From publication bias to lost in information

The availability of clinical trial records has increased markedly in recent years. For instance, several documents from numerous sources are often available for a single clinical trial – sometimes with overlapping, but often incomplete information. Identifying and processing this information involves a great deal of resources and challenges. Using an example of information retrieval for…

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Development of the first biohybrid artificial retina built with silk fibroin and retinal cells.

“The biohybrid retina is a cell therapy for the reconstruction of the damaged retina by implanting healthy cells in the patient’s eye,” says Fivos Panetsos, director of the Neuro-computation and Neuro-robotics Group of the UCM and member of the Institute of Health Research of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid (IdISSC). The cells of…

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Pre-existing flu immunity impacts antibody quality following infection and vaccination

New research by scientists at the University of Chicago suggests a person’s antibody response to influenza viruses is dramatically shaped by their pre-existing immunity, and that the quality of this response differs in individuals who are vaccinated or naturally infected. Their results highlight the importance of receiving the annual flu vaccine to induce the most…

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Financial distress negatively impacts well-being, satisfaction of breast cancer patients

CHICAGO (December 11, 2020): Financial toxicity among breast cancer patients is independently associated with worse psychological well-being following a mastectomy or lumpectomy operation. However, even small improvements in financial pressure associated with treatment-related costs can lead to better mental well-being and higher patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction, according to an “article in press” published on…

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New online COVID-19 mortality risk calculator could help determine who should get vaccines first

A new online calculator for estimating individual and community-level risk of dying from COVID-19 has been developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers who developed the calculator expect it to be useful to public health authorities for assessing mortality risks in different communities, and for prioritizing certain groups…

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How AI could make therapeutic decision-making for breast cancer more accurate, affordable

Breast cancer affects 1/8 women in the USA, and rates of breast cancer are increasing. Humans are good at spotting cancer by looking at patterns in cells. But a new AI tool, ReceptorNet, can supplement human theragnosis by identifying the subtle differences in those patterns to inform better treatment decisions. ReceptorNet was developed in collaboration…

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A saliva-based smartphone platform could rapidly expand COVID-19 testing

Offering an ultrasensitive yet accessible approach to COVID-19 testing, a portable saliva-based smartphone platform provides results within 15 minutes without the resource-intensive laboratory tests the current gold standard requires, according to a new study. The approach was tested in 12 people infected with COVID-19 and 6 healthy controls. Bo Ning and colleagues demonstrate that this…

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