Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1: Mind the Gap: Women Still Underpresented in Cardiovascular Trials 

In a systematic review of 1,079 registered cardiovascular clinical trials taking place from 2017-2023, the female-to-male ratios were significantly lower for studies on arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, and heart failure, but higher for obesity and pulmonary hypertension. Additionally, female representation was lower in drug trials compared to lifestyle interventions. These findings highlight the challenge that is female representation in cardiovascular research - a gap that must be closed in order to deliver the best care to women with cardiovascular conditions. 

2: Mental Health Medications & Metabolism 

A systematic review and meta-analysis of patients taking anti-psychotics observed significant changes in blood glucose patterns, including increased fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c, and hyperglycemia risk compared to placebo. These findings persisted regardless of the type of antipsychotic, dose, and treatment duration, as well as age and diagnosis of the patient. It would be wise to keep an eye on this vulnerable population as it relates to metabolic side effects.  

3: LSD-Dervied Drug Decreases Anxiety 

In a phase 2 RCT of ~200 adults with generalized anxiety disorder, an oral pharmaceutical formulation of LSD (MM120) was able to reduce anxiety with just a single dose. Adverse effects included visual hallucinations and illusions, nausea, and headache - all expected with an LSD-derived compound. Future trials will continue to evaluate this novel treatment for those with moderate to severe GAD.

No Surgery, Just Sound Waves

An ultrasound helmet could reshape care for Parkinson’s and other brain disorders

What happened: A recent Nature study found that an ultrasound “helmet” can precisely target tiny brain regions, potentially paving the way for treating brain disorders like Parkinson’s without surgery.

Why it matters: Unlike deep brain stimulation (DBS) where electrodes are surgically implanted deep in the brain, the helmet can target brain regions 1,000 times smaller than traditional ultrasound can reach. The device may offer a noninvasive alternative to DBS for Parkinson’s, depression, Tourette's syndrome, Alzheimer’s, and other brain disorders. 

In early tests with 7 volunteers, researchers aimed ultrasound waves at the lateral geniculate nucleus — and hit the mark with impressive accuracy. Even better, follow-up experiments showed that tweaking activity in this region had lasting effects on the visual cortex, dialing down activity and potentially easing Parkinson’s symptoms.

But: Developing the helmet wasn’t easy, it took researchers over a decade to build the helmet and adapt it to MRI. The team is now testing the device on brains regions tied to schizophrenia, stroke recovery, and pain, while redesigning the helmet so that it actually fits inside an MRI machine. Researchers hope to take the device a step further with the help of AI to eventually adapt it for at-home use. 

Bottom line: Patients aren’t ready to take these helmets home just yet, more testing is needed. But if all goes well, experts hope the device could one day replace DBS and become a practical, noninvasive tool for treating brain disorders.

Hot Off The Press

1: 🧫 In a world 1st, CRISPR-edited donor islet cells were implanted into a person with Type 1 diabetes and produced insulin for months — all without immune-suppressing drugs. The edits effectively cloaked the cells from immune attack, hinting at a way to replace insulin injections with durable cell therapy. It’s only one patient and not yet curative, but the proof-of-concept moves diabetes research into territory once thought science fiction.

2: 🇨🇦 With Trump’s tariff war rattling Canadian industries, Ottawa is moving from defence to offence. PM Mark Carney unveiled a $5-billion package to retrain workers, retool factories, and pause the EV sales mandate, alongside a “Buy Canadian” policy to keep public dollars at home. He followed up with $80 million for Atlantic businesses, underscoring that industrial strategy is now front and centre in Canada’s economic playbook.

3: 🤖 Typing all-caps expletives to your stonewalling chatbot may help in the moment, but have you tried persuasion? A UPenn team found GPT-4o-mini was nearly 3 times more likely to break its own rules when prompted with human tricks like authority, reciprocity, or social proof. It’s not really persuasion, of course — it’s mirroring training data patterns — but this shows just how bendable AI guardrails can be.

4: ⚖️ A Maryland woman pleaded guilty to working as a nurse at more than 40 facilities… without ever holding a license. The case comes on the heels of Operation Nightingale, a US probe that uncovered more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas — highlighting how staffing shortages and rushed hiring can open cracks for imposters. Rare as it is, credential fraud puts both patient safety and institutional trust on the line, and hospitals on either side of the border can’t afford to lose either.

Notable Numbers 🔢

2: the number of Canadians implanted with Neuralink’s brain chip in its inaugural human trial, which began in the US last year. The study aims to explore whether the device can restore movement and communication in patients who are quadriplegic, marking a significant step from animal testing to human application.

154 million: how many lives the World Health Organization estimates have been saved in the last 50 years, thanks to global vaccination efforts. Florida has been threatening to end its vaccine mandates, marking potential future health risks for residents and visitors to the Sunshine State.

1.6 years: the average “brain aging” linked to the highest intake of artificial sweeteners in a Brazilian cohort of 13K adults, published in Neurology. That group consumed roughly a diet soda’s worth of sweeteners a day and saw a 62% faster rate of cognitive decline than low-consumers, with the effect especially pronounced in people with diabetes.

Postcall Picks ✅

👂 Listen: to the newest episode of the Funny Medicine Podcast. This week: radioactive shrimp and 3 parent IVF babies!

🛒 Buy: Kitchen Cosmo, the AI robot that turns your “meh leftovers” into dinner-worthy meals. Scan your fridge, set your mood and skill level, and let it suggest recipes based on what’s on hand.

📖 Read: With Alcaraz winning the US Open and Sinner right behind, can anyone stop tennis’ new ‘Big Two’?

👀 Watch: this YouTube video with a collection of classic doctor jokes, but with a twist: they're brought to life by AI. It's equal parts hilarious and eye-roll inducing. 

👩‍🍳 Make: This butternut squash and apple soup. Cozy, creamy, and perfect for when the leaves (and your energy) are falling.

🤑 Save: on travel destinations with RedTag’s fall vacation packages!

Doctor’s Orders ☕️

🎃 Pumpkin spice is back, but not every doctor is ordering the same thing. We asked ChatGPT what fall drink each specialty would reach for — the results are… uncomfortably accurate.

• Cardiologists → Green tea. Antioxidants > pumpkin spice.

• Pediatricians → Hot chocolate with extra whipped cream. Half for the kids, half for them.

• Surgeons → Triple espresso. Milk? Foam? Syrup? Nice try. They’re already scrubbed in.

• Psychiatrists → Chai latte. Warm, steady, just the right amount of spice.

• Dermatologists → Iced pumpkin spice latte. Yes, it’s November. Yes, their skin still glows.

• Emergency Medicine → Gas-station coffee at 2 a.m. in a collapsing paper cup.

• Anesthesiologists → Cold brew. Smooth, efficient, and guaranteed to knock you out.

• Family Medicine → Pumpkin spice latte with oat milk. Approachable, practical, and everyone’s first stop.

• Orthopedics → Protein shake with one pumpkin spice scoop… and insists it counts as coffee.

Relax

First clue: Luteal _____ and follicular _____

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