Media Coverage

Heart Disease and Stroke Projected to Rise Significantly in Women in the Next 25 Years

Without better prevention and early detection, the number of women living with cardiovascular disease will increase substantially in the coming decades, the American Heart Association said Wednesday.

“Not all communities can afford the out-of-pocket expenses for GLP-1s, and unfortunately, we may see a widening of disparities in cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes,” said Norrina Bai Allen, an epidemiologist specializing in cardiovascular disease who is director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Super-Agers’ Brains Have a Special Ability, New Study Suggests

Many people’s brains deteriorate as they age, becoming riddled with malfunctioning proteins that result in cell death and the loss of memory and cognition. But other people’s brains remain almost perfectly intact, their thinking as sharp at 80 as it was in their 50s.

“This paper shows biological proof that the aging brain is plastic,” even into a person’s 80s, said Tamar Gefen, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who contributed to the research.

If Social Platforms Are Harmful, Don’t Just Ban Kids. Regulate the Harms

As major social media companies head to court this year to defend themselves against claims that their products have harmed young people’s mental health, policymakers are searching for decisive responses. The lawsuits, which focus on whether platforms knowingly designed addictive, psychologically harmful systems for youth, are bringing long-avoided questions into public view: Who bears responsibility for online harm? And what, exactly, should be done about it?

This is an op-ed written by Jessica Schleider, PhD.

Northwestern Rewrites the Rules on Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer is widely considered one of the deadliest cancers because nearly 80% of cases aren’t discovered until they’ve reached advanced stages.

Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, says that, unlike breast and colon cancers, for which screening is conducted based on the age of a patient, lung cancer screening is still recommended based on the risk a patient is perceived to face.

Scientists discover a key to staying mentally sharp in old age

People who have razor-sharp minds in their 80s and 90s — known as “SuperAgers” — produce twice the number of young neurons as cognitively healthy adults and 2.5 times as many as people with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found.

“This shows the aging brain has the capacity to regenerate — that’s huge,” said study coauthor Dr. Tamar Gefen, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

US Child, Teen Obesity Rates Reach Record High

Dr. Justin Ryder, an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, said he’s cautiously optimistic about the slight decrease. However, he added that it remains to be seen whether this is a blip or if the decrease is indicative of a longer-term trend.

“We’ve seen dips in the past and typically, when they do, in the next reporting period it goes right back up,” Ryder told ABC News. “And that’s because of how the sampling is done. This is a random sample of U.S. adults.”

What Happened in Chicago When Science Became the Enemy

In April, the federal government froze some $790 million in funding for Northwestern, without notice or explanation. The university was apparently being accused of antisemitism and of racism over its diversity initiatives, but it was unclear whether the freeze was related to those charges, and no one seemed to know when, or whether, or how the funds would be restored.

‘Birdbrain’ benefits: How being an expert birdwatcher may boost cognition

Expert birders showed structural brain differences compared with novices — regardless of age.

The study doesn’t prove that birding prevents cognitive decline. Still, the results suggest that birding may support brain health in older adults, said Molly Mather, a clinical psychologist at the Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, part of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Skipping a Late-Night Snack Pays Big Benefits For Your Heart

Skip your late-evening snack and wind down for the day with the lights dimmed low. That simple shift in your end-of-the-day routine is good for your heart, new research demonstrates.

“Timing our fasting window to work with the body’s natural wake-sleep rhythms can improve the coordination between the heart, metabolism and sleep, all of which work together to protect cardiovascular health,” said study author Dr. Daniela Grimaldi, a research associate professor of neurology in sleep medicine at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

COVID-19 Boosters Tied to Lower Preeclampsia Risk in Pregnant Women

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 might offer protection against one of the most dangerous complications of pregnancy. A large international study published online Feb. 18 in eClinicalMedicine followed more than 6,500 pregnant women across 18 countries.

“Our results support the importance of strengthening COVID vaccination programs during pregnancy, emphasizing boosters and ensuring that pregnant people across the world have equitable access to the vaccine,” study co-author Dr. Jagjit Teji said in a news release. He’s a neonatologist at Lurie Children’s Hospital at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.