Stanford Medicine Magazine

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Frustrated with a weekslong process for testing new seizure-reducing drugs for epilepsy patients who haven’t responded to other therapies, neuroscientist Ivan Soltesz and his colleagues explore a speedier, less-costly AI method. stan.md/3rClYQ3

Machine learning uncovers clues in the EHRs of mothers and their premature infants about which babies will likely have early health problems, which could lead to targeted risk-prevention measures. stan.md/3Y63Avj

“We couldn’t believe it worked as well as it did,” hematology professor Ravi Majeti said of altering cancer cells so they identify cancer proteins and train the immune system to fight back. stan.md/452NVPq

An overreaction by genes responsible for regulating inflammation and immune responses enable scar formation to run amok in the lungs of long COVID patients, say scientists, who hope the finding will lead to a new drug that can quell the genes. stan.md/43BfTRf

According to new research into the relationship between physical states and emotions, a racing heart can make mice more anxious in risky situations. stan.md/3Q5WYe8

Knowing that chickens can eat chile peppers without experiencing their painful bite leads scientists to find a human genetic variant that blocks those pain sensations and to develop a variant-mimicking drug they’ve tested successfully in mice. stan.md/3O2lYAq

Metabolic analysis hints at a future of developing individualized diet plans based on biomarkers that can narrow down how each patient loses weight. stan.md/3pWI4wj

In a finding researcher Nirao Shah, PhD, calls “pretty shocking,” scientists found mirror neurons in mice for the first time when identical “rage center” neurons fired in a male mouse that witnessed two male mice fighting in a separate cage. stan.md/44KZ1bP

mRNA-based vaccines, developed at an unprecedented clip to stave off the COVID-19 pandemic, are now being aimed at a multitude of diseases. Concerns about their side effects may stem from how mRNA gets delivered. #COVID-19 stan.md/3JV4Xa9

Facing dread over climate change, a medical student leads a charge to ensure that future physicians learn about how the environment affects health. #ClimateChange #Environment stan.md/46Ks1lV

Developing strict work-life boundaries is a part of self-compassion, says physician Al’ai Alvarez, who works overnight shifts in the emergency department. In a Q&A, he examines his ability to be nice to himself during tough times. stan.md/3pxAoR5

As we learn more about how smell works, its primal connections with emotion and memory, the devastation of losing it and new ways to regain it our most underappreciated sense might finally get a whiff of respect. #COVID-19 stan.md/3CZFEzZ

Catherine Coleman Flowers says her parents’ civil rights activism fueled her efforts to raise the alarm on “America’s dirty secret” of public sanitation lapses that leave vulnerable communities exposed to raw sewage. #HealthEquity #Environment stan.md/46vyqRB

In investigating the reason pregnant women in Bangladesh have high amounts of lead in their bodies, researchers discover an unexpected source: turmeric sprayed with an agent that makes it more yellow. #ClimateChange #HealthEquity #Environment stan.md/42XyLJT

California’s K-12 public schools weren’t built for climate change. A Stanford Medicine-led report recommends how to upgrade schools to be safe havens for kids facing physical and mental effects of heat waves, wildfires and drought. #ClimateChange stan.md/3XpwYfo

Dean Lloyd Minor: ‘I am extremely proud of how Stanford Medicine students, physicians and researchers are rising to meet the array of challenges associated with climate change.’ #Environment #HeathEquity stan.md/43TZeJz

With strategic changes in supplies used for certain hand surgeries, Paige Fox, MD, figured out how to avert 1,400 pounds of trash per year from landfills, part of Stanford Medicine’s efforts to make surgery sustainable. #ClimateChange #Environment stan.md/3pcE8Y2

From curtailing surgical supply waste to reducing dust from storms in sub-Saharan Africa, leaders, researchers and care teams are using ingenuity and innovation to mitigate environmental harm for people and the planet alike. #Environment #HealthEquity stan.md/3Xn0RgI

It’s tough to calm yourself when anxiety makes your heart race and quickens your breathing, but new research shows that practicing a breathing technique called cyclic sighing for a few minutes will do the trick. stan.md/42SxHH9