FDA Advisory Panel Generally Pleased With Pulse Oximetry Clinical Trial Proposal
An FDA advisory committee gave generally high marks to the agency’s latest effort to improve the accuracy of pulse oximeters when used in darker-skinned patients, but raised questions about some of the FDA’s proposed premarket clinical trial guidance for pulse oximeter manufacturers. “I really applaud the efforts of the FDA to reduce disparate bias in […]
Opinion | It’s High Time to Protect Farmworkers From Heat-Related Illness and Death
Chicas is an assistant professor of nursing. In November, the Senate admitted defeat in the effort to pass a new version of the Farm Bill, and instead passed a stopgap funding measure to maintain the status quo — until they try again later in 2024 or in 2025. The Farm Bill is a massive piece […]
Major Law That Would Protect Pumping At Work Is Being Held Up By One Industry
A yearslong effort to expand the rights of women to pump breast milk at work has been held up near the finish line due to opposition from the airline industry, according to a senator involved in the fight. The bipartisan bill ― known as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, or PUMP […]
HHS Proposes Rule to Ensure Better Care Coordination for Patients With SUD
In an effort to enhance care coordination for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), HHS, acting through its Office for Civil Rights and in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, proposed changes to “Part 2” rules to better align privacy measures with those of HIPAA on Monday. If implemented, the proposed […]
Study gives animal testing alternatives a confidence boost
As part of a government effort to reduce animal testing, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Inotiv Inc. to produce a new protocol for screening skin allergens. The method is potentially cheaper and faster than animal testing, while maintaining a similar […]
Two Senators on Different Sides Unite on Mental Health Law Reauthorization
WASHINGTON — Two senators are spearheading a bipartisan effort to reauthorize a bill focusing on mental health care. When Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) set out to develop a mental health bill, they agreed to disagree on some issues, “but it turns out we had much, much more common ground […]
AI helps design the perfect chickpea
A massive international research effort has led to development of a genetic model for the ‘ultimate’ chickpea, with the potential to lift crop yields by up to 12 per cent. The research consortium genetically mapped thousands of chickpea varieties, and the UQ team then used this information to identify the most valuable gene combinations using […]
Scientists discover 14 genes that cause obesity: Findings could decouple overeating from harmful health effects
Promising news in the effort to develop drugs to treat obesity: University of Virginia scientists have identified 14 genes that can cause and three that can prevent weight gain. The findings pave the way for treatments to combat a health problem that affects more than 40% of American adults. “We know of hundreds of gene […]
Making methane from CO2: Carbon capture grows more affordable: Methane made from CO2 and renewable hydrogen offers a new path toward cheaper carbon capture
In their ongoing effort to make carbon capture more affordable, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a method to convert captured carbon dioxide (CO2) into methane, the primary component of natural gas. By streamlining a longstanding process in which CO2 is converted to methane, the researchers’ new method reduces […]