Media Coverage
The work done by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine faculty members (and even some students) is regularly highlighted in newspapers, online media outlets and more. Below you’ll find links to articles and videos of Feinberg in the news.
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National Public Radio
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Some Apps May Help Curb Insomnia, Others Just Put You To Sleep
“These are usually relaxation strategies, white noise, meditation,” Jason Ong, an associate professor of neurology specializing in sleep at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He studies non-pharmacological treatments for various sleep disorders and treats patients at the university’s Sleep Medicine clinic. “It’s not that there’s something wrong with those apps. It’s a reasonable first thing to try.” But, he adds, these kinds of apps aren’t based on scientifically-proven solutions, and they don’t really fix the problem of why someone is not sleeping.
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HealthDay
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Half of Antibiotics Given Without Infection Diagnosis
It’s not clear how many of those prescriptions were actually inappropriate, said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Linder, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. His team looked at patient records, and “bad coding” could be part of the problem, Linder explained. He was referring to the system doctors use for recording diagnoses. Still, the findings are concerning, Linder said. They suggest that some doctors are still doling out antibiotics too readily — probably, in part, because they assume patients want them, according to Linder.
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San Francisco Chronicle
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Doctors prescribe antibiotics without need nearly half the time, study finds
“I’m at a level of very concerned,” said Dr. Jeffrey Linder, lead author of the study and chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. He presented early results from his work at the IDWeek conference at Moscone Center. That antibiotics are often inappropriately prescribed is not new information. But the Northwestern study is among the first to carefully describe prescribing behaviors in outpatient settings, which are the source of roughly 80 percent of all antibiotic prescriptions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the past has estimated that a third of outpatient prescriptions are unnecessary.
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WebMD
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Half of Antibiotics Given With No Infection Noted
Researchers found that of more than 500,000 antibiotic prescriptions they analyzed, nearly half were written without an infection-related diagnosis. And about 20 percent were given without an office visit — usually over the phone. It’s not clear how many of those prescriptions were actually inappropriate, said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Linder, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
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Reuters
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Alternative medicine might help ease psoriasis symptoms
When patients do want to explore other options, they should consider the relative risk associated with different types of complementary and alternative medicine, said Dr. Steve Xu of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “With topical and oral complementary and alternative medicines, there is a greater potential for harm for adverse events, lesser clinical evidence for efficacy, and unclear manufacturing processes for ingredient purity and consistency,” Xu, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
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HealthDay
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AHA: Researchers Suggest New Way to Possibly Eliminate Clogged Arteries
Lipoproteins are tiny, complex particles that transport fat and cholesterol through the blood. “There are a lot of different types of lipoproteins, but the ones that have apolipoprotein B on them are the ones that cause atherosclerosis,” said Dr. John Wilkins, a cardiologist and assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Wilkins, who wasn’t involved in the report, called the proposal a “very compelling idea” that might show whether older adults can avoid heart attacks and strokes by making sure they have low LDL and apo B levels earlier in their lives.
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Chicago Tribune
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As Kavanaugh hearing puts spotlight on teens and alcohol, experts warn: ‘Adolescent drinking is a problem’
In addition to addiction issues, the harmful effects of alcohol on the brain are even stronger for the developing teenage brain, said Amy Herrold, research assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The parts of the brain that are really important for making decisions … are rapidly developing during this time frame,” she said. “That is why it’s so important for adolescents to treat their brain very carefully.”
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Reuters
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Sexual harassment, abuse tied to real health effects
Lori Post, who wasn’t involved in either study, suspects that if the questionnaire had been worded differently, Oertelt-Prigione’s study would have found an even higher prevalence of sexual harassment. “I believe the rate is closer to 100 percent,” said Post, who is director of the Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The difference is in how often and how bad it is.” Post also believes Thurston’s harassment numbers might have been higher if the Pittsburgh team had not excluded women with heart disease from the study, since heart disease could be correlated with harassment.
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Reuters
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Southern diet helps explain extra high blood pressure risk for black men
For African-American women in the study, the Southern diet explained 29 percent of their excess risk for high blood pressure. Even though a Southern diet rich in fried foods and saturated fat can indeed contribute to high blood pressure, this isn’t the only factor that matters, stressed Dr. Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Obesity, income, education, can also influence blood pressure, and sodium intake matters for women in particular, Yancy, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
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Crain’s Chicago Business
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Big hospitals pledge to hire, buy local
Together with 10 of Chicago’s largest hospitals, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., yesterday released an action plan to reduce violence and improve health in 18 Chicago neighborhoods by hiring and purchasing local, among other commitments. The Chicago HEAL Initiative (Hospital Engagement, Action and Leadership) is touted as a prevention strategy that recognizes hospitals as large employers and leaders of community initiatives. The 10 hospitals—including University of Chicago Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center—will partner to address a number of targets over the next three years, the plan states.
