Healthcare consumers face a challenging and frustrating patient journey with numerous choices and a fragmented system. The burden of navigating this system often falls on patients, leading to long waits, being bounced around, and a lack of assistance. Technology such as automation and AI can streamline patient encounters, improve customer self-service, and support contact center…
Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale’s campaign ad claims that Dr. Anthony Fauci brought COVID to Montana a year before it broke out in the U.S. This ad is part of his fundraising efforts in his run for a Republican nomination. However, these claims are false. The study Rosendale references from the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in…
Amgen is testing their obesity drug candidate, MariTide, to see if they can wean patients toward lower doses over time. Very early data suggests that MariTide may provide longer-lasting weight loss than other popular obesity drugs and could potentially be taken less frequently. Amgen’s unique strategy is to transition patients to a less intensive dosing…
The NHS in England is offering a national gene testing program for Jewish people to identify the faulty BRCA gene, which increases the risk of certain cancers. Jewish people are more likely to have a faulty BRCA gene, putting them at higher risk for breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. The program will invite individuals…
A team of scientists led by Dr. Huong T. X. Hoang of Phenikaa University, Vietnam investigated whether mild COVID-19 infections could affect sleep quality. They recruited 1,056 individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19 but not hospitalized and sent them a survey regarding their symptoms. 76.1% reported insomnia, with pre-existing chronic conditions and people with anxiety…
The Lancet published peer-reviewed results from a Phase 3 efficacy trial of the R21/Matrix-M™ malaria vaccine. The World Health Organization recently prequalified the vaccine, leading to a global rollout expected to begin in mid-2024. With data from the trial, the vaccine’s effectiveness was reported as 75% in areas with seasonal malaria transmission and 68% in…
Mark Braxton discovered he had vitiligo in 1996 when he noticed white spots on his skin. The condition affected his self-esteem and made him feel insecure and isolated. He tried different treatments but found acceptance and support through the North Carolina Vitiligo Support Community. He now leads the community and hosts a podcast to help…
A new trial, led by Anastasios Charalampidis, MD, PhD, with the Department of Clinical Science, used self-managed physical activity combined with either nighttime bracing for 8 hours or scoliosis-specific exercise to prevent Cobb angle progression in moderate-grade AIS. This trial found that night bracing was more effective than self-managed physical activity or scoliosis-specific exercise alone,…
Candida auris, a deadly fungal infection that is on the rise in the U.S., has been reported for the first time in Washington state. It can cause severe illness in humans and is resistant to antifungal treatments. Four people have tested positive for the infection at Kindred Hospital Seattle First Hill, with the source of…
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that both psychotherapy and antidepressants are viable options for managing depression in patients with heart failure. The study suggests that both treatments can be beneficial for improving depressive symptoms in this population. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing depression in patients…
