Cardiovascular disease is by far the most common cause of death worldwide, and myocardial infarction is the most common acute event. For those who survive a myocardial infarction, the risk of a new heart attack is greatest in the first year after the initial event because the blood vessels are more sensitive, making it easier for blood clots to develop. However, the majority of patients do not reach their treatment goals using only this medication. Today's guidelines recommend stepwise addition of lipid-lowering treatment. But it's often the case that this escalation takes too long, it's ineffective and patients are lost to follow-up." Margrét Leósdóttir, Associate Professor at Lund University and senior cardiology consultant at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden In the study in question, she examined the prognosis of patients if the add-on therapy ezetimibe is applied early – (within 12 weeks after myocardial infarction), late (between 13 weeks and 16 months) or not at all. Based on Swedish registry data from 36,000 patients who had a myocardial infarction between 2015 and 2022, Margrét Leósdóttir´s research group has used advanced statistical models to emulate a clinical trial. The results show that patients who received a combination treatment of statins and ezetimibe within 12 weeks after the infarction and were able to lower cholesterol to the target level early, had a better prognosis and less risk of new cardiovascular events and death than those who received the add-on treatment late or never. Based on the results, many new heart attacks, strokes and deaths could be prevented every year if the treatment strategy would be changed. "Combination therapy is not applied up-front for two main reasons. General recommendations are not included in today's guidelines and a precautionary principle is applied to avoid side effects and overmedication. Margrét Leósdóttir hopes that the research results will in time provide support for changes in the recommendations. A treatment algorithm has already been introduced at her hospital in Sweden to help doctors to prescribe appropriate lipid-lowering treatment for patients who have had a myocardial infarction. It has been noted that patients achieve their treatment goals earlier and two months after the infarction twice as many patients have reduced their bad cholesterol to the target level, compared with previously. "Several other hospitals in Sweden have also adopted the algorithm and there are similar examples from other countries that have produced as good results. My hope is that even more will review their procedures, so that more patients will get the right treatment in time, and we can thereby prevent unnecessary suffering and save lives." Early Ezetimibe Initiation After Myocardial Infarction Protects Against Later Cardiovascular Outcomes in the SWEDEHEART Registry. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

UNIGE scientists identified a brain circuit where lies the origin the social difficulties experienced by people with autism spectrum disorders. From birth, human survival depends on the ability to engage with others. This ability, which is essential for development, seems to be impaired very early on in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who show limited interest in social stimuli from their first year of life. To understand the neurobiological basis of this phenomenon, scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) combined data from clinical and animal research. These results, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, pave the way for better prediction of development and more targeted interventions. It is currently estimated that one child in 36 develops an autistic disorder, of whom a third is at risk of cognitive impairment. As young children with ASD are less oriented towards social cues very early on, they are less likely to develop the tools that enable them to navigate the social world and learn.'' While the consequences of this lack of social interest on development are well known, the neurobiological causes are much less so. At the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, the Synapsy Centre for Research in Neuroscience for Mental Health brings together neuroscientists and psychiatrists in a joint network. This sharing of expertise has led to a major discovery for understanding the very essence of social interaction: the ability to maintain a social interaction depends on the speed with which attention can be shifted from one stimulus to another. These mice therefore represent a good model for the study of ASD.'' ''This time, we were able to show in our mouse model of ASD that a lack of neural synchronisation in the superior colliculus altered the exchange of communication between the two cerebral areas, resulting in defects in the orientation and social behaviour of individuals''. These experiments were carried out in vivo using miniaturised microscopes that enable the monitoring of neural activity in moving animals. They were conducted by Alessandro Contestabile, co-first author of the study and a post-doctoral researcher in Camilla Bellone's laboratory. To confirm this hypothesis in humans, Nada Kojovic, a researcher in Marie Schaer's team and co-first author of the study, developed an original protocol for obtaining brain MRIs without sedation in children aged 2 to 5 years. ''We therefore developed a habituation protocol, fitted out the MRI room and worked closely with the families to provide optimum conditions for the child to fall asleep, which worked very well for over 90% of the children for whom we obtained very good quality MRI images.'' Furthermore, the level of connectivity in this circuit makes it possible to predict their cognitive development in the following year. An intensive treatment method developed in the United States and used in Geneva which require 20 hours a week for 2 years, has already proved its worth. With early intervention, the children gain an average of 20 IQ points, and 75% of them can go on to attend ordinary school. Translational research approach to social orienting deficits in autism: the role of superior colliculus-ventral tegmental pathway. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Insomnia and hazardous drinking are so closely intertwined that estimates suggest at least one-third, and as many as 91%, of people who have a hard time with sleep also misuse alcohol. A new study suggests that perceived stress and depression factor into the relationship between the two conditions – perhaps not a surprise. But because the relationship between insomnia and heavy drinking goes in both directions, the influence of stress or depression depends on which condition came first, the analysis found. We were most interested in how insomnia leads to drinking, and we found that seems to occur primarily through stress. But when we switched pathways, it appeared that drinking primarily led to insomnia through depression." "Identifying these types of mediating factors can have important treatment implications," she said. "If people who have insomnia are experiencing a lot of stress, then if we can target the stress, that might reduce the likelihood that their insomnia would lead to heavy drinking. Insomnia and hazardous drinking can cause upheaval in one's life: Both are associated with missed work and lower productivity on the job. A defining characteristic of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is continuing to drink even when encountering interpersonal problems, getting sick or hurt, or driving while intoxicated. Weafer has expanded her research focus on risks for problem drinking to address the fact that poor sleep can lead to increased drinking and those with AUD commonly have difficulty with sleep. Participants in this study were part of a larger project testing the effectiveness of a digital insomnia intervention for people with poor sleep who are heavy drinkers. A total of 405 volunteers completed questionnaires assessing insomnia severity, current and historic drinking behaviors, perceived stress and depression symptoms. Stress and depression often overlap, but are distinct – the stress scale measures the degree to which situations in life are perceived as stressful, and the depression scale measures behaviors and feelings related to hope, fear, happiness and loneliness. Previous research has suggested that stress or depression, or both, contribute to troubled sleep or heavy drinking, said first study author Justin Verlinden, a cognitive neuroscience PhD student at the University of Kentucky. "There are so many different pathways that could explain insomnia and alcohol use. "If you look at stress and depression separately, we find there is an indirect relationship between insomnia and drinking as well as drinking and insomnia – meaning a good chunk of the relationship between insomnia and drinking can be explained through perceived stress or depression," Verlinden said. "When you put both stress and depression in the same models, that's where we get unique findings, even though there are a lot of shared characteristics between stress and depression." "That finding was very surprising, but showed the benefit of looking at both stress and depression in the same model, to see how those pathways might differ depending on what the directionality is," Weafer said. Both stress and depression are described as partial indirect paths – meaning there are any number of other factors that could help explain the connection between bad sleep and problem drinking, the researchers said. The findings represent a snapshot rather than explaining the progression of how insomnia and heavy drinking become linked over time, and where depression and stress fit into that evolving relationship, Weafer said. The researchers are also testing the effectiveness of a digital version of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia called SHUTi (Sleep Healthy Using the internet) in heavy drinkers. Their December 2023 pilot study showed that SHUTi was effective at reducing insomnia in heavy drinkers – even without an emphasis on curbing alcohol use. This research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. Please check the box above to proceed. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. 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At a swim meet just outside St. Louis, heads turned when a team of young swimmers walked through the rec center with their parents in tow. A supportive mom kept her eye on the clock while the Makos Swim Team athletes tucked their natural curls, braids, and locs into yellow swimming caps. "They don't know that we're listening," Randella Randell, a swimmer's mom, later said. Randell's son, Elijah Gilliam, 14, is a member of the Makos' competitive YMCA and USA Swimming program based in North St. Louis. Almost 40 athletes, ages 4 to 19, swim on the squad, which encourages Black and multiracial kids to participate in the sport. Coached by Terea Goodwin and Torrie Preciado, the team also spreads the word about water safety in their community. "If we can get everybody to learn how to swim, just that little bit, it would save so many lives," said Goodwin, a kitchen and bathroom designer by day who is known as Coach T at the pool. But just like mako sharks, such teams of Black swimmers are rare. Detroit has the Razor Aquatics, Howard University in Washington, D.C., has a team that's made headlines for winning championships, and some alums from North Carolina A&T's former swim team created a group to offer water safety classes. In the past, Black Americans were barred from many public swimming pools. When racial segregation was officially banned, white Americans established private swim clubs that required members to pay a fee that wasn't always affordable. As a result, swimming remained effectively segregated, and many Black Americans stayed away from pools. More than a third of Black adults report they do not know how to swim, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, more than twice the rate for adults overall. But the group, which offers swim lessons to families of color, is concerned about the flow of grant money dwindling because of the recent federal backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Members of the Black Swimmers Alliance discussed those statistics before their advocacy work began. They also had to address another issue — many of the adult volunteers and parents with children on the Makos team didn't know how to swim. The Makos athletes also noticed that their parents were timid around water. Joseph Johnson, now 14, called out his mom, Connie Johnson, when she tried to give him a few tips about how to improve his performance. "He was like, 'Mom, you have no idea,'" the now-55-year-old recalled. She signed up for lessons with Coach T. Najma Nasiruddin-Crump and her husband, Joshua Crump, signed up, too. His daughter Kaia Collins-Crump, now 14, had told them she wanted to join the Makos team the first time she saw it. But among the three of them, no one knew how to swim. Joshua Crump, 38, said he initially felt silly at the lessons, then started to get the hang of it. "I don't swim well enough to beat any of the children in a race," he said with a chuckle. "It is the only moment in my life outside of birthing my children that I've been afraid of something," she said. Mahoganny Richardson, whose daughter Ava is on the team, volunteered to teach more Makos parents how to swim. She said the work starts outside the pool with a conversation about a person's experiences with water. She has heard stories about adults who were pushed into pools, then told to sink or swim. Black women were often told to stay out of the water to maintain hairstyles that would swell if their hair got wet. She evacuated the day before the storm hit but said one of her friends survived only because that woman's brother was able to swim to find help. "If it wasn't for him, they would have died," she said, noting that hundreds did drown. "That's the reason why swimming is important to me," she said. "A lot of times, us as African Americans, we shy away from it. Makos swimmer Rocket McDonald, 13, encouraged his mom, Jamie McDonald, to get back into the water and stick with it. When she was a child, her parents had signed her up for swim lessons, but she never got the hang of it. Her dad was always leery of the water. McDonald didn't understand why until she read about a race riot at a pool not far from where her dad grew up that happened after St. Louis desegregated public pools in 1949. "It was a full-circle moment," McDonald said. Now, at 42, McDonald is learning to swim again. Safety is always a priority for the Makos team. Coach T makes the athletes practice swimming in full clothing as a survival skill. Years ago, as a lifeguard in Kansas City, Missouri, Coach T pulled dozens of children out of recreational swimming pools who were drowning. Most of them, she said, were Black children who came to cool off but didn't know how to swim. "I was literally jumping in daily, probably hourly, getting kids out of every section," Goodwin said. It had already funded 150 lessons in St. Louis. But when the group looked for grants, the alliance scaled back its goal to 500 lessons, out of caution about what funding would be available. It's still committed to helping Black athletes swim competitively throughout their school years and in college. Most of the time, the Makos swimmers practice in a YMCA pool that doesn't have starting blocks. Backstroke flags are held in place with fishing wire, and the assistant coach's husband, José Preciado, used his 3-D printer to make red, regulation 15-meter markers for the team. That pool is about 5 degrees warmer for its senior patrons' comfort. Parents said white officials have frequently disqualified Makos swimmers. Still, parents said, that hasn't stopped occasional racist comments from bystanders and other swimmers at meets. And this spring, Richardson is offering lessons for Makos parents while their children practice. "It's about overcoming something that once felt impossible." This article was reprinted from khn.org, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF - the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

However, late-stage diagnoses eventually exceeded expectations, suggesting that limited access to cancer screening services due to these disasters likely hindered timely CRC diagnoses. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. During disasters, medical services may be delayed or inaccessible due to damaged infrastructure, overburdened health care facilities, or shortages of medical personnel. This can lead to late diagnoses, interruptions in treatment, and an overall worsening of survival and other health outcomes for patients. To assess the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on CRC diagnoses, investigators analyzed 2012–2021 data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry, which has been collecting information on all cancer cases diagnosed and treated in Puerto Rico since 1950. In April 2020, the observed number of CRC cases was 50, but the expected number of cases without interruptions would have been 162.5. Meanwhile, numbers of patients with late-stage CRC and those outside the recommended screening age range (<50 years and ≥76 years) exceeded expected numbers. These findings suggest that limited health care access during these events may have delayed cancer detection and may have worsened health outcomes. This issue is especially critical in Puerto Rico, since the health care system already faces important challenges." "Understanding these disruptions can help develop more adaptable and resilient strategies to ensure the continuity of essential care," added co-lead author Yisel Pagán-Santana, DrPH. Senior author Karen J. Ortiz-Ortiz, DrPH, stressed the urgent need for policies that strengthen health care systems in Puerto Rico and other regions that face similar challenges. "By evaluating the impact of events like hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope to start the conversation about long-term solutions to improve cancer care coordination, reduce health disparities, and ensure continued access to care," she said. "Ultimately, our goal is to help people live longer, healthier lives by making health care systems more resilient and accessible, even in times of crisis." Suárez-Ramos, T., et al. (2025) Evaluating the impact of hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer incidence in Puerto Rico: An interrupted time-series analysis. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. Please check the box above to proceed. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

New research from the University of Waterloo suggests increasing the ratio of dietary potassium to sodium intake may be more effective for lowering blood pressure than simply reducing sodium intake. High blood pressure affects over 30 per cent of adults globally. "Usually, when we have high blood pressure, we are advised to eat less salt," said Anita Layton, professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy and Biology at the University of Waterloo and the Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine. "Our research suggests that adding more potassium-rich foods to your diet, such as bananas or broccoli, might have a greater positive impact on your blood pressure than just cutting sodium." Potassium and sodium are both electrolytes – substances that help the body send electrical signals to contract muscles, affect the amount of water in your body and perform other essential functions. Early humans ate lots of fruits and vegetables, and as a result, our body's regulatory systems may have evolved to work best with a high potassium, low sodium diet." That may explain why high blood pressure is found mainly in industrialized societies, not in isolated societies." While previous research found that increasing potassium intake can help control blood pressure, the researchers developed a mathematical model that successfully identifies how the ratio of potassium to sodium impacts the body. The study found that men develop high blood pressure more easily than pre-menopausal women, but men are also more likely to respond positively to an increased ratio of potassium to sodium. The researchers emphasize that mathematical models like the one used in this study allow these kinds of experiments to identify how different factors impact the body quickly, cheaply, and ethically. The study, Modulation of blood pressure by dietary potassium and sodium: sex differences and modeling analysis, was recently published in the American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. Please check the box above to proceed. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how diabetes-associated sleep fragmentation impairs liver and heart function via SIRT1-dependent epigenetic modulation of NADPH oxidase 4. Although clinical evidence suggests that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is an established major risk factor for heart failure, it remains unexplored whether sleep disorder-caused hepatic damage contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The authors of this article revealed that sleep fragmentation (SF) displayed notable hepatic detrimental phenotypes, including steatosis and oxidative damage, along with significant abnormalities in cardiac structure and function. All these pathological changes persisted even after sleep recovery for 2 consecutive weeks or more, displaying memory properties. Mechanistically, persistent higher expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) in the liver was the key initiator of SF-accelerated damage phenotypes. SF epigenetically controlled the acetylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27ac) enrichment at the Nox4 promoter and markedly increased Nox4 expression in liver even after sleep recovery. Accordingly, genetic manipulation of liver-specific Nox4 or Sirt1, along with pharmacological intervention targeting NOX4 (GLX351322) or SIRT1 (Resveratrol), could effectively erase the epigenetic modification of Nox4 by reducing the H3K27ac level and ameliorate the progression of liver pathology, thereby counteracting SF-evoked sustained CVD. Collectively, our findings may pave the way for strategies to mitigate myocardial injury from persistent hepatic detrimental memory in diabetic patients. Diabetes-associated sleep fragmentation impairs liver and heart function via SIRT1-dependent epigenetic modulation of NADPH oxidase 4. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. Although current treatments, such as pirfenidone and nintedanib, slow disease progression, they fail to completely halt or reverse fibrosis Targeted drug delivery systems (TDDSs) are emerging as promising solutions. Biomaterials play critical roles in these systems by enhancing drug specificity, availability, and efficacy, while minimizing systemic toxicity. The most notable biomaterials include nanotechnology-based systems, including liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles, which facilitate drug penetration and slow release in fibrotic tissues. Hydrogels have three-dimensional structures providing controlled and sustained drug release at inflammation sites, and therefore are particularly valuable in PF treatment. Furthermore, biological carriers such as stem cells and extracellular vesicles have biocompatibility and anti-inflammatory effects that improve therapeutic outcomes. Despite the promising potential of these systems, clinical translation is hindered by several challenges, including immune clearance, stability of delivery platforms, and optimization of drug retention within diseased tissues. Interdisciplinary approaches integrating precision medicine with advancements in biomaterials may provide solutions opening new avenues for PF treatment. This article discusses current developments in targeted drug delivery for PF, emphasizing the importance of biomaterials, the mechanisms and barriers involved in pulmonary drug delivery, and future perspectives for overcoming current limitations. The ultimate goal is to improve patient outcomes by revolutionizing the approach to PF treatment through advanced drug delivery technologies. Targeted Drug Delivery System for Pulmonary Fibrosis: Design and Development of Biomaterials. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

A newly-published Cochrane review reveals significant gaps in the clinical rating scales used to assess pain in newborn babies, highlighting the urgent need for improved tools and global collaboration. Neonatal pain assessment and management presents a challenge for clinical staff worldwide. These infants endure multiple painful procedures daily, which can lead to long-term negative effects. The Cochrane review analysed 79 studies involving over 7,000 infants across 26 countries, evaluating 27 different clinical rating scales. All rating scales were found to be supported by very low-quality evidence, indicating major limitations in their effectiveness and clinical applicability. Over 70% of rating scales in this review did not assess content and structural validity, and both these factors are essential when selecting a measurement instrument. Without a strong foundation in these areas, other necessary measures, such as reliability, cannot be accurately evaluated. Future studies must prioritise rigorous validation to improve neonatal pain assessment." Measuring pain in newborns is particularly complex compared to adults. Premature infants further complicate matters, as they often have a reduced ability to display robust pain behaviour due to their immaturity. The same is also true for ill or sedated infants. "It is important to remember that clinical rating scales are only surrogates for pain measurement," says Roger F. Soll, Professor of Neonatology at the University of Vermont. "Given the uncertainty highlighted in this review, clinical staff should avoid relying too heavily on the rating scales currently in practice and instead strive to decrease painful procedures as much as possible in this vulnerable population." Despite the disappointing results, this review presents an opportunity for progress in neonatal pain assessment, particularly through global collaboration and innovation. "This is our chance to unite clinicians and methodologists in developing a rigorously validated scale from scratch, one that meets all necessary checks before implementation in research and practice," Emma says. "We look forward to beginning this impactful work and the implications it will have on assessing and managing neonatal pain worldwide." Clinical rating scales for assessing pain in newborn infants. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

A pioneering study presented today at ESCMID Global 2025 has demonstrated that an AI-powered lung ultrasound outperforms human experts by 9% in diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The ULTR-AI suite analyses images from portable, smartphone-connected ultrasound devices, offering a sputum-free, rapid, and scalable alternative for TB detection. The results exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarks for pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis, marking a major opportunity for accessible and efficient TB triage. Despite previous global declines, TB rates rose by 4.6% from 2020 to 2023.2 Early screening and rapid diagnosis are critical components of the WHO's 'End TB Strategy,' yet many high-burden countries experience substantial patient dropouts at the diagnostic stage due to the high cost of chest x-ray equipment and a shortage of trained radiologists.3 These challenges underscore the urgent need for more accessible diagnostic tools. The ULTR-AI suite leverages deep learning algorithms to interpret lung ultrasound in real time, making the tool more accessible for TB triage, especially for minimally trained healthcare workers in rural areas. The study was conducted at a tertiary urban centre in Benin, West Africa. After exclusions, 504 patients were included, with 192 (38%) confirmed to have pulmonary TB. Among the study population, 15% were HIV-positive and 13% had a history of TB. A single sputum molecular test (MTB Xpert Ultra) served as the reference standard. "Our model clearly detects human-recognisable lung ultrasound findings-like large consolidations and interstitial changes-but an end-to-end deep learning approach captures even subtler features beyond the human eye," said Dr. Suttels. "Our hope is that this will help identify early pathological signs such as small sub-centimetre pleural lesions common in TB." "A key advantage of our AI models is the immediate turnaround time once they are integrated into an app," added Dr. Suttels. "This allows lung ultrasound to function as a true point-of-care test with good diagnostic performance at triage, providing instant results while the patient is still with the healthcare worker. Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions. News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide. Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net. Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content. A few things you need to know before we start. While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.