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Ciliopathies: A new understanding of the role of the NSL complex

The non-specific lethal (NSL) complex is a chromatin-associated factor that has been shown to regulate the expression of thousands of genes in both fruit flies and mammals.

25 Aug 2023

Cholesterol loss in inner ear linked to age-related hearing loss

Researchers led by María Eugenia Gomez-Casati, the Institute of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires-CONICET; Mauricio Martin, the Institute of Medical Research Mercedes; and Martín Ferreyra, (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), National University of Córdoba in Argentina report that age-related hearing loss is associated with a decrease of cholesterol in the inner ear.

24 Aug 2023

After backlash, feds cancel plan that risked limiting breast reconstruction options

Federal regulators have abandoned a plan that physicians, patients, and advocacy groups for breast cancer patients feared would limit women's options for reconstructive surgery.

23 Aug 2023

Deafness does not affect brain mechanisms for social skills, research suggests

Hearing impairment may cause difficulties in social interactions, but new research indicates that social struggles experienced by deaf individuals are likely not due to brain alterations but rather due to non-supportive environments.

23 Aug 2023

New insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of SLC29A3 disorders

In humans, the SLC29A3 gene regulates the function of lysosomes to control waste recycling in cells such as macrophages (that engulf and destroy foreign bodies).

22 Aug 2023

The growing role of AI in science and discovery

With the advent of ChatGPT4, the use of artificial intelligence in medicine has absorbed the public's attention, dominated news headlines, and sparked vigorous debates about the promise and peril of medical AI.

21 Aug 2023

Study finds no link between short-term immunosuppressant use and cancer

Relatively short-term use of immunosuppressant medications to control an inflammatory disease was not associated with an increased risk of later developing cancer, according to new research led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, and published today in the journal BMJ Oncology.

21 Aug 2023

Phase I trial shows positive results for stem cell treatment in patients with major cornea injuries

A team led by researchers from Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, reports the results of a phase I trial of a revolutionary stem cell treatment called cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation (CALEC), which was found to be safe and well-tolerated over the short term in four patients with significant chemical burns in one eye.

18 Aug 2023

An Arm and a Leg: How a surprise bill can hitch a ride to the hospital

How did three siblings who took identical ambulance rides (from the same car wreck to the same hospital) end up with three wildly different bills? The answer lies in the No Surprises Act.

16 Aug 2023

Promising better, cheaper care, Kaiser Permanente’s national expansion faces wide skepticism

As regulators review Kaiser Permanente's proposed acquisition of a respected health system based in Pennsylvania, health care experts are still puzzling over how the surprise deal, announced in April, could fulfill the managed care giant's promise of improving care and reducing costs for patients, including in its home state of California.

15 Aug 2023

Study finds way to reverse gene silencing in inner ear cells

A deafened adult cannot recover the ability to hear, because the sensory hearing cells of the inner ear don't regenerate after damage.

14 Aug 2023

Columbia researchers shed light on puzzling phenomenon in brain-injured patients

Columbia researchers have identified brain injuries that may underlie hidden consciousness, a puzzling phenomenon in which brain-injured patients are unable to respond to simple commands, making them appear unconscious despite having some level of awareness.

14 Aug 2023

Your exorbitant medical bill, brought to you by the latest hospital merger

When Mark Finney moved to southwestern Virginia with his young family a decade ago, there were different hospital systems and a range of independent doctors to choose from.

11 Aug 2023

How the Texas trial changed the story of abortion rights in America

During the five decades that followed Roe v. Wade, lawsuit after lawsuit in states across the country chipped away at abortion rights. And again and again, the people who went to court to defend those rights were physicians who often spoke in clinical and abstract terms.

7 Aug 2023