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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They may sound delicious and colorful, but there’s new evidence that juice cleanses can have negative health consequences — particularly due to a lack of an important kind of fiber. Researchers at Northwestern University found significant differences in gut and mouth bacteria between people following a juice-only diet versus diets that included whole foods. They suggested that the changes may be due to a lack of insoluble fiber, which adds bulk to the stool and helps move it through the body. “Most people think of juicing as a healthy cleanse, but this study offers a reality check,” said senior author Melinda Ring, MD, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a news release. “Consuming large amounts of juice with little fiber may lead to microbiome imbalances that could have negative consequences, such as inflammation and reduced gut health.” Overall, the researchers concluded that bacteria that thrive on a high-sugar diet may multiply during a juice cleanse, and the bacteria that are fed by fiber and have anti-inflammatory effects may be diminished. This could lead to impacts on metabolism, immunity, and mental health, the study authors concluded.
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If you feel like you’re coming down with something, there’s good reason. The hallmarks of the winter season, including lower temperatures, low humidity and indoor heating systems, can create the perfect conditions for viruses to thrive, while leaving our dried-out mucous membranes more vulnerable. Sore throat, stuffy or runny nose and cough are common symptoms of the flu, as well as many other respiratory viruses. But unlike COVID-19 or a cold, influenza is more likely to hit you all at once rather than to come on gradually. The CDC says that influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase. Flu season typically starts in December, rises significantly in January and February, and then starts to decline in March, “give or take a few weeks,” says Robert Murphy, MD, professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The CDC says that influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase. Flu season typically starts in December, rises significantly in January and February, and then starts to decline in March, “give or take a few weeks,” says Dr. Robert Murphy, professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It takes about two weeks after getting the flu shot for your body to produce enough antibodies to be protected, so try to get your shot at least a few weeks before any big travel plans or crowded events where you might be more susceptible to getting sick. And if you’re feeling squeamish about a needle, nasal spray flu vaccines are also an option — though you’ll have to wait until next flu season for the first-ever self-administered nasal spray vaccine to become widely available.
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The Supreme Court may soon stop requiring insurers to cover PrEP and other preventive medical care services for free, pending the results of a case regarding the Affordable Care Act it’s set to hear; it stems from a group of Texas small businesses that don’t want to “encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity and intravenous drug use.” The case could render it cost-prohibitive for many who rely on it. “So much of this stigma against PrEP is shaped by homophobia, racism and transphobia, and a moral argument about who deserves to have sex and who does not,” says Alithia Zamantakis, PhD, research assistant professor at Northwestern Medicine’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Plus, “regardless of individuals’ person religious sensibilities, we know that the cost of PrEP is far cheaper for health insurance companies than the cost of HIV treatment over a lifetime.”
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Doctors at Northwestern Medicine say medical innovations helped them achieve two medical milestones last year: the largest number of lung transplants in a single year and the shortest median wait time for transplants. Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute’s use of “lungs in a box” technology repairs lungs that were previously unusable, and newly developed “lungs in a fridge” controlled refrigeration keeps lungs alive outside the human body, giving doctors more time to prepare for transplantation and perform the surgery. The latter technology was pioneered in Canada and in Europe. “In 2024, we used ‘lungs in a box,’ also known as lung perfusion, to repair the most number of donor lungs that were not initially usable,” said Chief of Thoracic Surgery Ankit Bharat, MBBS. “Now with ‘lungs in the fridge,’ also known as lung refrigeration, we can keep lungs alive outside the human body for an extended amount of time.” The medical advancements also results in fewer overnight transplants for doctors and improves surgical schedules.
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Northwestern Medicine is celebrating a milestone after performing a record number of lung transplants using new technology known as “lungs in a box.” The procedure allows surgeons to remove lungs from a donor body, attach them to a ventilator, and make them usable for transplant by treating any infection, inflammation, or edema, before storing them in a refrigerator. Previously, surgeons only had six hours to take lungs out of a donor, fly them to Northwestern, and get them into the patient. Now, with the “lungs in a box” procedure, surgeons can store donor lungs for up to 12 hours, allowing doctors more flexibility and perform transplants during normal working hours. Ankit Bharat, MBBS, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, said it leads to better outcomes for patients. “All the outcomes, all of the recipients have done really well, and in fact the early experience that we have, patients are doing actually even better than what we’ve seen in the past,” Bharat said. Last year, surgeons performed 148 lung transplants on patients from around the world, the most in a single year since the hospital’s lung transplant program began 10 years ago. It’s also the first time Northwestern became the highest-volume lung transplant center in the U.S.
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tion about helping women feel good through the menopause transition and beyond — nuances about the drug are getting lost, experts told The Times. While decades of evidence suggests that low doses of testosterone can increase some women’s sexual desire with few side effects, some proponents are overstating the drug’s ability to boost mood, cognition, muscle strength and heart health, they said, and underplaying its potential risks. It improves sexual health in about 50 percent of women who try it — however the effects are usually subtle. This is partly because women’s sexual function is complex, and libido can be affected by many factors: aches and pains, depression and your relationship with your sexual partner, among other things, said Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, who specializes in women’s sexual health. For this reason, many women benefit most from taking testosterone along with seeing a sex therapist. For some of Dr. Streicher’s patients, “testosterone kind of gave them a little kick start — you know, it kind of woke up that part of the brain,” she said. But therapy led to more lasting improvements in their sex lives.
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Sleepiness is widely believed to be influenced by both circadian rhythms and sleep pressure, said Ian Katznelson, MD, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. Circadian rhythms dictate how bodily functions ebb and flow over a roughly daylong cycle, experts said, and these rhythms are largely set by a biological “clock” in the brain. Sleep pressure, meanwhile, is the idea that our need to sleep gradually builds the longer we’re awake. In the afternoon it is common to feel a slump of energy and a nap may be temping. The best ways to manage this feeling is to take a power nap, prioritize easy tasks and get some movement. Try going outside for a walk when you feel drowsy, Dr. Katznelson said: Research has long linked physical activity to improved alertness and concentration, he added. To stave off the midday slump, consider replacing breakfast foods like doughnuts and “sugar-spiked” coffee with more healthful alternatives like eggs or whole-grain oatmeal as well.
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“Because strokes can strike at any age, it’s important to be aware of how your brain works and the signs and symptoms of stroke,” says Fan Caprio, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “You should see your primary care physician regularly to reduce any risk factors you may have for a stroke and work at keeping yourself physically and neurologically healthy.” A stroke can be a life-threatening condition that occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted because of a blockage or tear in a blood vessel. To function properly, a constant supply of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is needed. When blood flow to the brain is blocked, brain cells begin to die within minutes. Symptoms are often ignored because they don’t cause pain, but you should know how to recognize signs of a stroke. The National Stroke Association acronym BE FAST can help you determine if someone is having a stroke. F-Face, ask the person to smile and see if one side of the face is drooping. A-Arms, ask the person to raise both arms to determine whether one drifts down. S-Speech, ask the person to repeat a simple phrase to determine whether speech is missing, slurred or garbled. T-time, time is very important in getting care for someone who is having a stroke. You should call 911 immediately. Do not drive to the hospital. Wait for an ambulance that will begin life-saving treatment on the way to the hospital. They will also call ahead to the emergency room where staff will be waiting for you. When a stroke patient is brought in by ambulance, diagnosis and treatment may begin more quickly than for someone who is not brought to the hospital by ambulance. Emergency workers also collect vital information on the way to the hospital, saving time.
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The drug, suzetrigine, will be sold under the brand name Journavx and is the first new class of pain medicine approved in more than 20 years. Journavx showed a “statistically significant superior reduction in pain” when compared to a placebo in two randomized trials of acute surgical pain, according to the FDA. However, it did not outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill. But the drug’s advantage “is not its efficacy, but rather its side effect profile, including the absence of addiction potential,” Steven Cohen, MD, a professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician, said in a statement. Journavx has a list price of $15.50 per pill, which is significantly more expensive than comparable opioids. However, it’s unclear to what extent insurers could cover the medicine, and patient support programs for Journavx are available.
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The map of flu activity across the United States continues to darken, both figuratively and literally, as case numbers spike upward in most states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The flu positivity rate from lab tests across the country has jumped week-to-week from 18% to 25%, with documented flu activity especially high in some states. With the winter cold driving many of us indoors where virus transmission is easier, the increase in respiratory illnesses isn’t a surprise. However, Mattew Kippenhan, MD from Northwestern Medicine says there may be another reason that so many people seem to be falling ill. “Unfortunately, I think a lot of people have become complacent after COVID and didn’t get their vaccines, so there’s just a higher risk of those people actually becoming ill,” Kippenhan explained. In a Dec. 20 update, the CDC said that vaccination coverage “is lower across most groups of people compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic.” The CDC advises that antiviral drugs work best against the flu when the patients take them within one to two days after they start feeling symptoms. The CDC advises that antiviral drugs work best against the flu when the patients take them within one to two days after they start feeling symptoms.