Lab to pay $758,000 in kickback case; fungal compound shows promise against brain cancer; losing sleep over climate change – Morning Medical Update

Virginia lab to pay $758,000 in kickback case

A Virginia-based clinical laboratory will pay at least $758,000 to resolve federal allegations that it funneled illegal kickbacks to physicians and marketers to generate test referrals. Prosecutors say NEXT Molecular Analytics disguised improper payments as consulting or medical director fees for doctors in Texas and Arkansas, while also compensating independent marketers based on the volume and value of test orders — actions that allegedly led to claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE.

Newly synthesized fungal compound shows early promise against pediatric brain cancer

MIT chemists have, for the first time, created verticillin A in the lab — a notoriously complex fungal molecule that has intrigued cancer researchers for decades. With reliable access to the compound, the team was able to design sturdier versions that Dana-Farber scientists then tested in diffuse midline glioma (DMG), a devastating childhood brain cancer with limited treatment options. Some of these derivatives were strikingly effective at killing DMG cells, particularly those driven by high EZHIP expression.

While the work, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is still at a very early stage, researchers say having a practical way to make and modify verticillin A opens the door to deeper studies.

Study projects climate-driven sleep loss by 2099

Nighttime heat may become a significant public health stressor, according to a large analysis from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, published in Environment International, that links rising temperatures to shorter and more fragmented sleep in U.S. adults. Using more than 12 million FitBit-recorded nights from over 14,000 participants, investigators found that a 10°C (50°F) rise in nighttime temperatures corresponded to 2.6 minutes of lost sleep, with disproportionate effects among women, Hispanic individuals, people with chronic illness and those of lower socioeconomic status.

West Coast residents experienced nearly triple the sleep loss seen in other regions. Extrapolating these trends, researchers estimate Americans could lose 8.5–24 hours of sleep annually by 2099, amplifying risks for cardiovascular, pulmonary and mental health complications.