Cellular clocks are almost everywhere. Clues to how they work are coming from the places that they’re not. Charles Weitz, Harvard Medical School professor of neurobiology, is quoted.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that hospitals are being penalized to a large extent based on the patients they serve. Michael McWilliams, associate professor of health care policy, and Michael Barnett, research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, are quoted.
In a closely watched battle, two small companies have petitioned to give doctors information about unapproved, or off-label, uses for their medicines. Jerry Avorn, professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
A government task force says a daily low-dose aspirin could help certain people in their 50s and 60s prevent a first heart attack or stroke - and they might get some protection against colon cancer at the same time. Elliott Antman, associate dean for clinical and translational research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
Scientists have created yeasts that can make important constituents of marijuana, including the main psychoactive compound, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Pamela Silver, professor of systems biology, is quoted.
Race appears to affect the odds that a child or teen with appendicitis, a painful condition requiring surgery, will get pain medication, particularly opioid medication, according to a new study. Eric Fleegler, assistant professor of pediatrics, and Neil Schechter, associate professor of anaesthesia, both at Boston Children’s Hospital, co-authored an editorial accompanying the study.
A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine gives doctors instructions on how best to respond to in-flight scenarios of cardiac arrest, acute coronary symptoms, and strokes, as well as other, less serious conditions. Melissa Mattison, assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Stephen Elledge, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, was toasted by Elizabeth Nabel, president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Jeffrey Flier, dean of Harvard Medical School.
There is growing scientific interest in figuring out how far the limits of human intelligence can be pushed, and several scientists say they appreciate the fact that movies and TV are taking on issues like neuroenhancement. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is quoted.
Scientists have understood for years that different levels and colors of light can have powerful biological effects on humans. Now, with lighting technology, especially LEDs, becoming more sophisticated and less expensive, companies are developing so-called biological lighting for ordinary consumers. Charles Czeisler, professor of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
