Author: healthadmin
Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a special late stage of sensory processing. Rather, it is a core function that anticipates the body’s needs and movement plans and functions at all levels. Categories are therefore not fixed prototypes stored in “higher-order” areas of the cortex, but are dynamically constructed based on previous experience throughout sensory processing. In a new review article, “Categorization is baked into the brain,” cognitive scientists Lisa Feldman Barrett, Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, and Earl K. Miller, Picower Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argue that…
Scientists at the Buck Institute on Aging, along with collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco, have discovered that APOE4, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, causes bone defects specifically in female mice through a mechanism that is invisible to standard imaging and can appear as early as middle age. The survey results are cutting edge sciencerevealed an unexpected biological link between Alzheimer’s disease risk and skeletal health and identified a new molecular pathway that may one day inform early diagnosis of cognitive decline or guide treatment of bone loss in women who carry the APOE4…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 25 minutes a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the United States. NAS is a condition that occurs in newborns who are exposed to opioids in utero and develop withdrawal symptoms after birth. Historically, research has focused on the impact of NAS, also known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, on infant health and development, finding that prenatal opioid exposure is associated with an increased risk of adverse developmental, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes in early childhood. But by the time infants with NAS reach the classroom, opioid exposure…
Rutgers Health researchers found that older Chinese immigrants living in areas with better access to community amenities, services, and support infrastructure had slower declines in cognitive function over time. Their research is Social science and medicineexamined data from the Chinese Elderly Population Study, one of the largest studies of older Chinese immigrants in the United States. Researchers investigated how neighborhood resources such as museums, libraries, medical services, and internet access were associated with changes in cognitive function among 2,763 Chinese people. Immigrants age 60 and older living in the Chicago metropolitan area. Although neighborhood context was not associated with cognitive…
A federal policy requiring states to keep Medicaid recipients enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage across the country, leading to a surge in the number of people remaining insured after giving birth, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Analysis published in of Milbank Quarterly Magazine, A study of Medicaid claims in 15 states found that this coverage expansion resulted in modest changes in health care utilization, with significant increases in emergency department visits and mental and behavioral health examinations. Medicaid claims data provides important insights into service utilization and maternal health status. However, because we typically rely…
A new randomized clinical trial found that men with localized intermediate-risk prostate cancer recover faster and have less short-term impact on daily life when treated with MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) compared to robotic prostate surgery. Results from the CAPTAIN trial were presented today, Sunday, at the SIR 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto. The study followed 212 men treated at 23 medical centers between 2022 and 2025. Participants with localized intermediate-risk prostate cancer were randomly assigned to receive TULSA, a new minimally invasive therapy performed by an interventional radiologist, or robotic prostatectomy, a standard surgical approach. The study showed…
The outcome of the third phase was negative, and from a seemingly tightening regulatory environment to a grueling three-month review extension, Travele Therapeutics’ path in the pioneer bid was anything but certain. However, the company defied the odds and won breakthrough FDA approval for Filspari in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), providing the first treatment for a rare kidney disease. Monday’s FDA approval makes Filspari the first treatment specifically indicated for FSGS, presenting FSGS with a sales opportunity of more than $1 billion, according to analysts at Leerink Partners. The drug was originally approved in 2023 to treat another kidney disease,…
Lawyers for a youth coalition that challenged a series of President Donald Trump’s executive orders related to energy and climate change last year argued in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to allow the case to move forward. The federal district court in Montana that dismissed the case in Lighthizer v. Trump erred by ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to grant blanket relief when reviewing the legality of the executive order, argued Julia Olsen, an attorney with the nonprofit law firm Our Children’s Trust, which represents young people. “Without question, the federal judiciary retains the authority to adjudicate constitutional challenges…
Study reveals continued concern over rising suicide rates in the US”The United States has seen a 30 percent increase in age-adjusted suicide rates nationwide since the late 1990s,” said Amanda Bakian, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah and the Huntsman Institute of Mental Health. She also noted that the rate is even higher in Utah.”Utah is part of what is commonly referred to as the ‘suicide belt,’ which includes all other states in the Mountain West, where age-adjusted suicide rates are among the highest in the nation, and have been for quite some time,” Bakian said. Bakian,…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has selected 150 digital health companies and providers to participate in the launch of a technology-enabled chronic care model. In December, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced the Advancing Chronic Care through Effective and Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) model, a 10-year payment program to accelerate the use of technology to treat chronic conditions. CMS aims for the ACCESS model to provide stable and recurring payments for technologies used to treat diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, obesity, depression, and anxiety. This model helps pay for telemedicine software, wearables, and wellness apps that…