The Trump administration on Tuesday transferred oversight of the nation’s special education programs and civil rights enforcement in schools to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice, respectively, marking the latest step in its push to dismantle the Education Department. Why did the Education Department transfer these functions? Education Secretary … Read more
Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil have identified a new biomarker, the Visceral-Muscular Density (VMD) index, that significantly improves prognosis prediction for gastric cancer patients. By analyzing radiodensity patterns in CT scans—a standard diagnostic tool—the team discovered that VMD can distinguish between high-risk and low-risk disease progression, potentially allowing for more … Read more
Researchers at UC San Francisco have developed a personalized adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) system that automatically adjusts in real time to stabilize gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Published in Nature Medicine, the study shows that an implanted neurostimulator can detect neural signals linked to individual steps and modulate therapy within fractions of a … Read more
Canada has expanded its sanctions against Russia, targeting 162 individuals, entities, and vessels linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the new measures during the G7 summit in France, citing the need to disrupt the Russian war machine. This move builds on Canada’s existing commitment of $2.8-billion in military aid … Read more
Problematic social media use (PSMU) is linked to a significant increase in everyday memory failures, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Researchers found that young adults who engage in high-frequency social media use report more frequent lapses in both retrospective recall and prospective memory—the ability to remember intended future actions. Data … Read more
Targeted “nudges” sent to oncology patients and their clinicians significantly increase the frequency of critical end-of-life care conversations, according to a randomized controlled trial published in the JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. By combining patient questionnaires with clinician email reminders, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that patients had 79% higher odds … Read more
Emeline Mafi has begun her career as a junior doctor at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital, marking the culmination of six years of academic study and significant family sacrifice. Mafi is one of 19 first-year Pacific doctors at the facility, contributing to a record-breaking national total of 55 Pasifika medical graduates entering the workforce this year, according … Read more
The scheduled opening of the $6.4-billion Gordie Howe International Bridge was abruptly cancelled Thursday at the demand of the Trump administration, just one day before a planned ribbon-cutting ceremony. The delay, which aims to protect the financial interests of the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, follows years of political lobbying by the bridge’s owners, the Michigan-based … Read more
Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) have identified a potential new pathway to protect neurons from Parkinson’s disease by targeting neuroinflammation rather than dopamine replacement. Published in the journal Neuropharmacology, the study shows that the peptide Ac2-26, derived from the protein Annexin A1, reduces neuronal degeneration in mice by mitigating the inflammatory … Read more
An 11-year-old nonverbal autistic boy was left alone in a Ritchies school transport van for up to five hours on Auckland’s North Shore last Friday, according to his parents, who described the incident as a failure of safety systems for vulnerable students. The Ministry of Education has launched an urgent review of government-funded transport services … Read more