AI-Aided Colonoscopy Flops for Advanced Neoplasia Detection in Trial
Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) computer-aided detection systems (CADe) into colonoscopy does not improve rates of advanced neoplasia detection, according to two studies in Annals of Internal Medicine. In the randomized CADILLAC trial of patients with a positive fecal immunochemical test, detection of advanced colorectal neoplasia was virtually identical with or without the use of CADe […]
Infant formula safety checks can be improved with stratified sampling
Producers of infant formula employ comprehensive food safety systems, including product testing to ensure those systems are working. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds that some testing methods are more powerful at catching contaminants than others. Spacing out samples over time in a stratified sampling pattern is better at catching risky […]
Experts Say Tracking Pathogens in Sewage Works, but Needs Sustained Investment
Surveillance of wastewater systems proved useful during the COVID-19 pandemic and merits further investment to respond to future threats, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). But there’s room for improvement. The report highlights five core pillars for developing a stronger National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), calling […]
Physician Wants Hospital CEO Pay Capped at $800K
A former physician at the MetroHealth System in Cleveland has called for a cap on CEO pay after the health system’s top executive allegedly awarded himself and others more than $2.2 million in unauthorized bonuses last year. Kenneth Frisof, MD, a retired family medicine doctor, wrote in a letter to the editor of Cleveland.com that […]
Copay Assistance Programs, and Their Trackers, Stay in the Spotlight
The use of tracking systems — such as copay accumulators and copay maximizers — to scrutinize patients’ use of drug manufacturer copay assistance programs is causing controversy inside and outside of the federal government, as well as concerns among physicians and patients. “These programs harm patients by discouraging the appropriate utilization of specialty therapies and […]
Solid tumors use a type of T cell as a shield against immune attack
An unexpected trick in cancer’s playbook may fool an important component of our immune systems into knocking down our natural defenses against solid tumors. Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center say this newfound vulnerability involves a misuse of a type of T cell, part of a large family of blood cells that are essential to […]
Immune cells produce chemical messenger that prevents heart disease–related inflammation
The immune system’s white blood cells, which are produced in the bone marrow, mostly help to defend against bacteria and injury, but sometimes they can turn against the body — for example, in cardiovascular disease, their inflammatory aggression can harm arteries and the heart. New research in Nature Immunology that was led by investigators at […]
Microscopic view on asteroid collisions could help us understand planet formation
A new way of dating collisions between asteroids and planetary bodies throughout our Solar System’s history could help scientists reconstruct how and when planets were born. A team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, combined dating and microscopic analysis of the Chelyabinsk meteorite — which fell to Earth and hit the headlines in […]
For children, young adults with recurrent AML, immunotherapy shows promise: Natural killer cells could help young patients with few treatment options
An immunotherapy harnessing the immune system’s “natural killer” cells has proven effective in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in some adults whose cancers return. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown, in a small clinical trial, that the same natural killer cells also can help some children and young […]
Smartphone sensor data has potential to detect cannabis intoxication: New report demonstrates how phone sensor data, such as GPS, can be used to detect cannabis intoxication in young adults.
A smartphone sensor, much like what is used in GPS systems, might be a way to determine whether or not someone is intoxicated after consuming marijuana, according to a new study by the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. According to the study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, which evaluated […]