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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With high levels of tree pollen now in the air and the highly-contagious COVID variants spreading this spring, it can be increasingly difficult to identify the reason behind your runny nose or fatigue. Health officials say the best way to identify the source of your symptoms is through testing. “When in doubt, I would say test up before you actually go and expose other people,” says Dr. Sai Nimmagadda, professor of pediatrics (allergy and immunology) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. For those experiencing a fever, chances are it may not be allergies. “For COVID specifically, you can get fevers, which you don’t usually get with environmental allergies” says Dr. Ruchi Gupta, professor of pediatrics and medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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For years, pediatricians have followed flawed guidelines linking race to risk for urinary infections and newborn jaundice. In a new policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics said it is putting all its guidance under the microscope to eliminate “race-based” medicine and resulting health disparities. Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, assistant professor of pediatrics, noted that the new policy includes a brief history “how how some of our frequently used clinical aids have come to be – via pseudoscience and racism.” Whatever the intent, these aids have harmed patients she said.
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Chronic pain affects 1 in 5 people around the world, and for many, their agony controls and constrains their lives. Pain researchers know that most pain is a complex phenomenon that always involves the mind and the body. Vania Apkarian, a pain researcher at Northwestern University, shares that her research strongly suggests that unlike acute pain, chronic pain has more in common with emotion and memory than physical sensations.
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A new Northwestern Medicine study finds almost half of U.S. adults with heart failure have poorly controlled hypertension and diabetes. “The reason we wanted to do this study is because, unfortunately, mortality related to heart failure has increased in recent years,” said senior author Dr. Sadiya Khan, assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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Many people with heart failure also have diabetes or high blood pressure. But new research suggests those conditions, even when treated, aren’t well controlled, placing people at risk for worsening heart problems. Researchers also found that Black adults had higher uncontrolled blood pressure rates than their white peers, 53% to 47%. That higher rate of poor blood pressure control among Black adults with heart failure was not surprising since it mirrors racial disparities in blood pressure control in the general population, said Dr. Sadiya Khan, senior author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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Moderna on Thursday asked U.S. regulators to authorize low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 6, a long-awaited move toward potentially. opening shots for millions of tots by summer. In a study of kids ages 6 months through 5 years, two Moderna shots – each a quarter of the regular dose – triggered high levels of virus-fighting antibodies. The vaccine proved between about 40% and 50% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 during the trial and the company will test a child booster dose. “Down the road I would anticipate it’s going to be a three-shot series,” said Dr. Bill Muller of Northwestern University who helped with Moderna’s child studies.
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An experimental drug has enabled people with obesity or who are overweight to lose about 22.5 percent of their body weight, about 52 pounds on average, in a large trial, the drug’s makers announced. Dr. Robert F. Kushner, an obesity expert at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the new drug can close a so-called treatment gap. Because obesity is a chronic medical condition, patients would need to take tirzepatide for a lifetime.
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In order to better support the mental health needs of its students, Chicago Public Schools says it’s planning to expand a pilot program with Lurie Children’s Hospital into hundreds more schools around the city. According to Dr. Tali Raviv, a psychologist and associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “We know that up to 50 percent of adolescents will experience a mental health concern, but only about 20 percent of these youth get care from a specialized mental health provider – and those that do may only receive that care after their symptoms have reached a crisis point.”
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Reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases reached an all-time high for the sixth consecutive year in 2019. Dr. Michael Angarone, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Medicine, says “Sexually active individuals with multiple partners per year should talk to their primary providers about getting screened for STIs every six months of every year. And should get screened if a partner tells you they’ve tested positive for an STI. Angarone said reducing the number of cases starts with knowledge and awareness around STIs.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a warning that three possible cases of the mysterious liver disease being reported in U.S. children, possibly associated with adenovirus, have been detected in Illinois. According to hepatologist and professor of pediatrics, Estella Alonso, MD, the most common symptoms of acute hepatitis include flu-like symptoms, fever, nausea and/or vomiting, abdominal pain or discomfort, and diarrhea. Later symptoms can include dark-colored urine and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).