BioMedWire Stocks Archives - Page 15 of 64

WednesdayApr 24, 2024 10:00 am

Advancements in Medical AI Are Improving Timely Esophageal Cancer Detection

Scientists in China recently identified an innovative system that considerably increases the rate of detection of esophageal cancer lesions. Esophageal cancer starts from the esophagus, which ferries food from the throat to the stomach. Early detection of this particular cancer is crucial as rates of survival considerably increase when the illness is identified and treated in its early stages. Unfortunately, this cancer is often diagnosed in its later stages when patients begin presenting with symptoms, which makes treatment more difficult. So, how does artificial intelligence improve esophageal cancer detection? Artificial intelligence analyzes endoscopic images using advanced algorithms to identify lesions…

MondayApr 22, 2024 10:00 am

CMS Completes New Rules Modifying Medicare Advantage Program

Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a regulation implementing changes in policy to Medicare Part C and Part D. The changes expand on policies under the Biden-Harris administration to promote healthy competition, strengthen guardrails and protections, and ensure Medicare Part D plans meet the needs of all who enroll. The changes in policy include restrictions on beneficiary data distribution, revisions on compensation rules for brokers and agents who hinder anticompetitive steering, and improvements to behavioral health access. We look at them in detail below. Limitations on beneficiary data distribution by third-party marketing organizations The…

FridayApr 19, 2024 10:00 am

Misinformation on TikTok Causing Many to Misdiagnose Themselves as Autistic

As the global youth population increases its use of social media, misinformation continues to be a danger to many. Joseph O’Brien, a manager at Inspira Health’s Behavioral Wellness Center, stated that social media had increased the dangers of self-diagnosis. Social media apps such as TikTok are already used to spread misinformation, particularly on developmental and mental-health conditions. Various posts include individuals sharing their self-diagnosis of conditions such as autism spectrum disorder despite mental-health professionals on the same TikTok platform highlighting the importance of getting diagnosed by a licensed medical provider. A recent study by the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute determined…

WednesdayApr 17, 2024 10:00 am

New Study Shows Social Isolation, Frailty Worsen Health Risks for Aging People

A recently published review has found that social vulnerability and frailty worsen as individuals age. When both are present, these conditions result in a considerably heightened decline in cognitive and physical function as well as mortality risk. So, what is frailty? Theoretically, frailty is defined as a state of heightened vulnerability resulting from declines associated with age that is clinically recognizable. These declines often compromise an individual’s ability to cope with acute stressors, with researchers noting that frailty is common among older people. While advancements in modern medicine have significantly improved life expectancy of humans beyond natural limits, frailty remains…

MondayApr 15, 2024 10:00 am

Study Identifies Three Distinct Subtypes of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic illness that affects an individual’s central nervous system. The disease manifests differently in each individual and has varying trajectories, which makes it difficult to manage. It also has no cure. New research has identified three subtypes of the disease based on immune markers observed in participants’ blood. For the research, a team of investigators led by Professor Heinz Wiendl, a professor at the University of Münster, conducted a comprehensive analysis of the immunological properties of different blood samples collected from more than 300 early multiple sclerosis patients and a validation group made up of…

FridayApr 12, 2024 10:00 am

Study Finds Presurgery Immunotherapy Safe for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a challenging cancer to treat. Research shows that roughly 12% of individuals diagnosed with this particular cancer live beyond five years. Additionally, treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies are unsuccessful in treating pancreatic cancer. Prior research has determined that combined PD1-inhibitors and chemotherapy hasn’t brought any improvements in pancreatic cancer patients. PD1-inhibitors are an immunotherapy drug that assists the immune system in recognizing and eliminating cancer cells effectively. Now, new research suggests that individuals with pancreatic cancer can undergo immunotherapy prior to surgery, with scientists noting that this may improve long-term outcomes. The research was…

WednesdayApr 10, 2024 10:00 am

Hackers Exploit Bug in Magento to Access Payment Data on eCommerce Sites

A critical flaw in the open-source e-commerce platform Magento has allowed hackers to make backdoors into e-commerce websites and steal payment data. Computer software company Adobe Inc. describes the error, CVE-2024-2072, as the “improper neutralization of special elements” that could allow attackers to make arbitrary code executions without any user interaction. Adobe addressed the vulnerability on Feb. 13, 2024, as part of a batch of security updates while e-commerce security company Sansec announced that it had found a database layout template that was used to “inject malicious code” automatically. Hackers could then use this code to execute commands arbitrarily by…

MondayApr 08, 2024 10:00 am

Researchers Link Hormone Treatments to Heightened Risk of Brain Tumors

Scientists at the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety in France recently linked the use of hormone treatments by women to a heightened risk of women developing benign brain tumors. During their research, they determined that prolonged use of some progestogen drugs was associated with a higher risk of meningioma. This sentiment isn’t shared by all, however, with one leading expert noting that while the risk of meningioma was higher in women who took the drugs for more than one year, the finding need not worry present or past users as heightened risk remained small. Meningiomas are common…

FridayApr 05, 2024 10:00 am

Google Develops AI System to Leverage Sound in Detecting Lung Ailments

Health acoustic sounds contain useful health signals that have the potential to aid in health monitoring as well as disease diagnosis. Recently, scientists at Google Research, in collaboration with researchers at Zambia’s Center of Infectious Disease Research, developed an AI system that can use coughing sounds to diagnose lung disease. The system, called Health Acoustic Representations (HeAR), is available as a preprint on arXiv. The investigators started working on the system after healthcare professionals reported that over time, they had learned to tell which patients had coronavirus by how their coughs sounded. For their study, they used an approach similar…

WednesdayApr 03, 2024 10:00 am

Spotlight on Disparities in Pediatric Healthcare Access

As of 2019, congenital heart defects affected roughly 1.3 million individuals in America. Mild heart defects are shown to present in at least eight of every one thousand babies. Experts believe that about one in four infants born with these defects need intervention in their first 12 months of life to survive. Now, new research has determined that children in heavily polluted areas classified as economically and socially deprived were almost 50% more likely to suffer from congenital heart defects as compared to those from less polluted and less deprived areas. This comes after research by the American Heart Association…