Critical Medical Mystery Illuminates The Dramatic Role AI Could Play Not In Replacing Doctors But Guiding Them

Stat: An AI Expert's Toughest Project: Writing Code To Save His Son's Life 
It was developed as part of an ambitious project funded by the National Institutes of Health to link and make searchable decades worth of biomedical data collected by universities and research labs on genes, proteins, disease symptoms, patient outcomes, drugs, and more. This information is now dispersed among hundreds of databases, in a confusing patchwork of formats and terminology that defies easy analysis. (Ross, 7/25)

Bloomberg: Climate Change May Draw $200 Billion Vaccine Boom, Analyst Says 
Higher temperatures across the globe could expose almost a billion more people to risks for diseases like Zika and Ebola by 2080 and that may be a boon for some drugmakers, Morgan Stanley tells investors. Climate change could spell the rapid spread of infectious diseases and Europe in particular is at risk, analysts led by health-care specialist Matthew Harrison wrote in a note to clients. (Flanagan, 7/24)

NPR: Precision Medicine Research Must Build More Diversity And Trust Says Bioethicist
Precision medicine is the field of dreams for human health — drugs and treatments that would take into account a person's individual DNA configurations, as well as lifestyle and environment, would presumably be better tailored to each person's needs. Still, while the goal of precision medicine is to help everybody, the current research available has a major flaw — it's largely based on the genes of people who are predominantly of white and European descent. (Huang, 7/25)

Bloomberg: J&J Targets Science Behind Thousands Of Baby Powder-Cancer Cases 
Johnson & Johnson, seeking to head off claims by thousands of women that its iconic Baby Powder caused their cancer, took aim at some of the science cited in lawsuits alleging the company’s talc-based products were tainted in the past with asbestos. During a hearing Wednesday, lawyers for the world’s largest maker of health-care products questioned the procedures used by Dr. William Longo, who tested talcum powder for asbestos. J&J hopes a judge will bar Longo from testifying for the women suing the company in cases consolidated in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey. (Feeley, 7/24)

The New York Times: You Are What You Watch? The Social Effects Of TV
Other than sleeping and working, Americans are more likely to watch television than engage in any other activity. A wave of new social science research shows that the quality of shows can influence us in important ways, shaping our thinking and political preferences, even affecting our cognitive ability. In this so-called golden age of television, some critics have pointed out that the best of the form is equivalent to the most enriching novels. (Rothwell, 7/25)

NPR: Robotic Hand Improved To Give User A Sense Of Touch And Better Control
Keven Walgamott, a real estate agent who lost his left hand and part of his arm in an electrical accident in 2002, got emotional when he was able to clasp his hands together and "feel" the space between his thumb and his index finger using a 3D-printed prosthetic hand in 2016. "That was the first time I ever felt anything in my left hand since my amputation," Walgamott says. He got emotional a second time when he was able to grasp his wife's hand and "feel" her touch, this time through a newly designed, experimental prosthetic hand that can be directed with the user's mind. (Torres, 7/24)

Politico Pro: Testimony: Juul Touted Its Products To Ninth Graders, American Indian Tribes
Juul sent representatives into high schools “under the guise of education” and sought partnerships with American Indian tribes to switch people onto its popular e-cigarettes, witnesses testified during a House hearing Wednesday. A Juul official spoke to ninth graders in a New York school last year, showing the children how the products work, calling them “totally safe” and saying FDA would soon state that they were 99 percent safer than traditional tobacco, said Meredith Berkman, co-founder of Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes, who testified along with her teenage son and his friend. (Owermohle, 7/24)

The New York Times: Need A Mental Health Day? Some States Give Students The Option
Depression and anxiety. The state of the country. Climate change. Mass shootings. Today’s students are grappling with a variety of issues beyond the classroom. To that end, lawmakers in two states have recently recognized the importance of the mental health of their students by allowing them to take sick days just for that. The measures “empower” children to take care of their mental health, one expert said. (Taylor, 7/24)

Reuters: Former U.S. Pro Football Players May Face Increased Risk Of Heart Rhythm Problem
Former players from the National Football League may face an increased risk of a type of irregular heartbeat that could lead to stroke, a new study suggests. Researchers found that retired NFL players were nearly six times as likely to develop atrial fibrillation as men of the same age in the general population, according to results published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. (7/24)