Latest news with #YaleUniversitySchoolofMedicine
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Covid study shows another reason to get vaccinated: Protecting the kidneys
Complications from a Covid infection can harm the heart, brain, lungs and kidneys. A new study finds that patients hospitalized for Covid were less likely to suffer severe kidney damage if they were vaccinated. Researchers at UCLA Health analyzed electronic medical records at a large academic hospital between March 1, 2020, and March 30, 2022, of approximately 3,500 hospitalized patients, ages 18 and older, and compared hospitalized patients who got at least two primary doses of the Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine for Covid with hospitalized patients who had not been vaccinated. The researchers examined which participants developed kidney disease severe enough to require a type of dialysis known as CRRT, or continuous renal replacement therapy. The nonstop dialysis therapy does the work of the kidneys by filtering and removing waste from the blood. It's typically used when a patient is in intensive care, said lead author Dr. Niloofar Nobakht, health sciences clinical associate professor of medicine in nephrology at UCLA Health. The study found that 16% of unvaccinated patients with Covid were more likely to need CRRT, compared with 11% of vaccinated patients during their hospital admission. Unvaccinated patients were more than two-and-a-half times as likely to need CRRT after leaving the hospital — and also had a much higher risk of dying after being discharged, compared with vaccinated patients. In a 2021 study, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine found that among hospitalized patients with Covid, approximately 30% develop acute kidney injury — an abrupt, usually reversible form of kidney dysfunction. Patients hospitalized with Covid were twice as likely to need dialysis than patients hospitalized for other reasons. There is a major limitation in the new study. The researchers did not have the full data on baseline kidney status for the patients —meaning, it's not known how well their kidneys were functioning before the infection — so the benefits of the vaccine may be overestimated or underestimated, said Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of infection prevention at Yale School of Medicine, who was not part of the new study. Covid can injure the kidneys either directly or by damaging other organs such as the heart and lungs, Roberts said. The more severe the symptoms, the greater the risk. 'Conversely, mild or asymptomatic infections rarely cause significant kidney harm,' said Yong Chen, a professor of biostatistics and director of the Center for Health AI and Synthesis of Evidence at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not associated with the new study. Chen researches Covid complications, including kidney problems, in children and adolescents. The risk of post-Covid kidney complications is especially high in older people or the immunocompromised, but it's likely connected to the severity of the initial infection, rather than the virus itself, experts say. 'Comparing Covid to people hospitalized with flu, for example, shows that both have an elevated risk of kidney injury, and it seems to track with how sick they were during their hospitalization,' said Dr. F. Perry Wilson, associate professor of medicine and public health at Yale University School of Medicine who has studied kidney injury in Covid patients. 'Among people with Covid, I would expect that, all else being equal, the vaccinated group just has less severe disease and thus less kidney trouble.' 'Vaccination protects kidneys mainly by preventing the severe forms of Covid that cause kidney injury,' Chen said. 'While vaccines don't directly shield kidney cells, they blunt the systemic illness that otherwise leads to multi-organ failure.' However, both Covid infection and the vaccines may be risky for people with glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease where the filtering units known as glomeruli get damaged Dr. Jeffrey S. Berns, clinical nephrologist and professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said there are reports of adults and children with glomerulonephritis having a relapse of the condition or developing the condition for the first time following Covid infection and also vaccination. Berns was not part of the study. The study only applied to people 18 and older, but experts say children with Covid can get acute kidney injury and some of them may have permanent kidney damage. 'In a study led by our team, the results also showed that children with prior Covid had a 35% higher risk of new-onset chronic kidney disease over six months,' Chen said. In late May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend routine Covid shots for healthy children and pregnant women. Doctors say it's too soon to know whether the revised guidelines would contribute to unvaccinated children's increased risk of kidney injury. Even as a new variant of the Covid virus is gaining momentum in the United States, there are fewer cases of acute kidney injury associated with the illness than in the early years of the pandemic. 'As more and more people got vaccinated and or had some degree of immunity from prior infection, disease severity was not as bad and AKI became much less common,' Berns said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
13-06-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Covid vaccination protects against severe kidney damage, study suggests
Complications from a Covid infection can harm the heart, brain, lungs and kidneys. A new study finds that patients hospitalized for Covid were less likely to suffer severe kidney damage if they were vaccinated. Researchers at UCLA Health analyzed electronic medical records at a large academic hospital between March 1, 2020, and March 30, 2022, of approximately 3,500 hospitalized patients, ages 18 and older, and compared hospitalized patients who got at least two primary doses of the Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine for Covid with hospitalized patients who had not been vaccinated. The researchers examined which participants developed kidney disease severe enough to require a type of dialysis known as CRRT, or continuous renal replacement therapy. The nonstop dialysis therapy does the work of the kidneys by filtering and removing waste from the blood. It's typically used when a patient is in intensive care, said lead author Dr. Niloofar Nobakht, health sciences clinical associate professor of medicine in nephrology at UCLA Health. The study found that 16% of unvaccinated patients with Covid were more likely to need CRRT, compared with 11% of vaccinated patients during their hospital admission. Unvaccinated patients were more than two-and-a-half times as likely to need CRRT after leaving the hospital — and also had a much higher risk of dying after being discharged, compared with vaccinated patients. In a 2021 study, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine found that among hospitalized patients with Covid, approximately 30% develop acute kidney injury — an abrupt, usually reversible form of kidney dysfunction. Patients hospitalized with Covid were twice as likely to need dialysis than patients hospitalized for other reasons. There is a major limitation in the new study. The researchers did not have the full data on baseline kidney status for the patients —meaning, it's not known how well their kidneys were functioning before the infection — so the benefits of the vaccine may be overestimated or underestimated, said Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of infection prevention at Yale School of Medicine, who was not part of the new study. How Covid can damage the kidneys Covid can injure the kidneys either directly or by damaging other organs such as the heart and lungs, Roberts said. The more severe the symptoms, the greater the risk. 'Conversely, mild or asymptomatic infections rarely cause significant kidney harm,' said Yong Chen, a professor of biostatistics and director of the Center for Health AI and Synthesis of Evidence at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not associated with the new study. Chen researches Covid complications, including kidney problems, in children and adolescents. The risk of post-Covid kidney complications is especially high in older people or the immunocompromised, but it's likely connected to the severity of the initial infection, rather than the virus itself, experts say. 'Comparing Covid to people hospitalized with flu, for example, shows that both have an elevated risk of kidney injury, and it seems to track with how sick they were during their hospitalization,' said Dr. F. Perry Wilson, associate professor of medicine and public health at Yale University School of Medicine who has studied kidney injury in Covid patients. 'Among people with Covid, I would expect that, all else being equal, the vaccinated group just has less severe disease and thus less kidney trouble.' Why vaccination may protect the kidneys 'Vaccination protects kidneys mainly by preventing the severe forms of Covid that cause kidney injury,' Chen said. 'While vaccines don't directly shield kidney cells, they blunt the systemic illness that otherwise leads to multi-organ failure.' However, both Covid infection and the vaccines may be risky for people with glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease where the filtering units known as glomeruli get damaged Dr. Jeffrey S. Berns, clinical nephrologist and professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said there are reports of adults and children with glomerulonephritis having a relapse of the condition or developing the condition for the first time following Covid infection and also vaccination. Berns was not part of the study. Risks for children The study only applied to people 18 and older, but experts say children with Covid can get acute kidney injury and some of them may have permanent kidney damage. 'In a study led by our team, the results also showed that children with prior Covid had a 35% higher risk of new-onset chronic kidney disease over six months,' Chen said. In late May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend routine Covid shots for healthy children and pregnant women. Doctors say it's too soon to know whether the revised guidelines would contribute to unvaccinated children's increased risk of kidney injury. Even as a new variant of the Covid virus is gaining momentum in the United States, there are fewer cases of acute kidney injury associated with the illness than in the early years of the pandemic. 'As more and more people got vaccinated and or had some degree of immunity from prior infection, disease severity was not as bad and AKI became much less common,' Berns said.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical professionals say schools have gotten too political, citing ‘unscientific modes of thinking'
Two medical professionals argued in a new report that "medical school has gotten too political," citing "unscientific modes of thinking." "Medical students are now immersed in the notion that undertaking political advocacy is as important as learning gross anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology," the authors wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Sally Satel, a lecturer in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and Thomas S. Huddle, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Heersink School of Medicine, cited several instances of political sentiments affecting the medical school industry. They noted that researchers are "promoting unscientific modes of thinking about group-based disparities in health access and status." Ucla Medical School Hit With Class-action Lawsuit For Allegedly Still Using Race-based Admissions Process "The University of Minnesota's Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity decrees 'structural racism as a fundamental cause of health inequities,' despite the fact that this is at best an arguable thesis, not a fact. (The center was shut down last month.) The Kaiser Family Foundation states that health differentials 'stem from broader social and economic inequities,'" the authors write. Read On The Fox News App Satel and Huddle pushed further by detailing an incident that occurred at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center. The institution not only called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, the authors wrote that staff chanted "intifada, intifada, long live intifada!" which "echoed into patients' rooms." The New York Times reported last summer that the protesters at the University of California, San Francisco, chanting "intifada" consisted of medical students and doctors. Such an incident lays out more deeply the consequences of medical schools prioritizing politics over instruction on professional imperatives, according to the authors. "These doctors were not putting patients first — if anything, they were offending and intimidating patients. They were putting their notion of social justice first," they wrote. The two medical professionals cite other instances where medical schools are steeped in politics, such as endorsing "racial reparations" and instituting "antiracism" training in order to qualify for a medical license in the wake of George Floyd's death. Satel and Huddle offer medical professionals "guidelines" for how to "responsibly" meet patients' needs while leveraging their "professional standing to effect change", including advocating for policies that "directly help patients and are rooted in professional expertise while ensuring that their advocacy does not interfere with their relationships with their colleagues, students, and patients." Medical Schools 'Skirting' Scotus Ruling Rejecting Race In Admissions: Report Satel, a practicing psychiatrist, told Fox News Digital that she is the medical director of a methadone clinic that represents a clinical setting. In response to Fox News Digital's request for comment, Huddle said that his "academic career has been as a clinician teaching how to care for patients while caring for them."Original article source: Medical professionals say schools have gotten too political, citing 'unscientific modes of thinking'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Leaders in Medicine and Science Celebrate Innovation at the Feinstein Institutes During Two Annual Academic Events
The Academy of Scholars Symposium and Elmezzi Graduate School Commencement celebrate and spotlight the importance of translational biomedical research MANHASSET, N.Y., June 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Top physician-scientists gathered on Long Island for a two-day celebration of medical research and achievement hosted by Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. On May 21, the Feinstein Academy of Scholars Symposium, an integrated network of researchers and scholars who share a passion for revolutionizing translational research, hosted its 8th annual symposium at the Oheka Castle, Huntington, NY. The next day, at the Feinstein Institutes in Manhasset, NY, the 2025 commencement ceremony of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine took place, where two new PhDs were conferred along with two honorary degrees given to Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunology at Yale University School of Medicine and Martine Rothblatt, PhD, JD, CEO of United Therapeutics Corporation. "The Feinstein Institutes' commitment to translational research was evident throughout this two-day celebration," said Bettie M. Steinberg, PhD, interim dean of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and professor in the Feinstein Institutes Institute of Molecular Medicine. "The symposium highlighted cutting-edge discoveries poised to move from the lab to the clinic, while the Elmezzi graduates represent the next generation of scientists dedicated to turning scientific advancements into tangible therapies." Meeting of minds at the Feinstein Academy of Scholars Symposium Members of the Academy include recipients of honorary doctoral degrees from the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Marsh and Match visiting lecturers, recipients of the Cerami, Ross and Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM) prizes, and researchers from the Feinstein Institutes. This year's featured keynote speakers included: Tobias Janowitz, MD, PhD, associate professor and Cancer Center Program Leader at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, provided an overview of the current research on systemic signaling in paraneoplasia, emphasizing the importance of this area of study. Lopa Mishra, MD, co-director and professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes and Susan and Herman Merinoff Distinguished Chair in Translational Medicine, explained how specific environmental toxins contribute to liver cancer and outlined methods to selectively target these cancer cells. Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunology at Yale University School of Medicine, spoke about examining the role of immune dysregulation in the pathogenesis of post-acute infection syndrome. Douglas F. Nixon, MD, PhD, Karches Family Professor in Translational Research and director and professor, Institute of Translational Research at the Feinstein Institutes, spoke about human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are part of our non-coding DNA and that our own genomes can impact our health and disease. Max Brenner, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, spoke about an Elmezzi scholar's scientific journey stemming from the classroom to the clinic and the lab. Linda Van Aelst, PhD, professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, discussed the intricate involvement of Rho regulators in synapse formation and dysfunction. Celebrating the future of medical research On May 22, two clinicians were conferred their PhD during the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine graduation. This unique PhD program is for physicians (MDs) who wish to pursue careers in biomedical research. During the program, Elmezzi students conduct research in Feinstein Institutes laboratories to advance medical research and pursue new therapeutic approaches and diagnostic tools. The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine is supported in part by a generous endowment from the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation. Two honorary degrees were bestowed at the Elmezzi commencement. The first to Dr. Iwasaki for her research on immune defense against viruses at mucosal surfaces, and to Dr. Rothblatt for her contributions to new treatments for rare diseases and advances in organ transplants. In addition, she was the creator of the satellite radio company SiriusXM. This year's graduates include: Willians Tambo Ayol, MD, investigated the role of microvascular dysfunction in cognitive impairment and dementia, and explored the therapeutic potential of the diving reflex's protective mechanisms against cerebral hypoperfusion. Santhoshi Poonacha Palandira, MBBS, MS, MCh, applied optogenetics to neuromodulate brainstem nuclei to regulate inflammation. She also identified celiac-superior mesenteric ganglion complex in the abdomen and identified it as a new therapeutic target for noninvasive bioelectronic therapies to treat inflammation with a translational potential. "Physician-scientists produce the innovations and discoveries that make a healthier world," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. "Elmezzi graduates are committed to career paths that will lead to new therapies and diagnostics." To find out more about the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and its programs, click here. About The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine: The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine at Northwell Health offers MDs an accelerated PhD three-year program emphasizing translational research. Its mission is to provide academic training for physicians to discover and understand the causes of human diseases and to rapidly and effectively translate this information into diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. The program started in 1994 and is supported in part by a generous endowment from The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation. To date, more than 50 physician-scientists have graduated from the prestigious program. The Elmezzi School of Molecular Medicine is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). For more information, click here. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on Contacts Julianne Mosher Allen516-880-4824jmosherallen@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Leaders in Medicine and Science Celebrate Innovation at the Feinstein Institutes During Two Annual Academic Events
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Top physician-scientists gathered on Long Island for a two-day celebration of medical research and achievement hosted by Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. On May 21, the Feinstein Academy of Scholars Symposium, an integrated network of researchers and scholars who share a passion for revolutionizing translational research, hosted its 8 th annual symposium at the Oheka Castle, Huntington, NY. The next day, at the Feinstein Institutes in Manhasset, NY, the 2025 commencement ceremony of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine took place, where two new PhDs were conferred along with two honorary degrees given to Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunology at Yale University School of Medicine and Martine Rothblatt, PhD, JD, CEO of United Therapeutics Corporation. 'The Feinstein Institutes' commitment to translational research was evident throughout this two-day celebration,' said Bettie M. Steinberg, PhD, interim dean of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and professor in the Feinstein Institutes Institute of Molecular Medicine. 'The symposium highlighted cutting-edge discoveries poised to move from the lab to the clinic, while the Elmezzi graduates represent the next generation of scientists dedicated to turning scientific advancements into tangible therapies.' Meeting of minds at the Feinstein Academy of Scholars Symposium Members of the Academy include recipients of honorary doctoral degrees from the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Marsh and Match visiting lecturers, recipients of the Cerami, Ross and Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM) prizes, and researchers from the Feinstein Institutes. This year's featured keynote speakers included: Tobias Janowitz, MD, PhD, associate professor and Cancer Center Program Leader at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, provided an overview of the current research on systemic signaling in paraneoplasia, emphasizing the importance of this area of study. Lopa Mishra, MD, co-director and professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes and Susan and Herman Merinoff Distinguished Chair in Translational Medicine, explained how specific environmental toxins contribute to liver cancer and outlined methods to selectively target these cancer cells. Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunology at Yale University School of Medicine, spoke about examining the role of immune dysregulation in the pathogenesis of post-acute infection syndrome. Douglas F. Nixon, MD, PhD, Karches Family Professor in Translational Research and director and professor, Institute of Translational Research at the Feinstein Institutes, spoke about human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are part of our non-coding DNA and that our own genomes can impact our health and disease. Max Brenner, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, spoke about an Elmezzi scholar's scientific journey stemming from the classroom to the clinic and the lab. Linda Van Aelst, PhD, professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, discussed the intricate involvement of Rho regulators in synapse formation and dysfunction. Celebrating the future of medical research On May 22, two clinicians were conferred their PhD during the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine graduation. This unique PhD program is for physicians (MDs) who wish to pursue careers in biomedical research. During the program, Elmezzi students conduct research in Feinstein Institutes laboratories to advance medical research and pursue new therapeutic approaches and diagnostic tools. The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine is supported in part by a generous endowment from the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation. Two honorary degrees were bestowed at the Elmezzi commencement. The first to Dr. Iwasaki for her research on immune defense against viruses at mucosal surfaces, and to Dr. Rothblatt for her contributions to new treatments for rare diseases and advances in organ transplants. In addition, she was the creator of the satellite radio company SiriusXM. This year's graduates include: Willians Tambo Ayol, MD, investigated the role of microvascular dysfunction in cognitive impairment and dementia, and explored the therapeutic potential of the diving reflex's protective mechanisms against cerebral hypoperfusion. Santhoshi Poonacha Palandira, MBBS, MS, MCh, applied optogenetics to neuromodulate brainstem nuclei to regulate inflammation. She also identified celiac-superior mesenteric ganglion complex in the abdomen and identified it as a new therapeutic target for noninvasive bioelectronic therapies to treat inflammation with a translational potential. 'Physician-scientists produce the innovations and discoveries that make a healthier world,' said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. 'Elmezzi graduates are committed to career paths that will lead to new therapies and diagnostics.' To find out more about the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and its programs, click here. About The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine: The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine at Northwell Health offers MDs an accelerated PhD three-year program emphasizing translational research. Its mission is to provide academic training for physicians to discover and understand the causes of human diseases and to rapidly and effectively translate this information into diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. The program started in 1994 and is supported in part by a generous endowment from The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation. To date, more than 50 physician-scientists have graduated from the prestigious program. The Elmezzi School of Molecular Medicine is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). For more information, click here. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
