Author: healthadmin

The federal government cannot prevent profits from the nation’s largest food assistance program from being used to buy candy, soda and other sugary drinks, the court has ruled. Monday’s ruling overrides current or planned restrictions on the federally funded and state-run Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 23 states. President Donald Trump’s administration has not said whether it will appeal to the high court. Amy Berman Jackson, a federal judge in Washington who was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama, said the ruling was not a comment on whether the restrictions were a good idea. “Federal defendants and…

Health tech startup Cadence has secured $100 million in a Series C funding round to expand its artificial intelligence agents for chronic disease management. Spark Capital led the funding round, with participation from Thrive Capital, General Catalyst, Coatue, B Capital, Corewell Health Ventures, Memorial Hermann, and Duke Health. The company plans to use the new funding to advance its AI agents, grow its value-based care model, and expand across new healthcare systems. The company will raise $100 million in a Series B round in December 2021. Spark Capital partner and Cadence board member Will Reed said in a statement that…

Photo courtesy of San Francisco Estuary InstituteEnlarged image of a microplastic sample collected from an urban stream These droplets flowing into San Francisco Bay contain particles that appear to be from car tires. Preliminary research by the San Francisco Estuary Institute found that plastic particles caught in the bay were 10 times smaller than previously measured, about the width of a human hair. These tiny microplastics can make up the majority of the microplastics present in water. The study could inform broader research into plastics and human health, coastal ecosystems, and the ocean’s ability to capture carbon from the Earth’s…

A neuroimaging study of adolescents with ADHD found that glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex region of these individuals’ brains increased with age. In contrast, in individuals who experienced remission of ADHD symptoms and in participants who had never suffered from ADHD, glutamate levels in this region of the brain decreased with age. The paper was published in translational psychiatry. ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose main symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It usually begins in childhood. However, in most cases, ADHD is diagnosed when a child starts school, and ADHD symptoms begin to conflict…

For decades, scientists recognized only two main types of magnets. One is the well-known ferromagnetic material, the kind found in refrigerator magnets and countless everyday devices. The other is antiferromagnets, whose magnetic properties are hidden at the atomic level but are of increasing interest because of their potential use in advanced technologies. More recently, researchers have identified a third category known as alternating magnets. First proposed within the past decade, these materials may combine some of the most useful properties of both ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, potentially opening the door to faster and more energy-efficient electronics. Now, physicists at the University…

Hallmark Health Care Solutions has built an artificial intelligence-enabled platform to give health systems visibility and control over employee costs, capabilities, and incentives. Health care labor costs in the United States exceed $900 billion annually, and the American Hospital Association reports that labor costs now exceed $1 trillion annually. Labor costs, including wages, benefits, and premium contract staffing, consistently account for 50% to 60% of total health system operating budgets. But investing in the workforce remains a “black box,” said Bharat Sundaram, CEO of Hallmark Healthcare Solutions. Decision-making remains fragmented across departments, systems, and budgets. Staffing, scheduling, compensation, and contingent…

Learning a new language or regaining the ability to speak may not rely as much on the brain’s motor centers as scientists once believed. New research suggests that regions involved in processing sounds and physical sensations play a much larger role in vocal learning and memory. The study, conducted by researchers at McGill University and Yale University School of Medicine, reshapes scientific understanding of how speech is learned and may influence the design of future speech recognition and brain-based communication technologies. Mainly sensory areas of the brain For years, researchers have generally assumed that learning and remembering the complex movements…

Recent research published in journals Development and psychopathology suggest that although spending time alone increases feelings of loneliness in the moment, adolescents who are frequently alone do not necessarily experience increased loneliness overall. This study provides evidence that the quality of a person’s social interactions and their specific personality traits play a major role in shaping how young people experience social isolation. These findings help explain why some teens successfully overcome loneliness while others face chronic struggles with social disconnection. Adolescence is a time of major biological and social changes. During this period, young people gradually shift their focus from…

A remarkable fossil site in northwest China has uncovered the remains of hundreds of prehistoric birds, including chunks of broken bone compressed into pellet-like masses similar to those produced by modern owls. Paleontologists have long suspected that large predators played a role in hunting these birds, but no direct evidence of such animals had ever been found. Now, a newly described dinosaur may provide the answer. In a study published in Carnegie Chronicle MuseumResearchers report that a previously unknown dinosaur species was discovered in the same fossil bed. the animal was a feathered relative Velociraptor Both the front and hind…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. Do you know any scientific geniuses? Tell us about them! Nominations for the next class of STAT Wunderkinds are being accepted until the end of this week. Justice Department issues ‘potentially devastating’ memo on Americans with Disabilities Act Last week, the Trump administration released a memo calling to overturn landmark disability laws and court rulings that prioritize people with disabilities receiving care while living in the community rather than in nursing homes and other facilities. The memo, released by…