The modern Western-style diet—high in processed foods, red meat, dairy products, and sugar—alters the composition of the gut microbiome in ways that can have a huge impact on health. This dietary pattern, which is also low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, reduces the variety of microbes in the digestive system and the metabolites they produce. This, in turn, increases risk for several immune system-related conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Jeremy Walsh is now heading up artificial intelligence and information technology in a newly created position at the FDA. He announced the move on LinkedIn. Walsh comes from the government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked for 14 years and was chief technologist, building out cloud networks and data analytics systems for the agencies the firm works with. This is the first time the FDA has appointed a chief AI officer. Former chief information officer Vid Desai managed IT for the agency.
The Trump administration has terminated a federal advisory committee that issued guidance about preventing the spread of infections in healthcare facilities. The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) crafted national standards for hand-washing, mask-wearing and isolating sick patients that most U.S. hospitals follow. Four committee members said the CDC delivered the news about HICPAC's termination to members Friday.
Researchers have developed a 3D-printable electrode that looks like a single strand of human hair and measures brain activity more reliably than the current method used to diagnose things like epilepsy and sleep disorders.
Medical professionals are five times more likely to be attacked, and most have experienced violence or threats on the job, especially in emergency medicine. An experienced nurse who was punched while working in the emergency department shared her story and the impact of the attack with WJZ Investigates.