GGood morning! We have a lot of news to share today, including another message from Drew about the Nobel Prize ceremony. Let’s get down to business.

Nobel Prize in Physics goes to pioneers of machine learning

John Hopfield of Princeton University and Geoffrey Hinton of the University of Toronto, two researchers behind the development of machine learning, won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday. The Nobel Committee cited her “fundamental discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

In announcing the prize, the Nobel Committee described Hopfield and Hinton’s work not only as a contribution to advancing research in various areas of physics – from materials science to particle physics to astrophysics – but as something that was already transforming everyday life , building on research using technologies such as facial recognition and other language translation.

Ellen Moons, chairwoman of the Nobel Physics Committee, also pointed to its applications in medicine, saying that “machine learning can help people make faster and more reliable decisions, for example in diagnosing diseases.”

But Moons also nodded to the thorny questions such powerful technology has raised. “Its rapid development has also raised concerns about our future,” she said.

More here from Drew.

It depends on the position: incorrect blood pressure measurement can lead to overdiagnosis

Once you get to your doctor’s exam room, do you sit on the paper-covered table while your blood pressure is taken? If so, they are doing it wrong. You should sit in a chair, rest your arm on a desk or other surface, and keep the cuff aligned with your heart. Monday’s study in JAMA Internal Medicine tells us that measurements taken with patients’ arms on their lap or hanging at their side increased blood pressure by up to 4 mm Hg for the upper reading (systolic, or when blood is pumping). and nearly 7 mm Hg overestimated for the lower number (diastolic, or when the heart rests between beats).

These higher numbers don’t seem to be very large compared to the recommended arm positions, and the study only included 133 participants. But the authors estimate that incorrect arm position could result in 16% of U.S. adults, or 40 million Americans, being misdiagnosed with high blood pressure using a cutoff of 140 mmHg and higher, and 22%, or 54 million people, using the cutoff High blood pressure would be incorrectly diagnosed with a lower limit of 130 mmHg. That could mean the difference between a prescription for a blood pressure-lowering medication or a recommendation to just make lifestyle changes. –Liz Cooney

Can life expectancy continue to increase?

If I had been born in 1870, I probably would have died at the age I am now – 30 years young (thanks). It goes without saying that people live much longer today than they used to, and in general, people in wealthy countries live even longer than those in poorer countries. But there may be a limit to how much time on Earth can provide wealth. A study published yesterday in Nature Aging argues that “humanity’s fight for longevity is largely over.”

This message stands in stark contrast to what some of the most vocal proponents of longevity research say about how lifestyle and diet changes could allow people to live 150 to 180 years. Researchers analyzed data from 1990 to 2019 in the eight countries with the longest-lived populations, plus the United States and Hong Kong. The increase in life expectancy slowed in all of these population groups. And when the authors modeled a scenario in which life expectancy reached 110 years, they found that curing most of today’s major causes of death would be required. Read more from STAT’s Jonathan Wosen.

The Forces Behind the GOP Push to ‘Make America Healthy Again’

At a recent roundtable on Capitol Hill, newcomer siblings Calley and Casey Means sat alongside longtime favorites of the political right like psychologist and noted beef eater Jordan Peterson. Outside the event, the siblings float in the same orbit as even bigger names: Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and even former President Donald Trump.

So who are the resources? The shortest answer is: Calley, 39, is a startup founder, while his sister Casey, 37, is a doctor. The overall picture is more complicated. As emerging conservative media figures, they are working to build a “Make America Healthy Again” identity for the Republican Party. Trump is prioritizing the chronic disease epidemic, Calley Means said in an exclusive interview with STAT’s Isa Cueto. And in public appearances they emphasize how polluted health care, government and science have become through perverse financial incentives. Their messages tend to be activated conservative fears about personal freedoms, family values ​​and institutional corruption.

I asked Isa how she found out about the remedies and why she decided to write about it. “It just seemed like they were popping up everywhere and starting a conversation about chronic disease — and the big systemic problems that underlie disease — that people are actually excited about,” she said. “It was also fascinating to me how the Meanses took traditionally left-leaning ideas like Food Is Medicine and turned them into GOP priorities. Like a total political ouroboros.”

Read more in Isa’s profile.

HIV in breast milk: Undetectable, but not transmittable?

When it comes to the transmission of HIV through sex, science has long been clear: If the virus is undetectable, it is not transmissible. But does this also apply to people who want to breastfeed? For mothers taking antiretroviral therapy, the risk of transmitting HIV to their baby through breast milk is extremely low, but not entirely nil. In lower-income countries, the risk of transmission has long been considered secondary to the benefits of breastfeeding. However, in high-income countries where safe formula and clean water are readily available, guidelines are more cautious and recommend avoiding breastfeeding altogether.

A study published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine provides important evidence and is the first to examine viral loads in the breast milk of people with long-term viral suppression.

Researchers collected breast milk from three cisgender women: an HIV-positive patient who maintained an undetectable viral load for nine years without medication, another HIV-positive patient who took antiretroviral medications for five years with an undetectable viral load, and one without HIV. The team discovered no RNA copies of HIV in any of the HIV-infected women and only extremely small amounts of DNA copies.

What this means is that there was no evidence of an intact virus or a virus strong enough to replicate and infect cells. Although the small study was not specifically designed to assess transmission risk, the data support a revision of infant feeding recommendations in resource-intensive settings, according to an editorial that accompanied the study.

Hospital lobby calls for national emergency over infusion shortage

When Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States just over a week ago, more than 230 people were killed. The storm also shut down an IV manufacturing facility in Marion, North Carolina, which is responsible for approximately 60% of IV solutions for the United States. As the Baxter company deals with the damage, the American Hospital Association is calling on the Biden administration to report a shortage of IV solutions and invoke national emergency powers to ease the crisis.

It’s unclear how long it will take for the Marion plant to get back up and running. Some hospitals have already reported internal shortages and limited the use of infusions, and as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Central Florida, another infusion production facility is on the way. Read more from STAT’s Brittany Trang.

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