Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how a protein in a deadly type of lung cancer can control how the immune system responds to the tumor, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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More NewsThe average length of survival for glioblastoma has failed to improve since it was first identified in scientific literature nearly 100 years ago. Despite this, scientists at Feinberg remain steadfast in their commitment to improving the understanding and treatment of glioblastoma through rigorous research initiatives and clinical trials.
People assigned male at birth who belong to a sexual or gender minority group are twice as likely to use methamphetamine following an HIV diagnosis, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Stephen Freeman, a fourth-year MD/MPH student at Feinberg, has been selected to participate in the Pisacano Scholars Leadership Program, a highly competitive professional development and scholarship opportunity given to exceptional future leaders in family medicine.
Northwestern Medicine investigators have created a novel blood test that identifies adults who may be at increased risk of developing severe respiratory illnesses, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Feinberg students, faculty, trainees and staff gathered in a packed Hughes Auditorium for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s annual Fall Lyceum on October 8.
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More Media CoverageOne in five adults reports feeling lonely on a daily basis, according to a new Gallup survey. The survey — part of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index — found that 20% of adults in the United States feel loneliness “a lot of the day yesterday,” a rise from data collected earlier this year. This is the highest rate of loneliness reported in the past two years. However, the new data is still lower than the peak of 25% of adults who felt lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021. Eileen Graham, PhD, associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University School of Medicine, added that the pandemic likely made people more vulnerable to isolation. “There are a lot of aspects of our lives during COVID that became a bit more normalized by tending toward more virtual workspaces,” she said. “Even though there has been a return to work, there are still certain aspects that still have not returned to normal.” Graham suggested that, as a culture, we need to do a better job of getting out of our individual shells and start looking outward. “We have to reach out and cure it for each other,” she said. “Try to identify ways that you can help other people feel like they are meaningfully connected.”
A recent report by the American Cancer Society (ACS) showed that the rate of breast cancer deaths among U.S. women has decreased by 44% from 1989 to 2022. But that progress has not held true for all women, including AI/AN women, whose death rates have remained unchanged during that same time. While AI/AN women have a 10% lower incidence of breast cancer than white women, they have a 6% higher mortality rate, according to the ACS. Advocates like Buffalo and organizations like the ACS are also creating toolkits to help existing systems increase their outreach to AI/AN women. However, “there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to everything,” Melissa Simon, MD, MPH, an OB/GYN at Northwestern University and founder of the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative said. “We have to also acknowledge that the patient has some variation too, just like the cancer itself. To treat it has some variation,” Simon said.
Canyon Ranch, a wellness resort, is offering a new longevity program called “Longevity8” with eight health pillars: integrative medicine, mental and emotional health, strength and endurance, sleep, flexibility and fitness, spiritual wellness, nutrition and outdoor experiences. It will cost a pricey $20,000 for single people and $36,000 for couples. Looking at the Canyon Ranch protocol specifically: The most reasonable tests were the bloodwork and diet intake and consultation, according to Dr. Douglas E. Vaughan, professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute. Specific patient populations might benefit from specialized tests, like the DEXA body composition (i.e. women after menopause who typically lose bone density). Certain symptoms might prompt some of these assessments as well. Asthmatic patients, for example, might want a pulmonary function test after chatting with their doctor. The short answer: No need to break the bank, and if you want to do some additional testing, blood work is probably your best bet. Still, if you’d like to take it a step further, you can easily find specialty facilities and doctors who will be happy to take your check.
Whooping cough is spreading nationwide at the highest levels since 2014. There have been more than 16,000 cases this year — more than four times as many compared to the same time last year — and two confirmed deaths. And experts are concerned that the outbreak could worsen in the fall and winter months. The disease is most dangerous to babies: 1 in 3 who get it require hospitalization. Experts say there are a number of possible explanations for the size of the current outbreak. Doctors are testing for whooping cough more, so they’re identifying more cases. It’s possible that the bacterium that causes the disease has mutated. Also, people got behind on their vaccines during the pandemic, and they haven’t caught up. But access isn’t the only problem. “There still is a lot of vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaxers out there that will not vaccinate their kids,” said Tina Tan, MD, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Northwestern University and the president-elect of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. For the first couple of weeks, whooping cough looks like a mild cold, but then the coughing fits start. Babies who get it “are going to be whooping when they cough,” Tan said. “And they may cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, and then look like they’re not breathing at all.” Tan said those pauses in breathing are life-threatening, and a sign that it’s time to go to the hospital. Whooping cough can also lead to pneumonia and other complications. But babies can’t get their first dose of the vaccine that protects against whooping cough, also called pertussis, till they’re 2 months old. “That’s why it’s important for pregnant women to get the pertussis vaccine when they’re pregnant,” Tan said, “so that you can protect your baby for the first two months of life until they’re old enough to be vaccinated themselves.” Even before the pandemic, only about half of pregnant women got the pertussis vaccine. Now, that number is even lower.