University Of California, San Francisco

AI in neurology raises ethical concerns, requiring collaboration between AI ethics and neuroethics. Key issues include privacy, AI 'hallucinations,' and informed consent. Neurologists must remain in control, ensuring AI tools enhance, not replace, human judgment and interaction.

Research highlights chronic disparities in cancer care access, prompting intervention development. Programs like Food Farmacy, Kick Vaping, Active Living After Cancer, and Colorectal Cancer Education aim to address these gaps, focusing on food insecurity, vaping cessation, physical activity, and screening awareness, respectively. These initiatives, presented at the AACR Conference, show promising results in improving health outcomes for underserved populations.

Medtronic settled a lawsuit over pulse oximeters' accuracy for darker skin, agreeing to provide labels and brochures to California hospitals. The FDA has delayed guidance on pulse oximeter accuracy since 2021, now prioritizing it for fiscal year 2025.

Research by University of Michigan suggests polyphosphate, a ubiquitous biological polymer, could be the 'mystery density' in fibrils linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This finding, published in PLOS Biology, provides a potential missing piece in understanding neurodegenerative diseases at a molecular level, potentially leading to new treatment strategies.

Research by University of Michigan suggests polyphosphate, an ancient molecule, could be the 'mystery density' in fibrils linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, potentially offering a new avenue for understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Ursula Jakob's team identified polyphosphate as a potential 'mystery density' in fibrils linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, suggesting it may protect against neurodegenerative diseases, though further research is needed.

Covered California, with enhanced cost-sharing reduction, launches 2025 open enrollment, aiming to provide more affordable health insurance to Californians, with over 5.9 million insured since 2014. The 'Let’s Talk Health' campaign aims to improve health literacy and simplify insurance choices.

The study at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital enrolled critically ill COVID-19 patients in the COMET study, obtaining informed consent or waiver of initial consent. A prospective case-control study of hospitalized adults requiring mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 with or without secondary bacterial pneumonia (2°BP) was conducted. Tracheal aspirate (TA) and nasal swab samples were collected and metatranscriptomic RNA sequencing was performed to evaluate host and microbial gene expression. Quality control measures were implemented to mitigate environmental contaminants. Statistical analyses, including differential expression analysis and microbiome profiling, were conducted to compare patients with and without 2°BP.

Laura J. van 't Veer, PhD, to receive the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award at the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium for her contributions to risk stratification, subtyping, and improved treatment for early breast cancer.

New Alzheimer’s blood-based biomarkers enable early detection, raising ethical and clinical challenges. Despite high diagnostic accuracy, the clinical utility for asymptomatic individuals is debated, with concerns over financial burden and potential overdiagnosis. Establishing research infrastructure and guidelines is crucial for equitable and effective implementation.