New calculator could change how you treat high blood pressure; common constipation drug could be used for CKD; new ‘cough simulator’ shows how TB spreads – Morning Medical Update

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New calculator could transform blood pressure care

A first-of-its-kind online tool from the George Institute for Global Health lets doctors predict how much different drugs will lower blood pressure, using data from nearly 500 trials and 100,000 patients. Published in The Lancet, the Blood Pressure Treatment Efficacy Calculator helps physicians move beyond trial-and-error prescribing by categorizing medications as low-, moderate- or high-intensity based on average reductions in systolic pressure. Researchers say the tool could make treatment more precise and timely — a major advance given hypertension’s role in 10 million deaths each year. A clinical trial is planned to test the approach.

Common constipation drug shows promise in protecting kidney function

In a world-first clinical trial, researchers at Tohoku University found that lubiprostone —usually prescribed for constipation — slowed kidney function decline in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The Phase II trial of 150 patients showed that lubiprostone preserved estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in a dose-dependent manner, likely by reshaping gut microbiota and boosting mitochondrial function. Published in Science Advances, the findings suggest a surprising new therapeutic path for CKD, with Phase III studies now planned.

New ‘cough simulator’ offers breakthrough look at TB spread

Scientists at Hackensack Meridian’s Center for Discovery and Innovation, working with MIT and Weill Cornell, have built a “Transmission Simulation System” that mimics the human cough with unprecedented accuracy to study how tuberculosis spreads. Unlike older fog-based lab models, the system replicates the size and concentration of infectious droplets and uses a “nose-only” pickup to model transmission more realistically. Published in mBio, the work could accelerate development of vaccines and therapies targeting TB — still the world’s deadliest infectious disease — and potentially inform research on other airborne pathogens.