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☆ Experimental gene therapy restores some vision in patients with inherited blindness
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

“Now, post-surgery and post recovery, I am able to see in dimmer lighting with my left eye,” Cook said. A treatment that used CRISPR was found to be safe and efficacious in improving vision among a small sample of patients with inherited blindness in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial that Cook participated in. Months following the treatment, Cook was sitting with friends on a balcony that had Christmas lights wrapped around the railing. Courtesy Olivia CookBefore the treatment, Cook said that she sometimes could conceal the vision challenges she has had. Mass Eye and EarKalberer described the CRISPR treatment as “groundbreaking,” but warned it’s not a cure.

Persons: Olivia Cook, Cook, ”, ” Cook, “, I’ve, “ I’d, you’d, CRISPR, Eric Pierce, Brigham, “ We’re, ” Pierce, Jason Comander, ‘, Michael Kalberer, Kalberer, it’s, “ It’s, It’s, Pierce, Editas, We’re, Art Caplan, ” Caplan, —, Vlad Diaconita, ” Diaconita, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Aliaa Abdelhakim Organizations: CNN, Missouri State University, New England, of Medicine, Mass, Harvard Medical School, Editas Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, University of Miami, Oregon Health & Science University, US Food and Drug Administration, CEP290, pharma, NYU Grossman School, Medicine’s Department of Population Health, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, CNN Health Locations: Springfield, United States, CEP290

Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max The Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max is a powerful air-cleaning machine for large spaces, and the best part is that you only need to change its filter every five years. Camryn Rabideau/Business InsiderThe Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max took less than 5 minutes to unbox and get running. Our review of the Shark NeverChange™ Air Purifier MAXAdvertisementEase of UseThe air purifier’s display screen shows the real-time air quality in your home. AdvertisementThe bottom lineFor large spaces, the Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max is worth the investment. Camryn Rabideau/Business InsiderThe Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max is a worthwhile option that requires minimal maintenance and covers large rooms.

Persons: Max, Camryn, Philip M, Tierno Jr, Tierno, it's, There's Organizations: Business, Shop, Energy, Stratos, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical, Honeywell

☆ Taking Multiple Medications? You May Need to Scale Back.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Knvul Sheikh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Around one in five adults between the ages of 40 to 79 is taking five or more prescription drugs, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the older patients are, the more likely it is they’re taking even more medications. But taking many medicines simultaneously, known among medical experts as polypharmacy, increases people’s risk of experiencing severe side effects and drug interactions, said Dr. Nina Blachman, an assistant professor of medicine and geriatrics at the N.Y.U. Studies show that taking multiple medications is associated with a faster decline in memory in some patients with mild cognitive impairment, and with a greater risk of falls among people with balance problems or weakened muscles. Many are never taken off the drugs they’ve been prescribed for years, even if they no longer need them or if there are newer formulations available that can treat different symptoms simultaneously..

Persons: Nina Blachman, Blachman, they’ve Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Grossman, of Medicine . Studies

☆ Why don’t humans have tails?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

One of those led to shorter tails; the more of that protein the genes produced, the shorter the tails. A tail as old as timeFor modern humans, tails are a distant genetic memory. While Alu’s role “seems to be a very important one,” other genetic factors likely contributed to the permanent disappearance of our primate ancestors’ tails,” Xia said. In their experiments, the researchers found that when mice were genetically engineered for tail loss, some developed neural tube deformities that resembled spina bifida in humans. “Maybe the reason why we have this condition in humans is because of this trade-off that our ancestors made 25 million years ago to lose their tails,” Yanai said.

Persons: —, Alu, AluY, Bo Xia, ” Xia, ”, Xia, Itai Yanai, ” Yanai, “, Bo, Yanai, TBXT’s, Liza Shapiro, ” Shapiro, africanus, Shapiro, spina, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Gene, Broad Institute of MIT, Harvard University, Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, University of Texas, Scientific Locations: Austin, Kenya

☆ This risk assessment tool helped Olivia Munn discover her breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The “X-Men: Apocalypse” star, 43, wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and would not have discovered it if her physician, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, had not calculated her breast cancer risk score. A breast cancer risk assessment tool uses a statistical model to estimate a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer over the next five years as well as over her lifetime, or up to about age 90, according to the National Cancer Institute. Two models are commonly used as breast cancer risk assessment tools: the Gail Model and the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator. An online version of the breast cancer risk assessment tool, using the Gail Model, is available for anyone to take at bcrisktool.cancer.gov. In fact, some women who do not develop breast cancer have higher risk estimates than some women who do develop breast cancer,” according to the National Cancer Institute’s website.

Persons: Olivia Munn’s, Thaïs Aliabadi, Aliabadi, Munn, Gail, Jennifer Plichta, “, ” Plichta, they’re, ”, Plichta, I’ve, they’ve, Otis Brawley, ” Brawley, Larry Norton, Evelyn H, ” Norton, Robert Smith, Ruth Oratz, NYU Langone Health’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Oratz Organizations: CNN, National Cancer Institute, National Cancer, Duke Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Lauder Breast Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, American Cancer Society, US Preventive Services Task Force, NYU, Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, CNN Health Locations: United States, Durham , North Carolina

☆ A single genetic tweak caused human ancestors to lose their tails 25 million years ago — but it came at a cost
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A single genetic tweak that occurred among our ancestors 25 million years ago means humans today are unable to grow a tail, according to a new study. Scientists knew that a gene called TBXT was involved in the snipping of the tail. Asep Supriatna/Getty ImagesWandering DNA snipped off our tailsThe solution, they found, was in a type of "jumping gene" called an Alu element. Scientists found two Alu elements around a part of the TBXT gene, called Exon 6. Scientists tested their findings by inserting Alu sequences in mice.

Persons: —, Himanshu Sharma, it's, we've, Asep Supriatna, Miriam Konkel, Emily Casanova, Konkel, Casanova Organizations: Service, Business, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NYU, Grossman School of Medicine, Nature, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Science Locations: Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

☆ More people need transplants than there are organ donors. Pigs might offer a solution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

The need for more transplant organs is immense and growing. Researchers have transplanted genetically modified pig kidneys and hearts into people who were brain-dead to test whether they work in humans. Although Larry Faucette was too sick for a human heart transplant, University of Maryland doctors said he seemed physically strong enough for a genetically modified pig heart. It was more than a decade after the first heart transplant but long before such procedures became relatively routine. “We learned that the pig heart is an adequate substitute for a human heart.

Persons: Lawrence Faucette, Ann, he’d, ” Ann, Larry Faucette, Ann Faucette Ann, Larry, didn’t, ”, Robert Montgomery, “, Shelby Lum, ” Montgomery, Xenotransplantation, Art Caplan, Caplan, Babe ”, ” Caplan, They’re, eGenesis, people’s, Dr, Mike Curtis, Sanjay Gupta, ” Curtis, hasn’t, Julie O’Hara, Jim Parsons, Jayme Locke, couldn’t, Locke, Parsons, NYU —, Montgomery —, O’Hara, ” Locke, David Bennett Sr, Mary, David Jr, Bartley Griffith, Bennett, they’ve, Muhammad M, Mohiuddin, Larry Faucette’s, David Bennett’s, ” Griffith, xenotransplantation Ann Faucette, Wilbur, White’s, Ann Faucette, NYU ethicist Caplan, they’re, NYU’s Montgomery, UAB’s Locke, Steve Wood, ’ Curtis, “ I’m, it’s, ” O’Hara, Bennett’s, Larry Faucette —, ” Bennett’s, Faucette, who’d, Griffith, would’ve, Kate, Lucy, Nadia Kounang Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, University of Maryland, FDA, National Institute of Allergy, NYU Langone Transplant Institute, NYU Langone's Transplant, NYU Grossman School, Medicine’s Department of Population Health, “ Disney, University of Alabama, Transplant Institute, Parsons Family, Birmingham, NYU, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Doctors, University of Maryland Medical Center, Uno, UAB, CNN Health, NFL Locations: Frederick , Maryland, United States, Montgomery, “, Midwest, Yucatan, Maryland

☆ Common contaminants linked to accelerated weight gain in children
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The research network aims to examine the lifetime impact of exposure in the womb to chemical contaminants in air, water and food. Both DDT and HCB contamination in people occurs “mainly through bioaccumulation in the food chain via fish, fish products, meat (and) dairy products,” Montazeri said. The July 2022 report also found PFAS exposure was sufficiently associated with decreased infant and fetal growth as well as decreased antibody response to vaccines in both adults and children. Pregnant people can take steps to reduce their exposure to various chemicals in commercial products, food and water. “Phthalates and phenols come from plastics and personal care products,” Montazeri said.

Persons: ”, Parisa Montazeri, “, Montazeri, Leonardo Trasande, HCB, ” Montazeri, Trasande Organizations: CNN, Barcelona Institute, Global Health, BMI, NYU Langone Health, Environmental, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Getty, NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine, National Sanitation Foundation Locations: Spain, United States, PFAS

☆ Near-death experiences tied to brain activity after death, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Many people see a bright light during their near-death experiences, experts say. “This latest report of persistent brain waves after cardiac arrest has been blown out of proportion by the media. “That is, those patients who had near-death experiences did not show the reported brain waves, and those who did show the reported brain waves did not report near-death experiences,” Greyson told CNN via email. Greyson, who was not involved in the new study, is the coeditor of “The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation.” He and cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel, a Dutch researcher and writer on near-death experiences, submitted comments to the journal to publish alongside the new study. It’s correct that the study was not able to match electrical activity with a near death experience in the same patient, Parnia said.

Persons: Aubrey Osteen’s, “, y’all, ” Osteen, —, ”, Osteen, ” Aubrey Osteen, Anne Elizabeth Barnes, Sam Parnia, It’s, ” Parnia, ‘, Jesus ’, Parnia, Bruce Greyson, Carlson, ” Greyson, Greyson, Dr, Pim van Lommel Organizations: CNN — Surgeons, NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, CNN Locations: New York City, “, United States, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Charlottesville, Dutch, flatline, ”

☆ Mitch McConnell May Be Experiencing Small Seizures, Doctors Suggest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Benjamin Mueller | More About Benjamin Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A four-line letter, signed by the attending physician of Congress and released by Senator Mitch McConnell on Thursday, suggested that his recent spells of speechlessness were linked to “occasional lightheadedness” perhaps brought on by his recovery from a concussion last winter or “dehydration.”But seven neurologists, relying on what they described as unusually revealing video of Mr. McConnell freezing up in public twice recently, said in interviews Thursday and Friday that the episodes captured in real time likely pointed to more serious medical problems afflicting the longtime Republican leader. Some of the neurologists, while cautioning that they could not diagnose the minority leader from afar, said that the letter and other comments from Mr. McConnell’s office appeared to fall short of explaining why he abruptly stopped speaking during news conferences in late July and again on Wednesday. “If I gave that tape to a medical student and that was his explanation, I’d fail him,” said Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a professor of neurology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, referring to the account given by the attending physician of Congress on Thursday. “Medically, these episodes need to be taken seriously.”

Persons: Mitch McConnell, McConnell, ”, Orrin Devinsky, “ Organizations: Republican, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

☆ Sedentary time as a kid could mean heart problems as an adult, research shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Childhood inactivity may be increasing risk for heart disease later in life, according to new research. The longitudinal study included 766 children and looked at data from ages 11 to 24, the research showed. More sedentary time was associated with increased left ventricle mass in the girls who were followed in the study, according to the new research. “Since it is rare for children to have heart attacks, left ventricular hypertrophy or enlarged heart has been employed as early signs of heart damage,” he said. “An example of such light physical activity is taking a long walk.”Children ages 6 to 17 need about an hour of physical activity a day, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Persons: ”, Andrew Agbaje, ” Agbaje, Agbaje, Nieca Goldberg, University’s, Goldberg, Andrew Freeman, Freeman, “ Organizations: CNN, CNN’s, European Society of Cardiology’s ESC, University of Eastern Finland’s School of Medicine, University’s Grossman School of Medicine, Jewish Health, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: Amsterdam, York City, New, Denver

☆ Summer Is Coming. It’s Time to Check Your Feet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Jancee Dunn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past few months, my feet have been sheathed in socks and slippers — like cave fish, hidden from the light. In preparation, I carefully inspect every inch of my feet to ensure they are ready to show to the world. Suddenly swollen feet can indicate high blood pressure, said Dr. Kirk Geter, the chief of podiatry at Howard University Hospital. Swelling can also be a sign of gout or kidney problems, Dr. Geter added, while tingling and numbness in the feet can indicate diabetes. So each day, you should inspect the bottoms and tops of your feet — as well as between your toes — and wiggle your toes around, Dr. Geter said.

☆ Scientists propose long Covid definition based on key symptoms in large study
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

South_agency | E+ | Getty ImagesScientists funded by the federal government have proposed a definition of long Covid based on symptoms identified in a large study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The scientists assigned points based on how much each symptom distinguished participants with long Covid from those who did not catch the virus. There are no tests that can diagnose long Covid based on markers in the blood. Scientists participating in RECOVER are trying to understand the underlying biology that causes long Covid, which could potentially lead to such tests in the future. Horwitz said the proposed definition could help create a rubric to diagnose patients with long Covid in a manner similar to Lupus.

☆ Your Hair Is Going Gray. This Glitch May Explain Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But gray hairs are one of the most obvious clues that the body isn’t working like it used to. Our hair turns gray when melanin-producing stem cells stop functioning properly. “This is a really big step toward understanding why we gray,” said Mayumi Ito, an author of the study and a dermatology professor at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which develop into all sorts of different organs, adult stem cells have a more set path. The melanocyte stem cells in our hair follicles are responsible for producing and maintaining the pigment in our hair.

☆ New study suggests Black women should be screened earlier for breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —A new study on breast cancer deaths raises questions around whether Black women should screen at earlier ages. Even though Black women have a 4% lower incidence rate of breast cancer than White women, they have a 40% higher breast cancer death rate. “When the breast cancer mortality rate for Black women in their 40s is 27 deaths per 100,000 person-years, this means 27 out of every 100,000 Black women aged 40-49 in the US die of breast cancer during one year of follow-up. They also wrote that health policy makers should pursue equity, not just equality, when it comes to breast cancer screening as a tool to help reduce breast cancer death rates. Having dense tissue in the breast can make it more difficult for radiologists to identify breast cancer on a mammogram, and women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer.

☆ Morning after pill brand speeds up retail access, doubles supply per pack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The brand is also introducing a new 2-count pack of its emergency contraception (which has a three-year expiration period). Julie rolled out a new two-count pack of its emergency contraception priced at $70. Cleland said a study done last year by the American Society for Emergency Contraception on access to emergency contraception in stores compared price at retail for branded and generic emergency contraception options. “Every time there is a new development on restrictions to reproduction health care, there’s a run on emergency contraceptive. Our retail partners confirmed this,” said Morrison, adding that news events continue to influence buying patterns for emergency contraceptive.

☆ Online mental health company uses ChatGPT to help respond to users in experiment — raising ethical concerns around healthcare and AI technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A digital mental health company is drawing ire for using GPT-3 technology without informing users. Koko co-founder Robert Morris told Insider the experiment is "exempt" from informed consent law due to the nature of the test. "The participants should have given informed consent and this should have passed through an IRB [institutional review board]." A women seeks mental health support on her phone. Beatriz Vera/EyeEm/Getty ImagesChatGPT and the mental health gray areaStill, the experiment is raising questions about ethics and the gray areas surrounding the use of AI chatbots in healthcare overall, after already prompting unrest in academia.

☆ Traumatic shock: A surviving roommate of the Idaho slain students said she saw killer, according to affidavit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Safia Samee Ali | Safia Samee Ali Is A Reporter For Nbc News Digital | Based In Chicago. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

in an affidavit, encountered the suspect as he fled the house in Moscow, Idaho. According to the affidavit, Mortensen “described the figure as 5’10” or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows. as she stood in a ‘frozen shock phase.’ The male walked towards the back sliding glass door. What was described as “frozen shock phase” could fall under a number of acute trauma responses, such as dissociation and tonic immobility, which are commonly elicited in stressful scenarios, experts said Friday. There’s different things that could be operating with her frozen state, and I think all of them would be reasonable.”

☆ Skyrocketing demand for ADHD meds is straining the U.S. health care system
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Charlotte Morabito | In Charlottemorabito | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions have been increasing across all age groups since before the days of social media. The number of ADHD diagnoses in 2010 were almost five times what they were in 1999. And between 2007 and 2016, the number of diagnoses of ADHD in adults more than doubled. "I think we've definitely moved into an area of talking about mental health that's really positive. Watch the video above to learn more about the rise in ADHD in the United States and whether the health care system can handle the increase in demand.

☆ More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Charlotte Morabito | In Charlottemorabito | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There are more than 100,000 people in the United States waiting for an organ transplant, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, known as UNOS. Only a little more than 50% of people waiting for an organ will receive one within five years, according to UNOS. The industry recognizes the importance of finding alternatives to using organs from deceased human donors to address the national shortage. "Even though we're all fascinated by transplant, the ultimate goal is to get rid of it," Caplan said. Watch the video above to learn more about how the organ transplant system works and what we can do to increase supply while also addressing the inequalities.

Other omicron subvariants that have piqued the interest — and concerns — of scientists read like a viral alphabet soup: BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BF.7. Ever since the omicron variant emerged, it's been omicron all the way down, with omicron subvariants splitting off into their own subvariants. Barouch's study was small, including just 35 people who'd had either the Covid vaccine or an omicron infection. Most, regardless of prior infection, had at least three doses of Covid vaccine. The World Health Organization is tracking more than 300 omicron subvariants worldwide, Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said during a media briefing Wednesday.

Scientists may have found a culprit for what can trigger Crohn’s disease. Cadwell and his colleagues discovered the norovirus connection to Crohn’s fortuitously when they were studying mice that had been engineered to develop the intestinal disease. Many of the mice had gotten norovirus and “the mice developed intestinal abnormalities only in the presence of a viral infection,” Cadwell explained. On a hunch, the researchers treated the mice that had developed the rodent version of Crohn’s with the human version of the API5 protein. Crohn's treatments can worsen infectionsThat would be welcome news to Heather Schlueter, who learned three years ago that her excruciating abdominal pain was due to Crohn’s disease.

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