EMR screening program identifies prevalent undiagnosed diabetes An electronic medical record (EMR) diabetes screening program in an urban emergency department identified the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. The report, published on January 26 in JAMA Network Open, underscored long-existing disparities in type 2 diabetes diagnosis and treatment by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors. Such disparities increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More
AI tool makes speedy gene editing possible Researchers have designed an artificial intelligence (AI) program that may enable the production of customizable proteins called zinc fingers to treat diseases by turning genes on and off. The research published on January 26 in Nature Biotechnology may accelerate large-scale gene therapy development.Read More
CVD deaths undergo largest single-year increase since 2015 The American Heart Association's report "Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2023 Update" outlines the most significant single-year increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths in the U.S. since 2015.Read More
New probe measures cell stiffness and traction University of Illinois scientists have developed a tiny mechanical probe that can measure the inherent stiffness of cells and tissues, as well as the internal forces that cells generate and exert upon one another. It is the first probe able to quantify both properties, according to its developers.Read More
Study finds tuberculosis vaccines cost-effective in lower-income countries Harvard University researchers and collaborators conducted a modeling study that showed tuberculosis vaccination could be cost-effective in 73 of 105 low- and middle-income countries. The results, published on January 24 in PLOS Medicine, also predicted $474 billion in vaccine-related benefits by 2050.Read More
Abnormal 12-hour cyclic activity found in schizophrenic brains University of Pittsburgh researchers have found the first evidence of 12-hour cycles of gene activity, called ultradian rhythms, in the human brain. The National Institutes of Health-funded study, published in PLOS Biology on January 24, also reveals that some ultradian rhythms are missing or altered in the postmortem brains of patients with schizophrenia.Read More
Predicting metabolic bone disease in infants Chinese researchers and their collaborators have developed an artificial neural network model that can help predict metabolic bone disease in infants in both the prenatal and postnatal periods. The study, published on January 23 in JAMA Network Open, sought to detect the pivotal factors associated with MBD in each period.Read More