Rates of leg and foot amputations in Illinois hospitals increased 65% between 2016 and 2023, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. 

 

Men, Black patients, and those living in areas with low socioeconomic status were disproportionally affected, the study found. The dramatic spike is largely attributed to a growing prevalence of diabetes and peripheral artery disease (PAD), two chronic conditions that often lead to lower extremity amputation, the study authors said. 

Most people can get their pets in for veterinary visits relatively quickly, but access to care could use improvement in rural areas, suggests a recent study. Using a “secret shopper” survey approach, members of the research team posed as dog owners, calling more than 5,000 randomly selected veterinary practices in six states. The team was able to secure an appointment 67% of the time. The “dog owners” who were able to make an appointment were told they’d have to wait an average of 6.4 days. Average travel distance for an appointment was 6.4 miles. But when it came to rural areas, the barriers to care grew more substantial. 

A safer America will require bold investment in discovering, implementing, and scaling solutions that reduce firearm harms—especially those that center the people and communities most affected. That was the clear message from the JAMA Summit on Firearm Violence, which convened 60 leaders from across the nation to chart a roadmap toward reducing firearm violence, injuries, and deaths in the United States to record lows by 2040. “Firearm-related injuries remain one of the most pressing public health crises in the U.S.,” said gun violence expert Charles Branas, PhD, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, a JAMA report steering committee member and a co-author of the report. 

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University’s College of Engineering, and the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have developed a new method that enhances the ability of artificial intelligence models to detect and diagnose skin cancer in individuals with darker skin.