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A new study published in JAMA Network Open by Dr. Benjamin Rome and colleagues in the Brigham's Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics finds that more than half of patients may experience increases in out-of-pocket spending when drug prices increase.

The decision to prevent breast cancer through a risk-reducing mastectomy is based on a woman's lifetime risk of the disease as well as on quality-of-life issues. The dialogue should include consideration of nonsurgical options such as screening and medications, according to a new article in JAMA, coauthored by a surgical oncologist from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Scientists from Texas A&M have developed an extension to an ordinary cellphone that makes it capable of detecting chemicals, drugs, biological molecules, and pathogens. The development is based on fluorescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy and uses the high-quality cameras found in modern cellphones. An inexpensive diode laser is used as a light source, oriented at right angles to the line connecting the sample and the camera. The advance is reported in Reviews of Scientific Instruments.

There has been an increase in the number of people over 65 who have needed spinal fusion surgery, and many have focused on trying to create a biomimetic scaffold that induces vascularization. In Applied Physics Reviews, researchers present a solution to address the challenge: They designed a microchannel scaffold made of a collagen and hydroxyapitite combination, with each strut consisting of micrometer-scaled microchannels. The microchannels have induced growth of blood vessels in a mouse model.

In a new study from the Department of Anesthesiology and Center for Consciousness Science at Michigan Medicine, researchers identify a key area in the cortex that appears to be the gate of conscious awareness.

What The Study Did: This survey study estimated change in the percentage of adolescents in the United States who reported at least one diagnosed concussion during their lifetime.

If a respiratory droplet from a person infected with COVID-19 lands on a surface, it becomes a possible source of disease spread, because while 99.9% of the droplet's liquid content evaporates within minutes, a residual thin film that allows the virus to survive can be left behind. In Physics of Fluids, researchers explore how the evaporation rate of residual thin films can be accelerated by tuning surfaces' wettability and creating geometric microtextures on them.

Researchers have identified a set of genes, called clock genes, that control circadian rhythms. But a more complicated gene network than previously known appears related to these rhythms. In Applied Physics Reviews, scientists detail a statistical model they are using to help identify the genes involved in this network. With help from other disciplines, they hope to fully understand how these genes work together to make different people more productive at different times of day.

A new study published in Medical Care Research and Review found that the Affordable Care Act, which expanded Medicaid programs to cover people previously uninsured, provided a financial boost to hospitals. The study is the first to investigate the effects of Medicaid expansion by comparing estimates using data from both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

In a study proving feasibility, researchers at Duke Health showed that their testing technology can accurately distinguish between a viral and a bacterial infection for respiratory illness - a critical difference that determines whether antibiotics are warranted. And, importantly, the test provided results in under an hour.

A new study suggests that over the past 30 years, there has been little to no increase in the association between adolescents' technology engagement and mental health problems. The study also urges more transparent collaborations between academia and industry.

Hypertension is a common health problem worldwide, but the cost of antihypertensive drugs can be a major barrier to treatment in low- and middle-income areas. One solution could be generic drugs, as opposed to brand-name ones, if only the debate on their efficacy is settled. In a paper recently published in Chinese Medical Journal, researchers report evidence from a longitudinal study that generic antihypertensives could be just as suitable as brand-name drugs.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a breakthrough in energy-efficient phototransistors. Such devices could eventually help computers process visual information more like the human brain and be used as sensors in things like self-driving vehicles.

A new map of the Schrodinger basin of the moon could help guide future exploration missions. The map project was supported by NASA and created by a team of researchers including a University of Arkansas graduate student.

WRAIR scientists demonstrated that TBI biomarkers were elevated among law enforcement and military personnel, including those without a diagnosed brain injury or concussion, repeatedly exposed to low level blast. Repeated exposure have been linked to a series of reported symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, dizziness, memory difficulties, and tinnitus. Researchers hope these data are the first step to identifying objective biomarkers as clinically relevant diagnostic tools.

Pyrosomes spend their entire lives in the open ocean and therefore easily go unnoticed. Nevertheless, they are key components of deep-sea ecosystems. This is shown by a novel study conducted off the Cabo Verde Islands led by an international team under the leadership of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Swansea University scientists have uncovered potentially dangerous chemical pollutants that are released from disposable face masks when submerged in water. The research reveals high levels of pollutants, including lead, antimony, and copper, within the silicon-based and plastic fibres of common disposable face masks.

A team of international researchers, including Dr Rich Crane from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, have developed a new method to extract metals, such as copper, from their parent ore body.

New, high-resolution VLA images of a giant molecular cloud where new stars are being born show changes since a set of observations made more than two decades ago. Tracking changes in this region over time can reveal new details about the process of star formation and the interactions of outflows from young stars.

A new auroral phenomenon discovered by Finnish researchers a year ago is probably caused by areas of increased oxygen atom density occurring in an atmospheric wave channel. The speculative explanation offered by the researchers gained support from a new study.