LUCA device proves its readiness for better thyroid cancer screening

Thyroid nodules are a common pathology having a prevalence of 19-76% when screened with ultrasound, with higher frequencies in women. Current medical methods used to assess the malignancy of a nodule consist in performing an ultrasound, followed by a Doppler ultrasound, and then a biopsy. However, these methods present both low specificity and low sensitivity. …

Larger sample sizes needed to avoid false negative findings in vitamin D trials

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have developed a novel set of tools for designing vitamin D clinical trials that capture large seasonal and population-wide differences in vitamin D status, typically seen in individuals. Their study published in the journal Scientific Reports (today, Monday 31st May 2021) provides a framework for clinical trials to establish whether …

At-the-moment stress for parents during COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions

New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, The Ohio State University, and San Jose State University finds that during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, parental stress was higher during the workday compared to after the workday and lower during weekends than during weekdays.

A blood sugar biomarker identifies patients with atherosclerosis and a risk of cardiovascular events

The routine use of the glycosylated hemoglobin test to track blood sugar levels in the general population can identify individuals with more advanced atherosclerotic disease. Currently used in the diagnosis and management of diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin can provide a useful estimate of atherosclerotic disease, and therefore of cardiovascular risk, in individuals without diabetes with or …