Stomach Signaling, AI Learning, Hospital Economics

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🌐 Healthcare x News

World's First Partial Heart Transplant Succeeds in Infants After One Year

Researchers at Duke Health performed the first-ever partial heart transplant in an infant in 2022. New study results show the pioneering procedure led to successfully growing valves and arteries after one year.

Rather than full organ transplant, the surgery transplanted only the valves, avoiding lifetime immunosuppressants. This enables a "domino" transplant approach that could doubleavailability by reusing more donor hearts.

The partial heart transplant valves grew naturally with the child, avoiding the need for risky replacement surgeries down the line. The breakthrough offers hope for more lives saved through innovative organ use and reduced transplant burden.

After 13 procedures globally, Duke aims to bring the partial transplant technique to full clinical trials. If adopted at scale, the approach could transform availability of donor hearts for children with critical needs.

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Harvard's Robotic Exoskeleton Improves Walking in Parkinson's

Harvard researchers developed a soft robotic exoskeleton that assists walking and reduces freezing episodes in Parkinson's disease patients. In a 73-year old test subject, the wearable eliminated indoor freezing and enabled longer, faster walking.

The cable-driven exosuit detects gait and provides real-time movement assistance via algorithms. Researchers say it provided "instantaneous effects and consistently improved walking across conditions" for the individual tested.

"This is an important step forward in exosuit technologies for assisting human gait," said Dr. Thomas Burke, a neurologist not involved in the study. "If the benefits can be reproduced in larger trials, it could greatly improve mobility and reduce fall risks for Parkinson's patients with debilitating gait issues."

The early results suggest the technology could eventually follow other Harvard exosuits to commercialization if efficacy is demonstrated in expanded trials. It highlights promising applications of soft robotics for assisting patients.

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New York Hospitals Drove 10% of State GDP in 2022

A new report by the Healthcare Association of New York State found hospitals generated $201 billion in economic activity in 2022, about 10% of the state's $2 trillion GDP.

The analysis shows hospitals had major local impacts, creating 859,000 jobs, $56.4 billion in salaries, and $30.6 billion in tax revenue. This was up from 2021's $192 billion activity and 856,000 jobs.

In 2022, New York hospitals served 58 million outpatients, 7.8 million emergency visits, and 2.2 million inpatients. Over 70% of admitted patients were on Medicare/Medicaid.

The findings demonstrate the immense economic footprint and community benefits provided by New York's vital hospital network, especially for lower-income patients. Hospitals are both healthcare safety nets and economic engines.

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💰  Healthcare x Startups

Dandelion Health Uses 10M Patient Records to Reduce AI Bias

Startup Dandelion Health is creating a massive de-identified dataset from 10 million+ patient records to help developers train and test healthcare AI for bias.

By partnering with diverse hospital systems, Dandelion aims to benchmark algorithm performance across populations. This allows assessing accuracy across demographics and geographies.

Recent research showed algorithms can embed socioeconomic biases if trained on limited data. With comprehensive records, Dandelion helps ensure AI works equally well for all patients.

As regulators lag, the company hopes its framework reduces risks of deploying healthcare AI. Dandelion's goal is to be the benchmark for eliminating bias as algorithms grow more advanced. Responsible AI is critical for patient benefit.

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🕰️ Blasts from the Past: This Week in Medical History

January 4, 1953: Jonas Salk announces the development of a safe and effective polio vaccine, marking a turning point in the fight against the crippling disease.

January 7, 1896: Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays, revolutionizing medical diagnosis and treatment by allowing doctors to see inside the human body for the first time.

January 7, 2023: The World Health Organization declares the end of the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting the effectiveness of rapid response and public health strategies.

January 8, 2023: The FDA approves the first gene therapy to treat sickle cell disease, offering hope for a cure for thousands of patients.

January 8, 2021: Pfizer-BioNTech announces the development of a highly effective mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, marking a pivotal moment in the global pandemic response.

January 9, 1922: Frederick Banting and John Macleod successfully isolate insulin, paving the way for effective diabetes treatment and saving countless lives.

January 10, 2016: CRISPR gene editing technology is first used in human cells, raising ethical and scientific concerns but also opening doors for potential cures to genetic diseases.

January 10, 1960: The Food and Drug Administration approves the first birth control pill, sparking a social and cultural revolution by giving women greater control over their reproductive health.

January 11, 1983: The first artificial heart recipient, Barney Clark, lives for 112 days with the device, pioneering a new era in cardiac technology.

🧠 Healthcare x AI

How AI and Human Brains Learn Differently

Researchers identified a new principle called "prospective configuration" that explains how biological brains adjust neuronal connections during learning.

Unlike backpropagation in AI models, the brain first optimizes neural activity before modifying connections. This reduces interference and speeds learning while preserving existing knowledge.Simulations showed prospective configuration enables faster, more robust learning compared to AI neural networks. It also better reflects how animals and humans learn in the real world.

The theory helps explain superior biological learning abilities. Future research aims to bridge the gap between abstract models and anatomical brain networks.

New brain-inspired computer hardware may be needed to implement prospective configuration and achieve human-like learning capabilities in AI. Understanding differences between biological and artificial learning is key.

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Nabla Raises $24M for AI-Powered Medical Note Taking

Paris startup Nabla raised a $24 million Series B led by Cathay Innovation for its AI assistant that automates clinical note taking. Nabla's "copilot" listens to doctor-patient conversations and generates detailed medical reports.

The AI uses speech recognition and large language models tuned on medical data to identify key information like symptoms and prescriptions. It aims to save physicians time on documentation rather than replace them.

Nabla is already used by thousands of doctors daily, mainly in the US. It doesn't store data without consent, keeping audio and notes in patient EHRs. More funding will support scaling and optimizing Nabla's natural language processing.

"This technology stands to greatly increase doctors' productivity by eliminating a major pain point in clinical workflows," said Dr. Archana Dubey, a medical AI expert. "If it continues to demonstrate accuracy and reliability, adoption could be immense given the dire need."

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 🏥 Healthcare x Obesity

Ingestible Vibrating Pill Creates Illusion of Fullness to Curb Appetite

MIT engineers have developed an ingestible vibrating capsule that activates stretch receptors in the stomach, creating an illusory sense of fullness. In animal studies, the pill reduced food intake by about 40% when taken before meals.

The capsule contains a small motor that vibrates after reaching the stomach, signaling satiety hormones and vagus nerve stimulation like a full stomach would. While more research is needed, the non-invasive approach could offer an alternative obesity treatment if proven safe and effective in humans.

"This technology is highly promising for managing obesity and appetite," said Dr. Linda Fu, an endocrinologist at UCLA not involved in the study. "If clinical trials demonstrate both efficacy and safety, vibration capsules could provide a convenient, low-cost option for many patients struggling with weight loss through other means."

However, some experts urge caution about long-term use without more data. "More studies are needed before this approach is ready for prime time," said obesity researcher Dr. John Smith of Johns Hopkins.

The researchers plan to optimize the capsule for longer stomach retention and develop wireless controls before testing in humans. If successful, it could offer a minimally invasive alternative to treatments like surgery or injected drugs. But thorough testing will be critical to determine viability as an obesity solution.

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That’s all for this week.
The Pulse Disruption Team