosing heart attacks at an average level, which picks up all men but misses some women.
He said: “This is used for all types of heart attack in every emergency department in the world, and we want to make sure that it’s used correctly.”
The guidance was drawn up by the ESC, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation.
Women’s health medical device company Ark Surgical has secured further institutional backing from JNF and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) as it accelerates the US commercial expansion of its surgical tissue containment technology.
Both organisations have previously backed Ark, making the renewed support a significant vote of confidence in the company’s technology, leadership team and commercial strategy as it moves into its next stage of growth.
The new backing comes alongside Ark Surgical’s ongoing Series A financing round, which has also attracted investment from physicians and experienced medical device executives, adding further industry validation as the company builds its US commercial presence.
The Israel Innovation Authority, Israel’s public agency supporting technological innovation, selected Ark Surgical for additional non-dilutive funding following an extensive evaluation process.
The assessment examined the unmet clinical need addressed by Ark’s technology, its clinical results, business and US go-to-market strategy, Israeli and US teams, execution against milestones and future product pipeline.
JNF, which supports economic development and community-building initiatives in Israel, has also increased its previous backing of Ark Surgical.
The relationship has particular significance given Ark’s roots in northern Israel. The company is headquartered near Nazareth in the Galilee and plans to continue strengthening its manufacturing capabilities in the region as its commercial presence in the US grows.
Together, the continued institutional support and investment from experienced healthcare leaders reflect growing confidence in Ark’s technology and its strategy for US expansion.
Stav Tori, CEO of Ark Surgical, said: “Having organisations that already know Ark, our technology and our team choose to support us again is particularly meaningful.
“It reflects our ability to consistently achieve the clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones we set and gives us additional resources to accelerate our expansion in the US.
“Our ambition goes beyond bringing another medical device to market.
“We want to help establish a higher standard of surgical safety for women undergoing minimally invasive procedures.”
Addressing an overlooked risk in women’s surgery
At the centre of Ark’s expansion is LapBox, the company’s FDA-cleared dual-wall tissue containment system developed to address an important safety challenge in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.
Procedures such as hysterectomy and myomectomy can require large uterine specimens or fibroids to be divided into smaller pieces so they can be removed through small laparoscopic incisions.
This process, known as morcellation, carries a risk of disseminating tissue within the abdominal cavity.
In rare cases where an unsuspected malignancy is present, morcellation can spread malignant tissue and potentially worsen a patient’s prognosis.
But the risk is not limited to cancer.
Even benign uterine tissue can implant elsewhere in the abdominal cavity and grow, potentially resulting in complications such as parasitic fibroids and the need for additional treatment.
LapBox was developed as a dual-wall, bag-in-bag containment system that creates a secured chamber for tissue extraction. The device is FDA-cleared for use with both manual and power morcellation.
From clinical innovation to US adoption
Ark Surgical is now moving beyond its clinical and regulatory milestones to focus on broader commercial adoption.
LapBox™ has already been used in hundreds of procedures, while Ark has been expanding its presence within US hospitals and building relationships with leading minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons.
The latest institutional backing will support the next stage of that strategy, including additional hospital partnerships, key opinion leader engagement, sales leadership and clinical support.
Joseph LaBruzzo, President and CEO of U.S. Operations at Ark Surgical, said: “Ark has reached an important point in its development.
“We have the regulatory clearance, growing clinical experience and increasing engagement from US surgeons and hospitals.
“The focus now is execution and scale.
“What makes this continued backing particularly meaningful is that these are organizations that have followed Ark’s development and seen the team deliver against its objectives.
“Their decision to support the company again provides further validation as we build the commercial and clinical infrastructure needed for broader US adoption.”
That growing adoption is also being reflected in the experience of surgeons using LapBox.
Dr Ramon Yera, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon with more than 35 years of experience, said: “Once surgeons use LapBox, they realize this is the bag they should be using for their bread-and-butter procedures.”
Yera believes this reflects a broader shift in expectations around tissue containment in gynecologic surgery.
“Containment is no longer optional. It is an expectation.”
Ark Surgical is continuing its Series A financing round, with additional capital intended to support the next phase of US commercial expansion and development of its broader product pipeline.
Further information for prospective investors is available at ark-surgical.com/investment
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