Editor's Note The US Senate has appointed Monica Bertagnolli, MD, as the new director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agency’s first permanent leader in nearly 2 years and the second woman to hold the post. She is expected to face significant scrutiny from lawmakers, Chief Healthcare Executive…

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Editor's Note Although Congress first required the National Institutes of Health to include more women and people of color in medical studies in 1993, progress has been slow until recently. Now, researchers are making a concerted effort to diversify medical studies, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) November 16 reports.  According…

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Editor's Note A new study that attempted to find genetic drivers of postoperative pain uncovered only two associated alleles, suggesting wider examination is needed. The findings were published in the American Society of Anesthesiologists journal Anesthesiology December 2023 issue. The researchers looked at 163 studies and evaluated 129 genes and…

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Editor's Note Receiving a fourth dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine recommended for patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, was found to have saved lives and reduced hospitalizations among that patient population. The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Rheumatology on November 15. The researchers used…

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Editor's Note A May 2023 study shows that ChatGPT–a large language model artificial intelligence chatbot–can make accurate diagnoses and care management decisions but is less adept at differential diagnosis. The findings were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.  The research team from Mass General Brigham inputted all 36…

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Editor's Note A new study looked at the causes behind how some patients developed deadly blood clots following the administration of certain COVID-19 vaccines. The findings were published in the journal Blood on October 26.  Previous studies had shown that patients with Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT) produce antibodies…

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Editor's Note Medical devices such as pacemakers, breast implants, or knee replacements often cause hostile immune responses that can damage not only the implants but also surrounding tissue in the patient. That rejection often leads to further intervention needed that may include medications such as immunosuppressants or additional procedures. Researchers…

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Editor's Note Scientists from UC Davis used dynamic total-body positron emission tomography (PET) to show the body's immune response to COVID-19 in recovering patients, Science Advances October 12 reports. The research article, titled "First-in-human immunoPET imaging of COVID-19 convalescent patients using dynamic total-body PET and a CD8-targeted minibody," was published…

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Editor's Note In this investigative study done by the Boston Medical Center (BMC), patients were shown more likely to agree to participate in clinical studies when approached by research staff of the same race or ethnicity as them. The findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology on October 19.  The study…

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Editor's Note High-performance intensive care units (ICUs) may have better patient outcomes during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new findings published by the journal CHEST. The study, titled "The association between pre-pandemic ICU performance and mortality variation in COVID-19: A multicenter cohort study of 35,619 critically…

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