Larry K. Pickering
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the West Virginia University Pediatric Department or Alzheimer's San Diego.
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The Hill
2 days ago
- The Hill
New bill outlines federal grants for uterine fibrosis in bipartisan health push
Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) will introduce a bill to award federal grants to study uterine fibroids as one of several competing bipartisan measures to support study of the noncancerous growths common in women of childbearing age. The bill would establish a new grant program of unspecified amount and duration to support research on early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids, including screening procedures. Alsobrooks is also a cosponsor on a separate bipartisan measure, introduced by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), that would carve out $30 million over four years to study uterine fibroids, although not necessarily through a direct grant program. A spokesperson for the Maryland senator's office said the two 'approaches need to work in tandem — supporting direct research dollars, while also empowering the [Health and Human Services] Secretary to support innovative programs across the country that can reach patients where they are in community.' Eligible topics under the grant program would include disparities in pain control in surgery for uterine fibroids, as well as conditions like Asherman's Syndrome, where scar tissue builds up inside the uterus. Alsbrooks and Lummis's bill would also support programs to raise awareness for uterine fibroids. 'For too long, uterine fibroids have plagued women. We need to invest in research, raise public awareness, and develop programs for early treatment,' Alsobrooks said in a statement. 'I am proud to reach across the aisle and partner with Senator Alsobrooks to ensure women in Wyoming and across the country suffering from uterine fibroids no longer suffer in silence,' Lummis said in a statement. 'Our bipartisan legislation will expand access to screenings and intervention, providing hope to the millions of women who endure this painful condition.' The push to study the health condition, estimated to affect 40 percent to 80 percent of women, comes after the Trump administration has pushed to cancel research grants related to 'diversity, equity and inclusion,' health equity and other topics it deemed to be wasteful. The Department of Health and Human Services has pulled at least two grants this year directly studying uterine fibroids, including a $1.5 million study at the University of Texas and a doctoral student's fellowship at Columbia University. The bill, officially called the Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health Treatment (U-FIGHT) Act, also has a companion in the House introduced by Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) as part of a larger legislation package on women's health. Brown's group of bills includes a law to study the relationship between hair straighteners and uterine cancer. Lummis is the first Republican senator to support the U-FIGHT Act. The bill has also won the support of actress Lupita Nyong'o, who was diagnosed with uterine fibroids and had surgery to remove them.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
Three out of five liver cancer cases are preventable, study finds
Advertisement The findings align with what liver specialists have seen in their clinics for years. 'Liver cancer is common, it causes immense suffering and death, and the saddest part for me as a physician is that most of the cases are preventable,' said Dr. Brian P. Lee, an associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, who was not involved in the study. Improved screening, vaccination and treatment in recent years have helped stem viral hepatitis, especially in the United States. But the threat of liver cancer from heavy alcohol use and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, 'has been underrecognized and underestimated,' said Dr. Ahmed Kaseb, a professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was not associated with the study. Advertisement A 'highway' to liver cancer A vast majority of liver cancers arise in people with cirrhosis, said Dr. Hashem El-Serag, the chair of the department of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas and one of the authors of the new study. Cirrhosis, or advanced and largely irreversible scarring of the liver, damages healthy tissue and prevents the organ from working normally. The hepatitis B and C viruses cause inflammation that, if left untreated, can scar and damage the liver, potentially leading to cirrhosis. And both alcohol and metabolic dysfunction lead to abnormal deposits of fat in the liver, which can also result in inflammation. Related : Lee said the accumulation of fat and inflammation acted as a 'highway' to liver scarring, which in turn can injure DNA and lead to cancer. 'There could be multiple ramps to get onto that highway,' he said. Why disease may go undetected The new paper found that the share of liver cancers resulting from hepatitis B and hepatitis C is expected to drop to 63% in 2050, from 68% in 2022. But the burden of liver cancers resulting from alcohol and MASLD is expected to grow. An estimated 4 in 10 adults worldwide have MASLD, a condition in which fat builds up in the liver. Risk factors include obesity and Type 2 diabetes. A subset of patients with MASLD will go on to develop an advanced form called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, which has been described as a silent killer because it can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer without being noticed. Current guidance recommends monitoring for liver cancers in patients who have a history of viral hepatitis or established cirrhosis. Patients with MASH typically don't meet that criteria, Kaseb said, but they could have liver scarring without symptoms, and nobody would know. Related : Advertisement That's why screening for liver disease needs to begin at the primary care level, where cases can easily go undetected, said Dr. Mary Rinella, a hepatologist at University of Chicago Medicine and the lead author of guidelines for the management of MASLD. She recommended that doctors use a metric called the Fib-4, which uses routine blood test results to estimate the amount of liver scarring, to screen high-risk patients. These include people who have Type 2 diabetes or obesity with at least one other metabolic risk factor, such as high cholesterol. MASLD is reversible with lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and increased exercise, and weight-loss drugs have recently been shown to be effective at reversing scarring as well. 'If you stop the reason or the impetus for scarring and injury in the liver, then you're going to have less impetus for the development of cancer,' Rinella said. Alcohol compounds the problem Alcohol-related liver disease is also on the rise. In research published this month, Lee and his colleagues showed that the risk of alcohol-related liver disease among heavy drinkers (at least 10 drinks per week for women and 15 for men) in the United States more than doubled between 1999 and 2020, despite similar alcohol use over that period. That suggests that heavy drinkers today may be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol on the liver than those in the past, Lee said. This may be because the population of heavy drinkers is changing. The researchers found that women, who are more prone than men to develop fat and damage in the liver from alcohol, now make up a greater share of heavy drinkers than they did 20 years ago. So do people with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of metabolic disorders that together raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke — and compound the damage done by alcohol to the liver. Related : Advertisement Drinking heavily and having a metabolic condition such as obesity can independently damage the liver, but patients who fall in both categories are at an especially high risk. These trends are likely to continue. 'Alcohol use is increasing,' Rinella said. 'Obesity and diabetes are increasing.' 'I expect that we're going to continue to see a high burden of liver disease,' she added. This article originally appeared in .
Axios
4 days ago
- Axios
Houston Methodist Hospital named best hospital in Texas by U.S. News
Houston Methodist Hospital continues to rank as the best hospital in Texas, and several other Houston-area hospitals also topped the state rankings, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual analysis, published Tuesday. Why it matters: Houston's world-class medical care means good health care access for locals — plus it draws people to the city as a place to live, work and seek treatment. State of play: U.S. News' ranking compared more than 4,400 hospitals by patient outcomes across 20 benchmark procedures like knee replacement and heart bypass surgery, as well as other data sources like Medicare and patient surveys. Zoom in: For the 14th year, Houston Methodist was named the top hospital in Texas. It also landed a spot on the national Best Hospitals Honor Roll again. Six Houston-area hospitals made the state's top 10 list, including Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Hospital and its Greater Heights location, and Houston Methodist's Sugar Land and Willowbrook hospitals. The rankings also include specialty categories where the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center once again ranked No. 1 in the nation for cancer treatment. What they're saying:"Houston's health care system is impressively represented in the 2025-2026 U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, with 12 Best Regional Hospitals recognized in the Houston metro," Chelsey Wen, senior health data analyst at U.S. News, tells Axios. "This broad recognition … assures residents of widespread access to high-quality patient care," Wen says. Here are the top-ranked hospitals in Houston:
