Latest news with #OregonHealthandScienceUniversity
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Health
- Euronews
AI could help detect throat cancer from voice recordings, study says
A simple voice recording could one day help doctors spot early signs of throat cancer, according to new research. In a study published in Frontiers in Digital Health, scientists found that artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially detect abnormal growths on the vocal cords, from benign nodules to early-stage laryngeal cancer, by analysing short voice recordings. The findings could support efforts to find an easier, faster way to diagnose cancerous lesions on the vocal cords, also known as folds. 'With this dataset we could use vocal biomarkers to distinguish voices from patients with vocal fold lesions from those without such lesions,' said Phillip Jenkins, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in clinical informatics at Oregon Health and Science University in the United States. Why early detection of throat cancer matters Cancer of the voice box, or larynx, affects more than a million people worldwide and kills roughly 100,000 every year. It is the 20th most common cancer in the world. Smoking, alcohol use, and certain strains of HPV (human papillomavirus) are key risk factors, and survival rates vary from around 35 per cent to 90 per cent depending on how early the disease is diagnosed, according to Cancer Research UK. One of the most common warning signs for laryngeal cancer is hoarseness or changes in the voice that last more than three weeks. Other symptoms include a persistent sore throat or cough, difficulty or pain when swallowing, a lump in the neck or throat, and ear pain. Early detection of laryngeal cancer is crucial because it significantly improves survival rates and treatment outcomes. Yet current diagnostic methods, including nasal endoscopies and biopsies, are invasive, uncomfortable, and often slow, requiring specialist equipment and expertise that many patients struggle to access quickly. Developing a simple tool to flag early signs of vocal fold abnormalities through a quick voice recording could transform how throat cancer is detected – making it faster, more affordable and accessible to a wider population. The next steps for AI-driven diagnosis The research team examined about 12,500 voice recordings from 306 people across North America. They looked for subtle acoustic patterns, such as changes in pitch, loudness, and harmonic clarity. The team identified clear differences for men in the harmonic-to-noise ratio and pitch between those with healthy voices, benign lesions, and cancer. No significant patterns were found in women, but the researchers say this may be due to the smaller dataset. Jenkins said that the results indicate large datasets "could soon help make our voice a practical biomarker for cancer risk in clinical care'. The next step is to train AI models on larger, professionally labelled datasets and test them in clinical settings. The team would also need to test the system to make sure it works well for both men and women, he said. 'Voice-based health tools are already being piloted," Jenkins said. "Building on our findings, I estimate that with larger datasets and clinical validation, similar tools to detect vocal fold lesions might enter pilot testing in the next couple of years".
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Suki Waterhouse blames tight pants for hospitalizing her with a hernia
Suki Waterhouse may be swearing off leather pants. The actress and singer revealed she took a step back from social media after getting a hernia from too-tight clothing. "'suki you never tweet anymore' have you ever considered I wore pants so tight 6 months ago it caused a hernia & I've been too scared to tell you," she wrote in a X post Monday, July 14. She followed up the tweet with a photo of the pants in question, a dark pair of leather pants worn while on stage with a white crop top and duster, and a selfie from a hospital bed with an IV in her arm and earbud plugged in. Six months ago, Waterhouse, 33, had just wrapped her Sparklemuffin tour, promoting her 2024 album "Memoir of a Sparklemuffin." Hernias happen when tissue – such as fat, intestines or other organs – protrudes out of a hole in the layers of the abdominal or pelvic wall, according to Oregon Health and Science University. They can develop naturally from birth, stress and strain, traumatic injury or weakness after surgery. While clothing cannot directly cause hernias, it could increase the risk for people with pre-existing weakness by increasing pressure in the abdomen. USA TODAY has reached out to Waterhouse's reps for comment. The "Daisy Jones & the Six" star gave birth to her first child with Robert Pattinson in early 2024. Waterhouse and her daughter went on to grace the August cover of British Vogue, with the actress holding her now 1-year-old. In a since-deleted Instagram post, the singer shared gratitude for her postpartum journey, according to People. "The fourth trimester has been… humbling!" she wrote in April 2024. "the postpartum period has been filled with exhilarating joy, so much laughter, tears, so many hormones! I'm proud of everything my body has achieved and proud of the kindness and grace I've given myself during this recovery period."
Business Wire
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Real-World Evidence for Miach Orthopaedics' BEAR® Implant Highlighted at AOSSM 2025
WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Miach Orthopaedics, Inc., a company transforming the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears with the BEAR® Implant, today announced the presentation of one- and two-year results of the Bridge Registry study at the recent American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) annual meeting. Two-year results of the Bridge Registry, presented by Dr. Brian Lau and Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein of Duke University, demonstrated a retear rate of 5% among the first 100 patients enrolled, including: 4% (3/74) among patients ages 19 and older 8% (2/26) among patients ages 18 and under One-year results showing an earlier analysis of these and other outcomes were shared in a poster (P224). 'We are seeing reassuringly low failure rates in the Bridge Registry, which is studying real-world implementation of ACL restoration with the BEAR Implant,' said Dr. Jacqueline Brady, orthopedic surgeon at Oregon Health and Science University and co-principal investigator of the Bridge Registry study. 'It is important that we study this exciting new technology as we make adjustments for real-world use, such as stronger sutures and different fixation techniques to aid in direct visualization and restored anatomy of the repair, and I am honored to be part of this research in the Bridge Registry.' The Bridge Registry (NCT05398341) was initiated in May 2023 to assess real-world outcomes for the BEAR Implant. Primary outcomes being tracked include knee function and feeling measured by International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation at two years and knee laxity measured with Lachman scoring at one year. In addition to Dr. Brady, study co-principal investigators are Dr. Sabrina Strickland of Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein of Duke University. 'The positive outcomes demonstrated in the Bridge Registry support the continued safety and efficacy of the BEAR Implant, as evidenced by a low retear rate of 5%,' said Patrick McBrayer, president and CEO, Miach Orthopaedics. 'This and other registry data provide important insights into the real-world use of the BEAR Implant, accounting for variations in patient age, activity level and ACL tear type, as well as surgical technique.' To date 300 patients have been enrolled in the Bridge Registry at the following sites: AdventHealth (Florida) – Dr. Sean Keyes and Dr. Daryl Osbahr Boston Children's Hospital (Massachusetts) – Dr. Dennis Kramer Duke University (North Carolina) – Dr. Brian Lau, Dr. Dean Taylor and Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein Hospital for Special Surgery (New York) – Dr. Greg DiFelice, Dr. Andreas Gomoll and Dr. Sabrina Strickland Oregon Health and Science University (Oregon) – Dr. Jacqueline Brady Stanford University School of Medicine (California) – Dr. Seth Sherman Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute (Colorado) – Dr. Alex Meininger Victory in Motion / Auburn Community Hospital (New York) – Dr. Marc Pietropaoli Virtua Health (New Jersey) – Dr. Sean McMillan About The BEAR® Implant The BEAR (Bridge-Enhanced ACL Restoration) Implant is a proprietary collagen-based implant used to facilitate healing of the torn ACL. The BEAR Implant is the first medical technology to demonstrate, with Level 1 clinical evidence, that it enables the body to heal its own torn ACL. Unlike reconstruction, which is the current standard of care, the BEAR Implant does not require a second surgical wound site to remove a healthy tendon from another part of the leg or the use of a donor tendon. The BEAR Implant acts as a bridge to help ends of the torn ACL heal together. The surgeon injects a small amount of the patient's own blood into the implant and attaches it between the torn ends of the ACL in a minimally invasive procedure. The combination of the BEAR Implant and the patient's blood enables the body to heal the torn ends of the ACL back together while maintaining the ACL's original attachments to the femur and tibia. As the ACL heals, the BEAR Implant is resorbed by the body. The BEAR Implant was first granted De Novo Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2020. It is indicated for adults, adolescents and children with a complete or partial rupture of the ACL, as confirmed by MRI. Patients must have an ACL stump attached to the tibia to construct the repair. Children with open physes must have sufficient bone in the femoral and tibial epiphyses on either side of the intended tunnel locations to avoid disruption of the growth plates. Visit for complete product information, including Instructions for Use. About Miach Orthopaedics, Inc. Miach Orthopaedics, Inc., is a privately held company located in Westborough, Massachusetts, dedicated to developing surgical implants to facilitate connective tissue restoration. The company's initial focus is the BEAR® Implant, which represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of ACL tears. For more information on Miach Orthopaedics and its products, visit and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. BEAR® Implant is a registered trademark of Miach Orthopaedics.
The Star
28-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
A neurologist shares his journey with Alzheimer's disease
It was 2006 when Dr Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread – 'The same thing, every time,' he said. The neurologist in Portland, Oregon, United States, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. 'I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell,' he said. But Dr Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. 'I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that.' It wasn't. Dr Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease – something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Dr Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for The Experts Say , an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited in the below Q&A. When did you realise your symptoms were due to Alzheimer's disease? Dr Gibbs: In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training programme at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? Dr Gibbs: The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment, but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Seed: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. Dr Gibbs: That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET (positron emission tomography) scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? Dr Gibbs: This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behaviour for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include: Getting daily aerobic exercise Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet Getting mentally-stimulating activity Staying socially engaged Getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly, and Getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! Dr Gibbs notes that it is difficult to know what to expect as his Alzheimer's progresses as previously, most people with the disease were only living three to five years after the diagnosis as they were being diagnosed late. How do you put this knowledge into practice? Dr Gibbs: Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily any more, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes, and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Seed: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. Dr Gibbs: I don't eat red meat any more. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry, and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. ALSO READ: What is MIND, the diet that may help protect against Alzheimer's disease? Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas, and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? Dr Gibbs: That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Seed: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Dr Gibbs: Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a chequebook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognise people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Seed: You were talking about what stage you're at. Dr Gibbs: When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally-laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbours, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage any more, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Seed: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, 'This is the last time I'm doing this,' because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. Dr Gibbs: It works well if Lois is there to find ... Seed: Words. Dr Gibbs: That makes it easier. – By Laura Williamson/American Heart Association News/Tribune News Service
San Francisco Chronicle
04-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
How a neurologist faces the disease that is slowly stealing his cognitive powers
It was 2006 when Dr. Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread. "The same thing, every time." Gibbs, a neurologist in Portland, Oregon, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. "I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell," he said. But Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. "I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that." It wasn't. Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease, something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for " The Experts Say," an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited. In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training program at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Lois: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behavior for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include getting daily aerobic exercise; eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet; getting mentally stimulating activity; staying socially engaged; getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly; and getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! How do you put this knowledge into practice? Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily anymore, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the COVID pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Lois: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. I don't eat red meat anymore. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Lois: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a checkbook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognize people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Lois: You were talking about what stage you're at. When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbors, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage anymore, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Lois: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, "This is the last time I'm doing this," because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. It works well if Lois is there to find … Lois: Words. That makes it easier.
