A multi-institutional team of investigators have developed a new framework for supporting healthcare providers in implementing polygenic risk score-based testing into primary care settings, according to a recent study published in Nature Medicine.
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More NewsInfluential biochemist Craig M. Crews, PhD, who pioneered the pharmaceutical field of targeted protein degradation, delivered the second Kimberly Prize in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Lecture to a full auditorium of Feinberg faculty, staff, fellows and students.
Combining multiple heart disease drugs into a single “polypill” can lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure, boost medication adherence, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to a meta-analysis of recent clinical trials published in Nature Medicine.
A recent Northwestern Medicine comparative analysis of national survey results found that one in four U.S. adolescents in grades 9 through 12 reported their sexual identity as non-heterosexual, according to findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Recent studies from Feinberg scientists have uncovered new insights into these disorders, elucidating the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
A Northwestern Medicine study has detailed the development of a machine learning model to predict DNA methylation status in cell-free DNA by its fragmentation patterns, according to findings published in Nature Communications.
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More Media CoverageOur Chicago: How To Cope with Stress In America
It’s not a secret – Americans are stressed. A nationwide survey called “Stress in America” for the American Psychological Association provides a picture of just how serious the problem is. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means a great deal of stress – nearly a quarter of adults in the U.S. rated their average stress levels between 8 and 10. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, spoke about the impact of stress on people’s health. “Stress is the physical and emotional tension that a person feels when the demands of a situation outweigh the resources,” Dr. Burnett-Zeigler said. “So, it’s what a person feels if they have too many things to do and not enough time. Too many bills to pay and not enough money. Or a problem that’s in front of them that they don’t feel like they have the knowledge or the wherewithal in order to solve.” “Anxiety, on the other hand, is when stress has been mismanaged and internalized. And leads to this global, excessive fear and worry that is out of control,” she said. If you are looking for advice to manage stress, Dr. Burnett-Zeigler says “pay attention, pause, slow down and breathe.”
A survey by the American Psychological Association showed more than half of practitioners (56%) have no openings for new patients. That’s despite nine out of 10 adults saying they believe there’s a mental health crisis in the country, according to a 2022 CNN/KFF poll. Your medical doctors may have good recommendations. Friends and family who have already had therapy may also have names. Sheehan D. Fisher, psychologist and assistant professor at Northwestern University, advised going into these conversations with a list of questions to help you identify who you feel most comfortable with. Examples of questions include if you will be working on concrete and specific goals, the theoretical orientation they may practice – such as mindfulness or cognitive behavioral therapy – and whether their religious beliefs (or the absence of them) make you feel uncomfortable. Other questions to ask include how flexible the sessions will be and if they take insurance. “Chemistry also matters,” Fisher said, as well as being on the same page about the goals you want to accomplish, feeling safe and feeling a connection.
O.J. Simpson, the football legend who became infamous after he was accused (and later acquitted) of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in 1994, died of cancer at age 76 on Wednesday, his family announced. Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the U.S., accounting for 15% of new cancers diagnosed each year, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). After encouraging declines, annual diagnoses of prostate cancer in the U.S. recently began to tick back up, rising 3% per year between 2014 and 2019, the ACS’s latest research found. Alarmingly, there’s been a particular rise in late-stage diagnoses, according to the report. Although 1 in 44 men will die of prostate cancer, the disease isn’t what kills most men diagnosed with it, according to the ACS. This is especially true in older men, who have a very high chance of developing the cancer but will most likely die of some other cause. Still, treatments and testing have improved, Adam Murphy, MD, MBA, MSCI, professor of health equity research in urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life, and survival rates remain high compared to other cancers.
More Fruits, Veggies, Grains Will Get to Kids Under New WIC Rule
Changes to the federal program that helps pay for groceries for low-income moms and their young children means that soon these families will have access to more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. The final rule changes for the program known as WIC make an increase in monthly cash vouchers for fruits and vegetables permanent — a change first enacted during the pandemic. The plan did not include a change requested by top allergists that would have added peanut products to foods allowed for babies ages 6 months to 11 months, to help prevent peanut allergies. Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, a pediatrics professor and child allergy expert at Northwestern University, called the omission “disappointing.” She noted that WIC enrollees often include minority children who are at higher risk of developing dangerous peanut allergies.