Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
AI Is Better At Predicting Pneumonia Death Risk: Study
CIDRAP: Artificial Intelligence Better Predicts Death In Pneumonia Patients, Study Suggests
A deep-learning (DL) model that analyzes the initial chest x-rays of patients who have community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) may predict the risk of death by 30 days more accurately than an established risk-prediction tool, finds a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. (Van Beusekom, 7/3)
Fortune: Smartwatches Could Help Diagnose Parkinson's Disease, Study Suggests
The experts at the university’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute (NMHII) and the U.K. Dementia Research Institute analyzed the accelerometry—the acceleration of motion—in 103,712 smartwatch wearers using artificial intelligence models. By tracking the speed of motion over the course of a week, the computer programs were able not only to identify patients who had already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s but also those who were in the early stages of the disease who had not yet been diagnosed. (Pringle, 7/4)
NBC News: Brain Scans Of Coffee Drinkers Show Its Effects Go Beyond Caffeine
The results, published last week in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, suggest that, indeed, certain changes in brain activity were attributable only to coffee, while others were attributable to caffeine, as well. The scans revealed that both groups — those who consumed caffeine and those who drank coffee — had decreased activity afterward in a part of the brain that puts people in a resting state. That indicated that people were more ready to start their days and engage with others after consuming either beverage. Decades of research has already shown that caffeine, a psychostimulant, can help people feel more aroused and alert. (Bendix, 7/2)
The Boston Globe: What Are The Roots Of Chronic Pain? New Research Looks Within Cells For Answers
The heart monitor beeped rhythmically as Dr. Kyle Eberlin approached the operating table at Massachusetts General Hospital one morning in April. A 30-year-old Navy veteran lay unconscious, and Eberlin set to work on a frequent mission of his: to ease pain. He slid his scalpel along the man’s ankle. Fractured six years ago during a training exercise, the ankle had never stopped hurting. The skin parted easily, exposing a pearly-white cord with a bulbous end — the nerve. (Freyer, 7/1)
Also —
CIDRAP: Review Shows Average Mpox Incubation Period Is 7 Days, Symptoms Vary
A 21-study meta-analysis finds that the median incubation period for the global mpox outbreak that began last year is 7 days, symptoms vary widely, and immunocompromised people with HIV make up 36.1% of documented cases. The study is published in Archives of Virology. (Soucheray, 6/30)
CIDRAP: More Kids Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes During COVID-19
More kids were diagnosed as having type 1 diabetes after the COVID-19 pandemic began, and researchers have yet to determine the mechanism behind this increased incidence rate, the authors of a new meta-analysis said in JAMA Network Open today. "Our findings underscore the need to dedicate resources to supporting an acute increased need for pediatric and ultimately young adult diabetes care," the authors said. (Soucheray, 6/30)
