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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CNN
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Kids are starting menstruation earlier, study shows. Here is what that means for their health
Younger generations are getting their first periods earlier, and the length of time it takes to become regular is changing — which could point to later health problems, according to a new study. Menstruation is like a vital sign, said Eve Feinberg, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She was not involved in the research. “You want to make sure that the body is regulated,” Feinberg said. “And when cycles are not regular, it’s generally a sign that something else may be going on.” Scientists and health care providers already know that early periods and a longer time for cycles to regulate are associated with poor effects on health, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, Wang said. And an early period itself may pose problems, Feinberg added. For an 8-year-old to be going through puberty, there is often a disconnect between the age of the child’s mind and body, she said. Physicians should evaluate children with early periods or a long duration of irregular cycles to make sure there isn’t an underlying problem, Feinberg said.
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CNN
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New US liver transplant policy raises cost and equity concerns, according to new study
Changes to the policy that governs how liver transplants are allocated in the United States were meant to increase the number of transplants and make the process more equitable, but a new study raises concerns that it’s putting certain underserved communities at a greater disadvantage. The new liver allocation policy changed the geographic parameters that guide which people receive donated organs. Instead of operating within defined regional service areas, the new policy prioritizes the sickest liver candidates who are listed at transplant hospitals that are within a 500-nautical-mile radius of the donor hospital. While it’s clear that not all transplant centers are “equally resilient in responding to changes in national allocation policy,” the sample of centers used in the new analysis might not be nationally representative, wrote the authors, led by Daniela Ladner, MD, MPH, founding director of the Northwestern University Transplant Outcomes Research Collaborative. Federal data suggests that liver transplants did increase in the US overall, despite the decrease observed in the sample of 22 centers. Right now, liver allocations are predominantly concerned with reaching the sickest patients soonest based on individual patient scores on a model for end-stage liver disease. But the new model would also focus on improving efficiency in the system instead of relying completely on urgency.
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New York Times
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For Some Families of Color, a Painful Fight for a Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis
People from minority communities have struggled to receive lifesaving care for cystic fibrosis for decades, in large part because many doctors were traditionally taught that the disease almost exclusively affects white people. Rowland’s experience underscores why doctors can’t rely on screening alone, said Susanna McColley, MD, a professor of pediatrics in pulmonary and sleep medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She said that children who have symptoms or a sibling with the disease should be referred to a cystic fibrosis center for a definitive diagnostic test, called a sweat test, regardless of their screening results. Before universal screening, doctors “used to do a lot more sweat tests for kids with poor growth, recurrent respiratory symptoms or both,” Dr. McColley said.
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New York Times
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Should You Delay Your Morning Caffeine?
It’s an idea that has been popularized by online influencers: Avoid consuming caffeine for 90 to 120 minutes after waking up, they say, and you will perk up more naturally, thwart the dreaded afternoon slump and have better sleep. Proponents explain the idea as if it’s supported by good evidence, with some people who have tried the method saying it has “been a game changer” for their energy levels. But scientists who study the relationship between caffeine and sleep say that while there may be some benefits to putting off your morning coffee, there’s not much research to back them up. In some cases, experts warn, the risks of delaying your morning caffeine could outweigh the purported benefits — or even be dangerous. Throughout the day, your body produces a chemical called adenosine, which binds to receptors in your brain and makes you feel drowsy. Caffeine perks you up by blocking those receptors, said Marilyn Cornelis, PhD, a caffeine researcher at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. How long caffeine keeps you sharp “varies considerably,” based in part on your genetics, Dr. Cornelis said. Some people may have one morning brew and “ride that for much of the day,” she said. Others clear caffeine from their bodies more quickly and might want another cup within a few hours, she added.
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CNN
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New US liver transplant policy raises cost and equity concerns, according to new study
Changes to the policy that governs how liver transplants are allocated in the United States were meant to increase the number of transplants and make the process more equitable, but a new study raises concerns that it’s putting certain underserved communities at a greater disadvantage. The new liver allocation policy changed the geographic parameters that guide which people receive donated organs. Instead of operating within defined regional service areas, the new policy prioritizes the sickest liver candidates who are listed at transplant hospitals that are within a 500-nautical-mile radius of the donor hospital. It was implemented in February 2020 by the United Network for Organ Sharing, which is contracted by the federal government’s Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. While it’s clear that not all transplant centers are “equally resilient in responding to changes in national allocation policy,” the sample of centers used in the new analysis might not be nationally representative, wrote the authors, led by Daniela Ladner, MD, MPH, founding director of the Northwestern University Transplant Outcomes Research Collaborative. Federal data suggests that liver transplants did increase in the US overall, despite the decrease observed in the sample of 22 centers.
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New York Post
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Rise and grind? Researchers reveal the best time to drink coffee
Genetics play a role in how long caffeine keeps you alert. “Everyone responds to caffeine differently,” Marilyn Cornelis, PhD, a caffeine researcher at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told the New York Times Wednesday. Genetics play a role in how long caffeine keeps you alert, Cornelis said — some only need one java to last them the day, while others are jonesing just hours later. A morning coffee may still help workers and exercisers stay focused, while delaying it may extend the effects of caffeine into the early afternoon. Caffeine can make it more difficult to fall asleep — and stay asleep — as it competes with adenosine, a naturally occurring chemical in the body that promotes drowsiness.
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Chicago Tribune
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Double lung transplants weren’t typically recommended for lung cancer patients. But a new technique developed at Northwestern has been successful.
For decades, double lung transplants were not considered a viable option for treating lung cancer. “It had been done, but it had always failed,” said Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine. “When you took out the lungs, the cancer cells would spread to the rest of the body, and it would come back a matter of months after the transplant.” But after developing a new technique to replace damaged lungs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Northwestern Medicine’s Canning Thoracic Institute has now performed more than 40 successful lung transplants on cancer patients in just two and a half years. The operation has a 100% success rate for lung cancer patients today, and in January the hospital completed its first transplant on a patient with lungs affected by both COVID-19 and lung cancer. While lung transplants had typically been performed by removing the lungs one by one, cutting first the vein that takes blood from the heart to the lungs and then the vein that takes it back, surgeons had to figure out a way that would prevent COVID bacteria from moving from the lungs to the heart, according to Bharat. Doctors developed a technique to cut the veins simultaneously and later discovered the same technique could stop the spread of cancer cells. “We had to make the same modifications for lung cancer,” said Rade Tomic, MD, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine who also worked on the transplant treatment. “We had to make sure we didn’t spread the cancer, or let it enter the bloodstream.”
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TODAY
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Why do babies say Dada first?
It can dash a mom’s hopes to hear their babies say “Dada” before “Mama,” but mothers shouldn’t take it personally, experts say. Kids go through predictable stages when babbling, says Elizabeth Norton, PhD, a developmental scientist and an associate professor at Northwestern University. “Kids first use vowels and then put a consonant at the beginning of that vowel and say, ‘Coo’ for example, before moving into ‘duplicated babbling’ which is saying a consonant and vowel over and over again,” she says. “Even when kids speak a language that doesn’t include ‘Mama or ‘Dada,’ kids will still say, ‘mamamamama’ or ‘dadadadadada.’” Other than “Mama” and “Dada,” says Norton, kids who speak a variety of languages most commonly express words related to their social routines that translate to “Bye,” “Thank you,” “No,” “Vroom” and “Ball.” And if your child isn’t saying “Mama,” don’t worry too much. “There are lots of ways that kids show that caregivers are important to them,” says Norton, “such as hugs, shared cuddles and time together.”
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New York Times
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Despite Setback, Neuralink’s First Brain-Implant Patient Stays Upbeat
Just four months ago, Noland Arbaugh had a circle of bone removed from his skull and hair-thin sensor tentacles slipped into his brain. A computer about the size of a small stack of quarters was placed on top and the hole was sealed. Paralyzed below the neck, Mr. Arbaugh is the first patient to take part in the clinical trial of humans testing Elon Musk’s Neuralink device, and his early progress was greeted with excitement. This first Neuralink experiment also highlights how complicated the mechanics of the connection between the brain and a device are. Lee Miller, PhD, a professor of neuroscience and rehabilitative medicine at Northwestern University, described the difficulties of working with the brain. It is bathed in salt water, moves around as the head swivels and bobs, and it is equipped with immune defenses meant to wall off invaders. Researchers have observed the brain forming scar tissue around sensors and even rejecting an entire sensing unit that used a grid of tiny needles.
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Chicago Tribune
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Cicada anxiety can be managed says children book author
As people across Illinois prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime cicada dual emergence, fear of the weird-looking flying bugs with big red eyes is on the rise, experts say. But they also say that fear is understandable and there are ways to get past it including standing in an area filled with cicadas, a practice psychologists call exposure therapy. “Exposure therapy is very simple conceptually and very hard to do,” said Rick Zinbarg, PhD, Professor and Director of Clinical Science Training in the Psychology Department on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. He said exposure therapy works two ways. In the case of a fear or phobia of cicadas flooding involves summoning up the courage to literally go to an area where there are lots of the bugs and to stand there for as long as possible. Gradual exposure is much less confrontational and could include looking at photos or videos of the bugs online or in a book. Zinbarg said with both techniques there’s a very good chance the fear of cicadas is going to subside. “I encourage people to start where they’re ready and push it out when they’re ready,” he said.
