Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Ochsner's kidney transplant program earns national ELITE Status

Ochsner Health proudly shares its kidney transplant program, part of the Ochsner Transplant Institute, has been awarded ELITE Status within the credentialed Programs of Excellence transplant network by INTERLINK COE Networks & Programs.

16 May 2025

Cardiac 'digital twins' provide clues to more personalized heart treatments

For the first time, researchers from King's College London, Imperial College London and The Alan Turing Institute, have created over 3,800 anatomically accurate digital hearts to investigate how age, sex and lifestyle factors influence heart disease and electrical function.

16 May 2025

New auditory brainstem implant shows promise for patients with Neurofibromatosis type 2

A new study co-led by Mass General Brigham researchers points to a promising new type of auditory brainstem implant (ABI) that could benefit people who are deaf due to Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and other severe inner ear abnormalities that prevent them from receiving cochlear implants.

16 May 2025

Experts warn against unsupervised vitamin use and dietary trends in oncology

A new study coordinated by Dr. Salvatore Cortellino and Professor Antonio Giordano, President of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) and molecular oncologist at Temple University and the University of Siena, offers a critical assessment of vitamin supplementation and popular dietary trends in the context of cancer prevention and treatment.

16 May 2025

Peptide nanostructures block amyloid buildup and boost neuron survival in lab tests

Researchers developed trehalose-functionalized peptide amphiphiles (TPAs) that self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures and demonstrated these TPAs can inhibit amyloid beta aggregation. In vitro, TPAs significantly improved survival of human neurons exposed to amyloid-induced neurotoxicity, suggesting therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases.

15 May 2025

Astrocytes found to drive brain rewiring during attention states

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have upended decades-old dogma of how connections between brain cells are rearranged during states of heightened vigilance or attention.

15 May 2025

New gene editor evoCAST enables precise insertion of complete genes

Ask scientists what gene editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they'd probably describe a system that's now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

15 May 2025

HIV vaccine study marks breakthrough in targeting broad immune responses

A decades-long scientific challenge in HIV vaccine development has been finding a way to train the immune system to produce antibodies that can target many variants of the virus.

15 May 2025

Scientists reveal how upbringing and genetics interact to shape success

Large-scale registry data from Norway reveal that genetics and shared family environments significantly influence key socioeconomic status indicators, such as education, wealth, income, and occupational prestige. Education shows the strongest genetic influence, while wealth is more affected by family-shared environment. Findings are shaped by both societal context and methodological choices.

15 May 2025

Customized CRISPR gene editing therapy successfully treats infant with rare disease

In a historic medical breakthrough, a child diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder has been successfully treated with a customized CRISPR gene editing therapy by a team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine.

15 May 2025

Shorter radiation treatment after surgery found safe for prostate cancer patients

For men who undergo a radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer, post-surgery radiation therapy can play a vital role in reducing the risk of recurrence.

15 May 2025

Older adults in sub-Saharan Africa face growing HIV epidemic

Prevention and treatment campaigns are not adequately targeting the particular needs of the 50+ years age group.

15 May 2025

Snus withdrawal linked to weight gain and elevated blood pressure

Snus users who stopped using snus experienced higher blood pressure and gained weight. This has been shown by a research group at Linköping University, Sweden, in a study on 33 people, published in Harm Reduction Journal.

15 May 2025

Palliative care for cardiovascular conditions may help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life

Palliative care may help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease and ensure that treatment is aligned with the patient's personal beliefs and values throughout all stages of illness, whether they are hospitalized in a cardiac intensive care unit or receiving outpatient care, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

15 May 2025

Lung function decline in COPD patients accelerated by mucus plug persistence

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, most often caused by cigarette smoking or long-term exposure to air pollutants.

14 May 2025

Loss of drug subsidies linked to higher mortality among low-income Medicare beneficiaries

While it may seem intuitive that people would die without life-saving medications, Penn and Harvard researchers have connected losing a federally funded prescription drug assistance program and an increase in mortality.

14 May 2025

Scientists map optimal brain site for treating essential tremor

For millions of people around the world with essential tremor, everyday activities from eating and drinking to dressing and doing basic tasks can become impossible.

14 May 2025

Private equity ownership improves hospital efficiency without harming care

New research by ESMT Berlin and the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) shows that private equity (PE) acquisitions lead to substantial operational efficiency gains in hospitals, challenging common public concerns.

14 May 2025

Reinfections lower long COVID risk but raise cumulative burden

A population-based study in Quebec found that healthcare workers faced a threefold higher risk of long COVID after a first infection compared to reinfections. However, the cumulative risk rose with each additional infection, especially among those with severe illness or early variants.

14 May 2025

Chronic overwork may lead to changes in brain regions associated with emotion and cognition

Long working hours may alter the structure of the brain, particularly the areas associated with emotional regulation and executive function, such as working memory and problem solving, suggest the findings of preliminary research, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

14 May 2025