Author: healthadmin
When a very massive star reaches the end of its life, it explodes as a supernova, scattering elements such as carbon and iron into space. Another, rarer type of explosion occurs when two neutron stars, the dense remains of dead stars, collide. This phenomenon, known as a kilonova, produces even heavier elements such as gold and uranium. These materials are essential ingredients for forming stars, planets, and ultimately everything around us. So far, scientists have identified only one clear example of a kilonova. The event, called GW170817, occurred in 2017 when two neutron stars merged. The collision emitted both gravitational…
The TV show “The Pit” has received praise from viewers, critics and even emergency physicians for its depiction of the frenetic reality of the emergency department. But that action stops when doctors are faced with a simple but ominous on-screen message: “Network offline.” For most of this season, they have been serving patients without internet. In other words, they have fallen into “digital darkness” and been cut off from the electronic systems that are the mainstay of patient care. Although Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center (Pitt) is fictional, the dangers of a digital darkness event are devastatingly real. Defined by loss…
Damian Garde covers the global pharmaceutical industry as a general live and feature journalism reporter and contributes to STAT’s industry-leading events.The Food and Drug Administration will accelerate its review of psychedelic drugs developed by Compass Pathways, Usona Institute and Transcend Therapeutics for mental disorders as part of the Trump administration’s plan to increase access to controversial but promising drugs. The agency will specifically grant priority review vouchers to Compass’ psilocybin product for treatment-resistant depression, Usona’s drug-like drug for major depressive disorder, and Transcend’s MDMA-like drug for post-traumatic stress disorder. The FDA identified the drugs that received vouchers, but not the…
New clues from genetic research may help explain the cause of the most common heart defects present at birth. Researchers in Sweden have identified a rare DNA change during fetal development that can cause a condition known as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). A team of researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, identified nearly 30 times more genes potentially associated with BAV than previously known genes. The aortic valve has three leaflets (thin flaps of tissue) that open and close to control blood flow. A bicuspid aortic valve is a valve with only…
Science progresses by proposing ideas and trying to prove them wrong. This process becomes especially difficult when dealing with the universe at its largest scale. Dark energy and dark matter are among the most difficult concepts to test. Observations across vast regions of the universe clearly suggest that something influences gravity in a way that Einstein’s theory does not fully explain. But within our solar system, everything appears to be working as expected. A new study by Slava Turishev, a physicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, considers how researchers can address this discrepancy. His work suggests that being extremely precise…
Analysts at Guggenheim Securities predicted in a note to investors that established sales force and payer approval standards will facilitate the rapid launch of new indications for Travele Therapeutics’ Filspari, leading to peak franchise sales of $3.1 billion. Earlier this month, Travere won FDA approval for the treatment of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Sales of Filspari in its first indication, IgA nephropathy (IgAN), have increased gradually since Travere won approval three years ago, reaching $322 million last year. Guggenheim analysts expect Philspari to get off to a more explosive start with rare kidney disease FSGS. Analysts said the FSGS launch…
Recent research has linked political differences in attitudes to climate change to measurable variations in factual knowledge on the issue. This research Journal of Environmental Psychologyrevealed that left-leaning participants generally scored higher on tests of climate change knowledge than right-leaning participants. The findings suggest that these differences in fundamental understanding are related to broader disparities in how people view climate change policies and individual conservation actions. Climate change remains a highly polarizing topic in many Western countries. Polling data regularly shows that voters on the political left tend to view environmental change as a pressing problem that requires immediate government…
Hypertension syndrome of pregnancy (HDP) is a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Additionally, HDP can cause fetal growth restriction, premature birth, and a variety of adverse long-term health effects. Therefore, it is important to identify women at high risk and implement early interventions targeting modifiable risk factors. Grip strength is a leading indicator of muscle strength and overall health. Several prospective studies in the general population have shown that decreased grip strength is associated with increased cardiovascular disease and related mortality. However, the relationship between grip strength and HDP in pregnant women remains unclear. Furthermore, previous studies have reported…
Major health insurance companies are working to standardize prior authorization requirements as part of an effort to simplify paperwork for providers and reduce delays in care. Two leading industry organizations, AHIP and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, said Friday that major health plans are making significant progress in their efforts to adopt a standardized approach for providers submitting electronic prior authorization requests for most health services. According to AHIP and BCBSA, this standardized approach will be used for medical services that generally require prior authorization, such as orthopedic surgery and imaging services such as CT scans and MRIs. These services…
New data analyzing more than 20,000 patients from three major NIH studies show that elevated lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is associated with residual cardiovascular risk and justifies aggressive risk reduction. Researchers presented their latest data today at the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2026 Scientific Sessions and Canadian Society of Interventional Cardiology/Consortium on Cardiac Interventions (CAIC-ACCI) Summit in Montreal. Lp(a) is a type of particle in the blood that carries cholesterol. It is similar to LDL, known as “bad” cholesterol, but has additional proteins attached to it that may increase its contribution to heart disease. Elevated Lp(a) levels are primarily…