For the estimated 15 million babies born prematurely worldwide, life doesn’t get any easier after birth where many with face health problems and possibly die before the age of 5. Researchers at Brigham Young University are currently developing a lab-on-a-chip device designed to minimize preterm births by identifying biomarkers in mothers more susceptible to giving birth early.

Smartphones are filled with all kinds of applications, but those designed to help you sleep might not help. A study, published in Preventive Medicine Reports, found, while many sleep apps help users set goals and manage their sleep, most do not use effective methods to help sleep-deprived users. 

An issue of the New Yorker earlier this year featured an illustration from a patient’s perspective of four female surgeons looking down on an operating table. Then University of Wisconsin surgeon Susan Pitt, MD, MPHS, issued a challenge to real-life women working in the OR: Bring the image to life.

“Practice makes perfect” is a slogan for every surgeon, but practicing on animals or human cadavers has its limitations. A recent article, published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, explains how 3D printing is making surgical practice easier with cost-efficient and realistic models.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced that the American Hospital Association (AHA) has joined the ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio ProgramTM (Portfolio Program). Hospitals and health systems participating in the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN) can now facilitate Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Improvement in Medical Practice (Part IV) credit for physicians who are Board Certified by one of the 21 of 24 ABMS Member Boards participating in the Portfolio Program.   

Facebook is a place for people to post about their daily lives—but for doctors, posts can potentially objectionable content that can be unsettling for patients. A recent study, published in BJU International, analyzing Facebook content of urologists found nearly half of the profiles contained unprofessional content.

University of Cambridge scientists have successfully grown a functional model of the lining of the uterus, advancing the understanding of how the body works in the early stages of pregnancy or in those suffering from endometriosis. 

IBM has been granted a patent for machine learning models in predictive therapeutic indications and side effects from drug information sources. This technology aims at assisting pharmaceutical companies in advancing drug treatments in many forms.