Socioeconomic disadvantage and self-reported health - The Health Foundation

In a recent study involving nearly 3,000 brain MRI examinations, researchers found a significant association between residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and deteriorating brain health indicators. The findings were published in Radiology. John-Paul J. Yu, MD, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, highlighted the study's implications, noting, "We’ve shown very robust, measurable metrics that our living environment has an outsized impact on the brain at the molecular and cellular level. "This retrospective analysis examined whether individuals living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods showed higher brain age gaps and decreased total brain volume. The brain age gap reflects the difference between a person's actual age and their brain's apparent age as estimated from MRI data. The researchers evaluated brain MRIs from 2,826 patients—1,094 men and 1,732 women—aged 18 to 96. The imaging data was collected from consecutive clinical MRI examinations at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics from January to June 2024. Patients with imaging evidence of existing disease were excluded from the study

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.

At CHEST 2026, Pourshahid argued for matching patients to center-based, hybrid, or virtual pulmonary rehab based on a structured assessment. Arguing the pro side of a debate at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) 2026 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Omid Pourshahid, MD, MPH, FCCP, Medical Director, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Temple University Hospital, said pulmonary rehabilitation should be tailored to each patient’s clinical status and barriers to care rather than delivered through a single center-based model.¹The position builds on a long-standing gap in pulmonary rehabilitation uptake. In a retrospective cohort of 197,376 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for COPD in 2014, only 2721 (1.5%) initiated pulmonary rehabilitation within 90 days of discharge.² Initiation within the 90-day window was associated with a lower risk of death at 1 year (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.57-0.69; P <.001).