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Chronic lifeguard shortage serves as springboard to address racial inequities

Two summers ago, a teenager who had jumped off the diving board started struggling in the deep end, her arms flailing. It took only a few seconds for lifeguard Makenna John to notice the girl's distress. She grabbed her rescue tube, jumped in, and helped the girl to safety.

12 Jun 2023

Study unveils potential early detection algorithm for neurodegeneration in rare genetic disorder

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare and devastating genetic disorder characterised by an inability to repair skin damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light.

11 Jun 2023

Study finds 'most horrible’ rare brain tumor patients falling through the cracks of mental health provision

Patients suffering from the "most horrible" rare brain tumor are falling through the cracks of mental health provision, University of Essex researchers have found.

8 Jun 2023

How the mixed messaging of vaccine skeptics sows seeds of doubt

It was a late-spring House of Representatives hearing, where members of Congress and attendees hoped to learn lessons from the pandemic. Witness Marty Makary made a plea.

8 Jun 2023

Experts provide neural evidence for the glimpsing model of speech perception

Researchers led by Dr. Nima Mesgarani at Columbia University, US, report that the brain treats speech in a crowded room differently depending on how easy it is to hear, and whether we are focusing on it. Publishing June 6th in the open access journal PLOS Biology, the study uses a combination of neural recordings and computer modeling to show that when we follow speech that is being drowned out by louder voices, phonetic information is encoded differently than in the opposite situation. The findings could help improve hearing aids that work by isolating attended speech.

7 Jun 2023

New book of tactile illustrations for visually impaired children

Children with visual impairment do not perceive the world in the same way as sighted people. As a result, they need specific educational tools, including children's books, that enhance their skills and senses.

6 Jun 2023

Personalized, bi-sensory stimulation may be an effective treatment for tinnitus

Tinnitus, the ringing, buzzing or hissing sound of silence, varies from slightly annoying in some to utterly debilitating in others.

5 Jun 2023

Developmental exposure to PCBs blocks hearing recovery from acoustic trauma

Music, mice, and microscopic imaging combine to provide new insight into the effects of environmental chemicals on hearing loss.

5 Jun 2023

Experts voice the need for comparing traditional clinical trials to decentralized trials

There's one question that Hollings Cancer Center researcher Jennifer Dahne, Ph.D., co-director of the remote and virtual trials program at the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute, hears more than any other as she consults with clinical researchers about how to set up remote trials, also known as decentralized trials. Will these trials overcome the barriers that make it difficult for minority and underserved populations to participate in clinical trials? It's also a question she often discusses with her peers at other academic medical centers that are also home to Clinical and Translational Science Award hubs.

2 Jun 2023

As Medicaid purge begins, ‘Staggering numbers’ of Americans lose coverage

More than 600,000 Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended on April 1. And a KFF Health News analysis of state data shows the vast majority were removed from state rolls for not completing paperwork.

1 Jun 2023

California governor and Democratic lawmakers at odds over billions in health care funds

When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office four years ago, the Democrat went after Republicans on the national stage as they sought to gut the Affordable Care Act.

30 May 2023

Speech therapy can help kids who stutter to communicate more confidently

For the parents of children who stutter, managing the communication disorder alone can be stressful and isolating.

28 May 2023

Virally mediated gene therapy could potentially treat genetic hearing loss

By 2050, one in 10 individuals are expected to live with some form of hearing loss. Of the hundreds of millions of cases of hearing loss affecting individuals worldwide, genetic hearing loss is often the most difficult to treat.

26 May 2023

How to be more inclusive and offer assistance to people with common hidden disabilities

In the UK alone, there are around 14.5 million people who live with a disability.

25 May 2023

Combination of genetic and environmental factors increases the risk of cleft lip

A cleft lip or palate arises from the combined effects of genes and inflammatory risk factors experienced during pregnancy, such as smoking or infections, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

24 May 2023

California’s fentanyl problem is getting worse

California has allocated more than $1 billion in recent years to combat its opioid crisis. Much of the money has been used to distribute fentanyl test strips and the overdose reversal drug naloxone, as well as deliver medical care to people who are homeless.

23 May 2023

A more aggressive FTC is starting to target drug mergers and industry middlemen

Under the leadership of an aggressive opponent of anti-competitive business practices, the Federal Trade Commission is moving against drug companies and industry middlemen as part of the Biden administration's push for lower drug prices at the pharmacy counter.

22 May 2023

Are US prescription drug prices 10 times those of other nations? Only sometimes

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whether in Congress or as a presidential candidate, has always taken strong positions against the high cost of prescription drugs.

19 May 2023

The abortion pill goes back to court

The fate of the abortion pill mifepristone remains in jeopardy, as an appellate court panel during a hearing this week sounded sympathetic to a lower court’s ruling that the FDA should not have approved the drug more than two decades ago.

18 May 2023

Nemours Children's Health selected to conduct first gene therapy clinical trial for Morquio A syndrome

As part of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Accelerating Medicines Partnership Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, Nemours Children's Health has been chosen to conduct a first-of-its-kind gene therapy clinical trial for Morquio A syndrome.

16 May 2023