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Articles by Anna Bock
Analysis Asks: Are GLP-1 Drugs Safe in People With Frailty?
Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), is known for its role in weight loss, type 2 diabetes treatment, and cardioprotection. And, more recently, regulators have approved its use for protecting kidney and liver health. (opens in new tab) Despite the growing list of indications, questions remain about the relative benefits and risks of prescribing GLP-1 RAs to older individuals with frailty and obesity or overweight.
Limited Early-Life Sugar Intake Linked to Lower Dementia Risk
People who experienced sugar rationing in their first 1000 days of life had more favorable brain health and lower dementia risk with later onset, an analysis in Neurology suggests. The UK Biobank health data included 64 737 adults born before and after September 1953, when postwar sugar rationing ended. When looking at patient records, those exposed to sugar rationing before birth and during the first 1 to 2 years of life had a lower risk of developing dementia than those who were not exposed.
Writing Style May Explain Patient Message Response Disparities
(opens in new tab) Bias in writing style explained nearly half of disparities in care team replies to patient portal messages from historically marginalized groups, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Study Finds Artery Damage in Young Adults With CKM Syndrome
Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome is prevalent among young adults and is associated with greater signs of early artery damage, according to a study published in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes. Nearly 80% of participants had CKM syndrome stages 1 to 3, which were linked to worse cardiovascular health. Researchers analyzed the health data of 1283 young adults with an average age of 23 years.
Study Reveals Early Brain Changes in Younger Contact-Sport Athletes
Lisa McHale met her late husband Tom McHale when she was one of the managers of his defensive line on the Cornell University football team. In his retirement after 9 seasons of playing professionally in the National Football League (NFL), she said she began noticing changes in his personality. (opens in new tab) “He became really depressed, withdrawn, and he just wasn’t himself anymore,” she said.
AI-Guided Lung Ultrasounds Could Help Nonexpert Clinicians Acquire “Expert-Level” Images
This conversation is part of a series of interviews in which JAMA Network editors and expert guests explore issues surrounding the rapidly evolving intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and medicine. Lung ultrasound increasingly is being used in emergency departments, intensive care units, and outpatient clinics to diagnose, assess, and monitor patients experiencing shortness of breath. But diagnostic sonography typically requires substantial practical training.
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The panel of nearly 60 specialists and patients published its findings in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, and they included proposed definitions for 2 distinct types of obesity: preclinical and clinical.
By Anna Bock, Kate Schweitzer Verified
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JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association
Verified
Study Reveals Nearly 300 New Depression Risk Factors Thanks to Wider Population Sample
In its largest and most diverse study of any psychiatric disorder, the Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium pinpointed nearly 700 genetic links to depression—293 of which were previously unknown. The meta-analysis, published in Cell, investigated anonymized genetic data of more than 5 million individuals—about 689 000 of whom had been diagnosed with major depression—from 29 countries.
Home Temperature May Affect Cognitive Function in Older Adults
Home Temperature May Affect Cognitive Function in Older Adults Global temperatures are on the rise and have been associated with cognitive decline in older adults. A recent longitudinal observational study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A zoomed in on these effects indoors. It found that adults aged 65 years or older reported less difficulty maintaining attention on daily tasks when their home ambient temperature was 20 °C to 24 °C (68 °F-75 °F).
Dramatic racial disparities in maternal heart health have persisted in the US for decades, but attaining equity in education—such as achieving the same average years in school across racial and ethnic groups—could bridge these gaps, according to findings published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Researchers analyzed data from more than 9100 pregnant individuals during their first trimester.
Studies Find Low Risk of Thyroid Cancer With GLP-1 Drugs for Diabetes
Studies Find Low Risk of Thyroid Cancer With GLP-1 Drugs for Diabetes GLP-1RA Use and Thyroid Cancer Risk Juan P. Brito, MD; Jeph Herrin, PhD; Kavya Sindhu Swarna, MPH; Naykky M. Singh Ospina, MD; Victor M. Montori, MD; David Toro-Tobon, MD; Guillermo E. Umpierrez, MD; Rodolfo J. Galindo, MD; Yihong Deng, PhD; Mindy M. Mickelson, MA; Hui Shao, MD; Eric C. Polley, PhD; Rozalina G.
Study Identifies Average Life Expectancy After Dementia Diagnosis
Nearly 10 million people are diagnosed with dementia across the globe each year, but evidence for their average life expectancy varies widely, making it difficult to plan for the remaining years. A systematic review and meta-analysis in The BMJ incorporated findings from 261 studies published between 1984 and 2024—including more than 5.5 million people diagnosed with dementia—and aimed to guide and refine clinicians’ communication of disease prognosis to patients.
Peri‐Implant Health and Perfusion Parameters in Patients After Microvascular Jaw Reconstruction: A Clinical Cohort Study
1 Introduction Dental rehabilitation is the last step of a long journey for patients who have experienced oral cancer, trauma, osteomyelitis, or other conditions that require resection of parts of the mandible or maxilla and later microvascular reconstruction with, for example, a free fibula flap (FFF) or a deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) transplant.
Landmark Study Aims to Enroll 100 000 Black Women to Investigate Their Cancer Risks and Outcomes
When the VOICES of Black Women pilot study launched in late 2023, its coprincipal investigator Lauren McCullough, PhD, MSPH, was the first participant to enroll. The study, which the American Cancer Society (ACS) launched nationally last May, aims to explore environmental and behavioral factors that influence cancer risk and outcomes in a cohort of more than 100 000 Black women, making it the largest ever research initiative involving this population.
CDC Advises Expedited Influenza Subtyping in Hospitalized Patients to Help Identify Bird Flu Cases Sooner
About a week after the first human death linked to the highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or H5N1 bird flu, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory recommending expedited subtyping of all specimens positive for influenza A in hospitalized patients—especially those in an intensive care unit (ICU). Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus particles.
Mental Health First Aid Advances Into the Workplace, but Questions Remain
When Tramaine EL-Amin needed support for her mental health after a family emergency early in her career, she was hesitant to speak up. But then a colleague connected her to resources through their employee assistance program. iStock.com/SDI Productions “‘I’m fine—keep pushing through,’” she recalled telling herself before getting help. “I’d internalized this stigma and bias of ‘we don’t talk about this in the workplace.’” Now these conversations lie at the heart of her work.
Assessing the Influence of Hyaluronan Dressing on Wound Healing on Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites Using a Three-Dimensional Scanner
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
New Guidance Helps Clinicians Use Pemivibart to Protect Immunocompromised Patients From COVID-19
For more than 500 days, a patient in the care of infectious disease physician Scott Roberts, MD, at Yale New Haven Health tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In the fall of 2020, Roberts’ prevention strategies not only were limited, but also were complicated by leukemia and lymphoma treatment with an allogeneic haploidentical stem cell transplant, ongoing chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, and B-cell–depleting agents that had left his patient severely immunocompromised.
As Ransomware Attacks on Health Care Surge, Here’s What Clinicians and Health Systems Can Do
Waiting rooms overflow and ambulances are diverted. Medical devices, ventilators, and intravenous pumps lose connectivity. Automatic medication safety checks vanish. Digital communication avenues across the facility are severed as computer monitors go dark and phone lines turn to static. The health care team reverts to paper charting and manual diagnostic and treatment processes.
AHA Recommends Better Postpartum Care to Lower Heart Disease Risk
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause for the more than 140% increase in pregnancy-related deaths over the past 3 decades, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Now, the organization has released 4 new recommendations with the goal of improving postpartum care to curb this alarming rise.
Only 1 in 5 US Nursing Homes Have Enough Staff to Meet New Requirements
Less than 1 in 5 (19%) US nursing facilities currently meet all 3 new staffing minimums outlined in the final rule released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this April, an analysis by KFF found. The rule requires 3.48 total hours of care a day for each resident, with registered nurses providing half an hour of that care and nurse aides providing 2.45 hours.
Using a Virtual Scribe May Shorten EHR Time
Using a Virtual Scribe May Shorten EHR Time Virtual Scribes and Physician Time Spent on Electronic Health Records Lisa Rotenstein, MD, MBA, MSc; Edward R. Melnick, MD, MHS; Christine Iannaccone, MPH; Jianyi Zhang, PhD; Aqsa Mugal, BA; Stuart R. Lipsitz, PhD; Michael J. Healey, MD; Christopher Holland, MBA; Richard Snyder, MBA; Christine A. Sinsky, MD; David Ting, MD; David W.
Study: Introducing Peanuts From Early Age Prevents Allergies for Years
Regularly eating peanut products from infancy up to age 5 years may reduce the risk of peanut allergies in early adolescence, a recent study published in NEJM Evidence found. This study was the third in the Learning Early About Peanut allergy (LEAP) series of long-term follow-up trials that followed 640 children who were at risk of developing nut allergies.
Exposure to Zika Virus May Increase Risk of Dengue Disease
Individuals with a previous infection with Zika virus may be more vulnerable to symptomatic infections of certain types of dengue virus, according to a cohort study of 3412 children aged 2 to 17 years old in Nicaragua. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, found that children who’d had a Zika infection first had a higher risk of having more severe symptoms from the DENV3 and DENV4 dengue virus, but not DENV1.
Study: Semaglutide Lowered Chronic Kidney Disease-Related Risks
Chronic kidney disease, most commonly caused by diabetes and high blood pressure, puts more than half a billion people globally at high risk for kidney failure, cardiovascular events, and death. Treatment with semaglutide may significantly reduce this risk, according to a randomized study involving 3533 patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Antihypertensives Might Explain Some Older Adults’ New Eczema Diagnoses
Antihypertensives Might Explain Some Older Adults’ New Eczema Diagnoses Antihypertensive Medications and Eczematous Dermatitis in Older Adults Morgan Ye, MPH; Leslie N. Chan, MD; Ian Douglas, PhD; David J. Margolis, MD, PhD; Sinéad M. Langan, MSc, PhD; Katrina Abuabara, MD, MA, MSCE Use of antihypertensive medications was associated with a 29% increase in the rate of eczematous dermatitis diagnoses among older adults, according to a recent cohort study published in JAMA Dermatology.
Policy on Liver Transplants May Have Worsened US Health Disparities
Policy on Liver Transplants May Have Worsened US Health Disparities Liver Transplant Costs and Activity After United Network for Organ Sharing Allocation Policy Changes Ola Ahmed, MD, PhD, MMEd; Maria Bernadette Majella Doyle, MD, MBA; Marwan S. Abouljoud, MD; Diane Alonso, MD; Ramesh Batra, MBBS, MA; Kenneth L. Brayman, MD, PhD; Diane Brockmeier, RN, MHA; Robert M. Cannon, MD; Kenneth Chavin, MD, PhD; Aaron M. Delman, MD; Derek A. DuBay, MD; Jan Finn, RN, MSN; Jonathan A. Fridell, MD; Barry S.
Oral Device More Effectively Relieved Snoring Than Other Common Approach
A new study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery may provide guidance for people who snore but don’t have obstructive sleep apnea—and their partners. The randomized clinical involving 50 couples found that both mandibular advancement devices (MADs) and combined airway and positional therapy (CAPT) reduced what’s known as primary snoring and improved the couples’ sleep, but the findings suggest that MAD may be more effective.
To Fix Burnout, New Initiatives Go Beyond Worker Resilience
In 2020, 1 in 5 US physicians intended to leave practice within the next 2 years, the Coping With COVID study reported. A year later, a follow-up painted an even grimmer picture, with more than 40% of clinicians voicing these intentions in 2021. As the Coping With COVID research winds down, the issues it points to remain an ongoing concern, said Mark Linzer, MD, a coauthor of the studies who serves as director of the Institute for Professional Worklife at Hennepin Healthcare.
How Artificial Intelligence Will Enhance Imaging Access and Analysis
This conversation is part of a series of interviews in which JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, and expert guests explore issues surrounding the rapidly evolving intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and medicine. Artificial intelligence holds promise for enhancing radiological imaging analysis and diagnosis, but this technological shift may also redefine the role of radiologists in clinical settings.
College Athlete Deaths by Suicide Have Doubled
Medical News & Perspectives College Athlete Deaths by Suicide Have Doubled, and Researchers Want to Know Why Audio (15:31) 0:00 / 0:00 Morgan Rodgers was a beloved sister, daughter, friend, and a highly accomplished Division I lacrosse player at Duke University. Long-time friend and teammate Clare Kehoe, MSN, RN, recalls her upbeat, infectious energy and days spent dancing along to music blasting in the locker room. Under the surface, Rodgers was struggling.
Researchers See Hope in Symptom-Guided Exercise for Long COVID With Postexertional Malaise
More than 4 years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, daily life has returned to varying degrees of normalcy for most, but others are still recovering. An estimated 17 million people in the US alone currently have post-COVID condition (PCC), also known as long COVID, based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Some people with long COVID are struggling to recover the physical and mental capacity to return to work and daily activities.
Optical Three-Dimensional Imaging for Objective Evaluation of the Donor Site after Anterolateral Thigh Flap Surgery
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
NU alum Allison Naval becomes millionth runner to cross Chicago Marathon finish line
When Allison Naval’s (Weinberg ‘16) phone buzzed with repeated calls after she crossed the Chicago Marathon finish line, she said she worried it was spam – or that she had been disqualified. Instead, she found out, she had just become a unique figure in the marathon’s history. Crossing the finish line with a time of 4:23:13, Naval became the Chicago Marathon’s one millionth finisher on Oct. 8.
Trio of owners announce Mensch’s Deli to open brick and mortar location this spring
Over ten years ago, Wilmette natives Kiki Eliopoulos, Jack DeMar and Eric Kogan walked the halls of New Trier Township High School with big dreams of opening a restaurant together. After years of DeMar harboring a “big crush” on Eliopoulos, she said the pair dated fleetingly at the end of their senior year before splitting apart. Last year, they reunited as co-workers, then as a couple.
Evaluation of the Hemostatic Effect of an Innovative Tissue Adhesive during Extraction Therapy under Rivaroxaban in a Rodent Model
Abstract : An increase in rivaroxaban therapies is associated with increased numbers of postoperative bleeding despite the use of hemostatic sponges, which are currently the gold standard treatment. VIVO has shown promising hemostatic results, favorable tissue properties, and ease of application, although it has not yet been used in the oral cavity.
Wildcat Wellness halts Northwestern club sports activities
Anna Bock, Senior Staffer January 5, 2022 NU’s club sports teams halted in-person practices and competitions for the first two weeks of Winter Quarter following the University’s announcement of a Wildcat Wellness quarantine period. The University is home to 38 club teams with about 1,200 annual participants, according to the NU club sports site. From navigating the quarantine period’s gathering limitations, some athletes face unique challenges both mentally and physically.
Students navigate accommodations while experiencing vaccine side effects
Anna Bock, Reporter May 25, 2021 For concerns ranging from academics to athletics, some Northwestern students are requesting accomodations in the days following their second COVID-19 vaccine dose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine are normal, particularly for the second doses of Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna.
Lakefill beaver family creates community during COVID-19 shutdown
Anna Bock, Reporter May 17, 2021 In the past year, residents have gathered on the Lakefill for an unexpected reason: a beaver family that lives on its shore. As part of their leisurely walks or commutes to work, some community members have congregated along the Lakefill pathway near the den. An entire colony can be seen in the early morning and at dusk along the water’s edge.
International students struggle to plan travel to campus
Graphic by Isabel Gitten Northwestern welcomes students from across the globe. This winter, international students are facing complications in their plans to come to campus. Anna Bock, Reporter November 12, 2020 Many international students are struggling to establish travel plans following the Northwestern’s October 28 announcement to allow all undergraduate students on campus this winter.
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