Nearly half of severe pregnancy complications happen before or after birth — and fall outside current monitoring: study - Faculty of Health Sciences - McMaster University

Credit: camacho9999/ iStock / Getty Images Plus Patients taking GLP-1 medications for diabetes or weight loss had fewer major cardiovascular complications and infections after surgery, according to a study of more than two million adults, including 146,000 taking GLP-1s, presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 annual meeting in San Diego. Researchers at UTHealth Houston found that GLP-1 receptor agonist use was associated with 11% lower odds of major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack, myocardial injury, stroke and death, and 8% lower odds of postoperative infections.

GLP-1 medications, widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss, may also help protect people from serious complications after surgery. People taking GLP-1 medications had lower rates of major heart-related complications and infections after surgery than those not taking the drugs, according to results of a study of more than 2 million adults undergoing surgery presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 annual meeting.

To evaluate and synthesize evidence on the prognostic value of circulating biomarkers - B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)/N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP), troponins T and I, C-reactive protein (CRP), and soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) - for short- and long-term mortality in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, we hypothesized that elevated biomarker levels reflect frailty and underlying cardiac and non-cardiac pathology and predict mortality. We conducted a narrative review of clinical studies in geriatric hip fracture cohorts reporting preoperative and/or postoperative measurements of these biomarkers, extracting study design, timing of sampling, biomarker thresholds, associations with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and whether analyses adjusted for age, comorbidity, and surgical factors. Multiple studies report postoperative troponin elevations linked to worse long-term prognosis and higher mortality. BNP and NT-proBNP consistently correlate with cardiovascular risk and increased mortality when measured preoperatively or early postoperatively, with several studies describing nonlinear relationships and threshold effects. CRP shows var

Mobile app-based monitoring may help address the vulnerable days and weeks after surgery when recovery shifts from the hospital to home with little direct supervision. Patients using mobile apps had a lower risk of serious complications, emergency room visits and readmissions after surgery, but the benefits depended on physician or other clinician involvement, rather than the technology alone, according to research presented at the Anesthesiology 2026 annual meeting. "Just using an app may not make recovery safer," said Mouad Elganga, B. S., lead author of the study and a medical student at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a systemic necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis classically involving the upper and lower respiratory tracts and kidneys. Timely diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion for the presenting symptoms. Otolaryngologic manifestations are commonly reported but most often involve the nasal and paranasal sinuses. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as the sole initial manifestation of GPA is uncommon and may contribute to diagnostic delay. We report a case of a 67-year-old male who presented with rapidly progressive bilateral SNHL that preceded pulmonary and renal manifestations by several months, during which the patient was treated for otitis externa and Eustachian tube dysfunction without improvement. Development of pulmonary symptoms prompted additional workup, which demonstrated markedly elevated cytoplasmic anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (c-ANCA) and proteinase 3-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (PR3-ANCA), raising concern for GPA. Histopathology then confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was treated with high-dose corticosteroids and rituximab with serologic remission; however, his hearing loss was largely irreversible. This case

What if the human brain works in ways that Sigmund Freud began describing more than 130 years ago? A new scientific analysis suggests that some of his ideas about the mind share surprising similarities with one of the most influential theories in modern neuroscience. Published in the scientific journal Entropy, the paper explores connections between Freud's original theories, later developments in psychoanalysis, and a modern approach to brain research known as the prediction paradigm.