Wellness

Mathematical method developed to predict cancer and drug-specific immunotherapy efficacy

HOUSTON-(Feb. 1, 2021) – Houston Methodist researchers have developed a mathematical model to predict how specific cancers will respond to immunotherapy treatments, thus enhancing chances for successful treatments from a wide variety of cancer-immunotherapy drug combinations. The results were published last month in Nature Biomedical Engineering in collaboration with researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center.…

New research looks at teen bariatric surgery outcomes by age

Obesity and its duration are significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular events, multiple cancers and decreased quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity affects 20.6% of adolescents ages 12-19 in the United States, meaning a potential lifetime of dealing with this condition. Complications from obesity can also…

Mayo Clinic research yields breakthrough in mobile determination of QT prolongation

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers from Mayo Clinic and AliveCor Inc. have been using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a mobile device that can identify certain patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. This research has yielded a breakthrough in determining the health of the electrical recharging system in a patient’s heart. The researchers determined that…

Andrew Brooks, Who Developed a Coronavirus Spit Test, Dies at 51

After working at the University of Rochester Medical Center for four years, he returned to New Jersey to take a job at Rutgers, and in 2009 joined its Cell and DNA Repository, a university-owned company that provides data management and analysis for biological research. Updated  Jan. 31, 2021, 9:01 a.m. ET Dr. Brooks became the…

Fact Check: Hank Aaron’s Death Was Not Related to Covid-19 Vaccine

On Jan. 5, Hank Aaron, the legendary home run hitter, posted on Twitter that he had been vaccinated for the coronavirus at the Morehouse School of Medicine, along with other prominent civil rights figures in Atlanta who were 75 or older and thus part of the group at the highest priority to be inoculated. “I…

Why Some Who Are Vaccinated Still Get Coronavirus

The scattered reports from around the country can play like a cruel irony: Someone tests positive for the coronavirus even though they have already received one or both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Notable examples It’s happened to at least three members of Congress recently: But it’s been reported in people in other walks of…

Social & structural factors influence racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality

COVID-19 mortality racial disparities in the U.S. are associated with social factors like income, education and internet access, according to a Rutgers study. The study, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, highlights the need for public health policies that address structural racism. The researchers investigated the association between COVID-19 cases and…

How the Search for Covid-19 Treatments Faltered While Vaccines Sped Ahead

Nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, as thousands of patients are dying every day in the United States and widespread vaccination is still months away, doctors have precious few drugs to fight the virus. A handful of therapies — remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies and the steroid dexamethasone — have improved the care of Covid patients,…

Women undergo less aggressive open heart surgery, experience worse outcomes than men

CHICAGO (January 30, 2021) — Women are significantly less likely than men to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using guideline-recommended approaches, which may result in worse outcomes after surgery, according to a scientific presentation at the 57th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. “This study highlights key differences between women and men…

ERAS program expedites recovery for congenital heart surgery patients

CHICAGO (January 30, 2021) — Select patients born with heart defects and who undergo congenital heart surgery recover with few complications and reduced opioid use when a comprehensive, evidence-based enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program is used, according to research presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. “We have embarked…