The brain has a waste-disposal system that clears away junk proteins that contribute to the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a new OHSU study finds.

Juan Piantino, M.D., talks about a new OHSU study that for the first time definitively confirms the existence of a waste-clearance system in the human brain through imaging of five OHSU neurosurgery patients.

In an OHSU News story, Juan Piantino, M.D., says, “Nobody has shown it before now. I was always skeptical about it myself, and there are still a lot of skeptics out there who still don’t believe it. That’s what makes this finding so remarkable.”

Continued coverage of research published by Archie Bleyer, M.D., and colleagues shows improvement in survival rates of young adults insured under provisions of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Bleyer says the ACA's extended coverage for youth "allowed young adults with cancer who were covered by it to live longer and more likely be cured.”

In a Globe Newswire release, Vancouver-based CytoDyn announces Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., will present research during an international HIV Research for Prevention Conference in Peru regarding the potential of combining early antiretroviral therapy with a novel immunotherapy approach in HIV. He says, “These results demonstrate a previously unappreciated synergy between CCR5 blockade and antibody neutralization that opens the door to a new approach for an HIV cure that should be explored further.”

In a story about the possibility of new weight loss drugs reducing the risk of neurologic disorders, Brain & Life magazine reports that neurologists have long seen an association between weight loss and improvement of symptoms in multiple sclerosis. Dennis Bourdette, M.D., says, “Our MS center has a handful of patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists. We often see a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in daily functioning among those who have had a fairly dramatic weight loss through dieting, exercise and sometimes bariatric surgery. Losing weight improves energy, strength, and balance and helps prevent injury to joints caused by obesity.”

The Observer of Sacramento covers a walking club in to promote walking and socializing among older adults, citing a recent OHSU study led by Raina Croff, Ph.D., that found an innovative OHSU walking and reminiscence program improved cognition among older Black adults.

New research published by Archie Bleyer, M.D., and colleagues shows improvement in survival rates of young adults insured under provisions of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Bleyer says, “The [Dependent Coverage Expansion] and Medicaid should not only be continued but expanded to enable more Americans to be diagnosed earlier, require less therapy, and, for those diagnosed later with their disease, to live longer and have higher cure rates.”

Fierce Healthcare covers the allure and hazard of health care professionals relying on generative large language models like ChatGPT in delivering medical care. Bill Hersh, M.D., notes that clinicians are ultimately legally responsible and should exercise due diligence: “Whoever makes the clinical decision is the one who’s responsible. Even if they use ChatGPT or PubMed or Google or whatever, they’re liable for those decisions.”

OHSU researchers have finally spotted that network of tiny waste-clearing channels in the brains of living people, thanks to a special kind of imaging.