All posts tagged: patients

New groundbreaking AI helps identify patients at risk for suicide

New groundbreaking AI helps identify patients at risk for suicide

Published by skeptic

Suicide remains a major public health crisis, claiming the lives of approximately 14.2 per 100,000 Americans annually. Despite its prevalence, many individuals who die by suicide have interacted with healthcare providers in the year leading up to their death, often for reasons unrelated to mental health. This underscores a critical gap in routine risk identification and the need for innovative solutions to enhance suicide prevention efforts. A recent study conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center offers promising insights into how artificial intelligence (AI) can bridge this gap. Published in the journal, JAMA Network Open, the research focused on the Vanderbilt Suicide Attempt and Ideation Likelihood model (VSAIL), an AI system designed to analyze routine data from electronic health records (EHRs) to calculate a patient’s 30-day risk of suicide. By leveraging AI-driven clinical decision support (CDS) systems, the study aimed to improve suicide risk assessments during regular healthcare visits, particularly in neurology clinics. The study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 7,732 patient visits over six months across three neurology clinics at Vanderbilt. …

Groundbreaking clinical trial achieves 100% remission rate for all cancer patients

Groundbreaking clinical trial achieves 100% remission rate for all cancer patients

Published by skeptic

In a clinical trial involving 14 participants, immunotherapy on its own effectively eradicated rectal cancer. This cutting-edge study is the first-ever investigation into the potential of immunotherapy to combat non-metastatic rectal cancer in patients with a particular genetic mutation in their tumors. Conducted by New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), the trial reported a complete remission in all participants. Following immunotherapy, the cancer entirely vanished and has remained absent in all patients, some of whom have been cancer-free for as long as two years. This trial is significant because it paves the way for immunotherapy to be used as a first-line treatment for certain types of rectal cancer, potentially sparing patients from the debilitating side effects of standard treatments of radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy. The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Four people who were successfully treated for rectal cancer in a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering. (Left to right) Sascha Roth, Dr. Luis Diaz, Imtiaz Hussain, Dr. Andrea Cercek, Avery Holmes and Nisha Varughese. (CREDIT: Memorial Sloan …

Large-scale study links ketamine to lower risk of suicidal ideation in depression patients

Large-scale study links ketamine to lower risk of suicidal ideation in depression patients

Published by José

A recent study published in Translational Psychiatry found that ketamine, a medication typically used as an anesthetic, may significantly reduce suicidal thoughts in individuals with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) compared to those prescribed more common antidepressants. The research shows that those prescribed ketamine had a lower risk of developing suicidal ideation over the short and long term, up to 270 days following treatment, compared to patients taking other antidepressants. Major depressive disorder is a widespread condition that often recurs, meaning individuals who experience one episode of depression are highly likely to have future episodes. Recurrent MDD can be particularly challenging to treat, and many patients do not respond to traditional antidepressants. Suicidal ideation, or thoughts of suicide, is common among those with MDD and poses a major public health concern, as suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In recent years, ketamine has emerged as a promising treatment option for people with treatment-resistant depression. Research suggests that it can provide rapid relief from depressive symptoms, including suicidal ideation. …

Scientists discover troubling brain changes in COVID-19 patients who lost sense of smell

Scientists discover troubling brain changes in COVID-19 patients who lost sense of smell

Published by José

A new study published in Scientific Reports sheds light on long-term neurological consequences of COVID-19. Researchers found that individuals who had anosmia (the loss of smell) during COVID-19 showed alterations in brain functionality and even physical structure during recovery. This study is among the first to link COVID-19-related loss of smell to significant brain changes. COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been primarily known for its impact on the respiratory system. However, over time, many patients, even those with mild cases, reported cognitive issues such as memory problems, confusion, and difficulties with concentration, which raised concerns about the virus’s effects on the brain. Neurological symptoms like headaches, brain fog, and loss of smell emerged as common issues for COVID-19 survivors. Anosmia, the loss of smell, became one of the earliest and most recognizable symptoms of COVID-19, often occurring suddenly. While most patients recovered their sense of smell after a few weeks, some experienced longer-lasting olfactory dysfunctions. Previous research also suggested that loss of smell could signal broader neurological involvement in diseases like Alzheimer’s and …

Once-weekly insulin as effective as daily injections for patients with type 2 diabetes

Once-weekly insulin as effective as daily injections for patients with type 2 diabetes

Published by skeptic

A new study highlights promising results for a once-weekly insulin injection in managing blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes. This research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), found that insulin efsitora alfa (efsitora) is just as effective and safe as traditional daily insulin injections, such as insulin degludec, in controlling blood sugar levels. The study was led by Dr. Carol Wysham from the MultiCare Rockwood Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Spokane, Washington. For many patients with type 2 diabetes, insulin becomes a necessary addition to their treatment plan when oral medications alone fail to control their blood sugar. However, daily insulin injections can be challenging for some patients. Factors like the inconvenience of daily injections, concerns about weight gain, and the fear of hypoglycemic episodes (commonly referred to as “hypos”) can make it difficult for people to adhere to their treatment. The potential for a once-weekly insulin injection offers hope for simplifying …

Florida surgeon mistakenly removes patient’s liver instead of spleen, causing him to die, widow says

Florida surgeon mistakenly removes patient’s liver instead of spleen, causing him to die, widow says

Published by Sam

A Florida surgeon mistakenly removed a man’s liver instead of his spleen, causing him to die on the operating table, a lawyer for the man’s widow alleges. William Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, underwent surgery on Aug. 21, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Miramar, Florida, because of spleen abnormalities, according to a statement from the personal injury firm Zarzaur Law, based in Pensacola, Florida. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with other authorities, said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday it is investigating Bryan’s death. William Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were in the Sunshine State visiting their rental property when he began experiencing “left-sided flank pain,” Beverly Bryan’s attorneys said. He was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation, and although the Bryans were reluctant to have surgery in Florida, they were persuaded by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, the hospital’s chief medical officer, that he could experience serious complications if he left the hospital’s care. Both Shaknovsky and Bacani appeared …

Canadian Death Doctor Has Euthanized Hundreds of Patients

Canadian Death Doctor Has Euthanized Hundreds of Patients

Published by skeptic

This article is reprinted from National Review with the permission of the author . Legalizing euthanasia corrupts everything — the ethics of medicine, the public’s perception of people experiencing illness, disability, or elder frailty, the media that continually swoon over medics who kill. This latter phenomenon is on vivid display in a National Post story profiling a doctor who spends half her time legally killing patients by lethal injection, and most of the rest legally killing fetuses. In “This Kindly MAID Doctor Helped More Than 400 People Die: How Many Assisted Deaths are Too Many?” we learn that Dr. Ellen Wiebe loves her work: For Wiebe, medical assistance in dying (MAID) is “incredibly rewarding” work. She hasn’t faced nearly the same sort of stigma she once faced as an abortion provider and says that while she and her MAID colleagues “all work within the law,” she’s also not as “conservative” as some. . . . Most recently, Wiebe was featured in the BBC documentary, Better off Dead?, an exploration of the assisted suicide debate by British actor and comedian Liz …

NHS faces ‘ticking bomb’ with number of heart failure patients set to soar | Heart disease

NHS faces ‘ticking bomb’ with number of heart failure patients set to soar | Heart disease

Published by skeptic

The health service faces a “ticking time bomb” over people suffering from heart failure, with diagnosed cases predicted to nearly double by 2040, medical experts have warned. The British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) warns there are an estimated 400,000 people with undiagnosed heart failure in the UK. It warns there is an urgent need for a national initiative to detect these cases or NHS services face being overwhelmed in future years. Heart failure happens when the heart is unable to properly pump blood around the body. It is a long-term condition that cannot be cured, but early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death. Treatments include medication to improve heart function and surgery, implanting a pacemaker to control heart rate or heart surgery to improve blood flow. About 80% of patients with heart failure are diagnosed after emergency admission to hospital. About one in 10 die in hospital and about a third who are discharged will die within the year. Doctors say patients are not being effectively diagnosed in the …

What does the London NHS hospitals data theft mean for patients? | Cybercrime

What does the London NHS hospitals data theft mean for patients? | Cybercrime

Published by skeptic

A Russian criminal gang has stolen highly sensitive NHS patient data, including the results of blood tests for HIV and cancer, after a cyber-attack this month. The group posted nearly 400GB of data overnight from a hack of Synnovis, a private/NHS joint venture that provides pathology services such as blood tests and transfusions. Seven hospitals run by two NHS trusts, Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College, have been affected by the ransomware attack. Qilin, the Russian gang that carried it out, has now released data it extracted during the cyberheist. The release of private information suggests that Synnovis has refused to pay a ransom to Qilin to decrypt its systems and delete any stolen data. Synnovis said that an analysis of the data was under way in conjunction with the NHS, the National Cyber Security Centre and other partners which “aims to confirm whether the data was taken from Synnovis’ systems and what information it contains”. What data has been stolen?  The hackers have a huge cache of data they have stolen from Synnovis, …