Background: Remote measurement technology (RMT) is increasingly used in health research to collect real-world data relevant to clinical states (eg, sleep, activity, and stress). Concerns exist about the impact of remote tracking via personal devices and wearables on individuals with or at risk of eating disorders (EDs) by promoting a focus on exercise, diet, and appearance. There is a lack of research applying RMT to EDs. Objective: This study aimed to explore how smartphone- and wearable-based RMTs influence eating-, exercise-, and weight-related experiences among individuals with a history of or at risk of EDs and to identify perceived benefits, harms, and recommendations for their use in this population. Methods: In total, 14 semistructured interviews were conducted with former participants of Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse: Major Depressive Disorder, a 2-year digital health study tracking depression outcomes via RMTs. Participants were included in this follow-up if they had disclosed a history of a comorbid ED or were within the at-risk age range (18-30 years) for EDs during Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse: Major Depressive Disorder and displayed subclinical ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale). Interviews explored the impact of app engagement and wearables (Fitbits) on food, activity, and weight-related behaviors and attitudes. Template analysis was adopted to capture themes guided by the focus on ED-relevant domains. Results: In total, 6 themes captured participants’ experiences with RMTs across clinical status and presentation. Participants broadly appreciated the convenience and reflective potential, while some described emotional strain linked to constant self-tracking. Health data impacted participants’ eating and exercise habits through a dynamic process from awareness to cognition to action, fostering healthy routines or obsessive patterns, depending on emotional state, ED presentation, and recovery stage. Self-tracking appeared to mirror illness stage, supporting ED recovery among those with greater distance from illness, but risking reinforcement of compulsive patterns among those with residual or emerging symptoms. Participants’ recommendations for future studies in EDs stressed balancing autonomy with safeguards for vulnerable individuals. Conclusions: These exploratory findings, drawn from individuals with lived ED experience and young people at subclinical risk, suggest that RMT use was shaped by recovery stage and contextual factors, rather than being inherently beneficial or harmful. While findings should not be interpreted as evidence of RMT safety or acceptability in ED cohorts broadly, they raise important questions about ethical RMT design, including the selection of wearables, access to data, and researcher communication with participants.
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Auxilium bioprints kidney and liver tissues in space for the first time
Auxilium Biotechnologies says it bioprinted kidney and liver tissues aboard the International Space Station in the “first demonstration of a scalable, multi-product biomanufacturing platform in space.” The San Diego-based biotech and device developer used its Auxilium Microfabrication Platform (AMP-1) 3D bioprinter for the first-of-its-kind mission, which also included orbital bioprinting of cartilage tissue and nerve…
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FDA releases draft MDUFA VI agreement outlining proposed legislation and program changes
A faster pre-submission track, earlier communication for de novo applicants and an “international harmonization” pilot program are among proposed improvements and changes featured in the FDA’s latest draft Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) agreement. The agency recently released a draft commitment letter, detailing its proposed agreement with the medtech industry for MDUFA reauthorization. If…
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STAT+: All eyes on data on Biogen’s tau therapy
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Lots happening in London these days, my colleague Andrew Joseph reports: At a pancreatic cancer meeting, researchers were buzzing about the implications of daraxonrasib, and at a major Alzheimer’s meeting, tau therapies are taking center stage.
Back here in the U.S., HHS has begun to craft national guidance on safely tapering SSRIs, and the FDA just cleared Sanofi’s wearable injector for a myeloma drug.
Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation for Tourette Syndrome
Conditions: Tourette Syndrome
Interventions: Device: Focused ultrasound stimulation; Device: Focused ultrasound stimulation; Device: Sham stimulation
Sponsors: University of Calgary
Not yet recruiting
Interventions: Device: Focused ultrasound stimulation; Device: Focused ultrasound stimulation; Device: Sham stimulation
Sponsors: University of Calgary
Not yet recruiting
Silent Twiddler syndrome despite dual-anchor fixation in deep brain stimulation: two case reports
BackgroundTwiddler syndrome (TS) is a rare hardware-related complication in which manipulation or excessive mobility of an implanted pacemaker or implantable pulse generator (IPG) results in device malfunction. Traditionally, TS is diagnosed only after lead coiling, fracture, displacement, or loss of therapeutic efficacy, suggesting that it represents a late-stage manifestation of the condition.CasesWe report 2 patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems who presented with a subjective sensation of increased IPG mobility during changes in body position. Neither patient demonstrated mechanical failure, lead displacement, or deterioration of DBS clinical benefit, and both IPGs had been implanted with two anchoring sutures fixed to the fascia. Furthermore, neither patient reported intentional manipulation of the device. Because of persistent discomfort and abnormal mobility, revision surgery was performed. Intraoperative findings confirmed early-stage TS in both cases. The IPGs were reimplanted into tailored subpectoral pockets and firmly secured to the fascia. Following revision, both patients experienced complete resolution of symptoms and maintained sustained therapeutic benefit from DBS.ConclusionThese cases suggest that a subjective perception of increased IPG mobility may represent a distinct pre-Twiddler clinical syndrome that precedes the development of classic TS and overt hardware failure. Early recognition of this underrecognized presentation and timely surgical intervention through pocket revision and device immobilization may prevent progression to lead damage, device malfunction, and serious neurological adverse events, while ensuring uninterrupted neuromodulation therapy.
The Download: a nuclear landmark, and China eyes Nvidia chips
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Four nuclear reactors hit a big milestone in the US
—Casey Crownhart
I was really looking forward to July 4, and not just because I love a poolside barbecue. This year the American holiday also marked a big symbolic deadline for US nuclear power.
Last year the Trump administration set a goal to see three new microreactors achieve criticality, a technical milestone establishing that a reactor can sustain a chain reaction, by the nation’s 250th birthday. And just in time, not just three, but four reactors did so.
It’s a positive sign for nuclear technologies at a time of increasing need for electricity and emissions-free energy sources. But achieving criticality doesn’t mean a reactor is ready to provide electricity for the grid (or at all, for that matter).
This story is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 China plans to let its top AI firms buy Nvidia H200 chips
Alibaba, ByteDance, and DeepSeek are set to get permission. (Information $)
+ China had previously withheld approval despite US authorization. (Reuters $)
2 NATO is building a network to stop Russian attackers in their tracks
It will use sensors, drones, satellites, and AI to detect them. (Business Insider)
+ Troops are donning odd camouflage to elude drones. (Economist $)
+ The US wants cheaper drones as Iran’s wrecking its Reapers. (Ars Technica)
3 Researchers have a new idea to fight future El Niños: dimming the sun
Deflecting solar energy could cool the ocean and mitigate the risks. (Wired $)
+ But there could be unexpected consequences. (New Scientist $)
+ And geoengineering as a field is getting a reality check. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Meta is patenting an AI device that records users to analyse emotions
It ostensibly aims to tailor workout plans to the user’s mood. (404 Media)
+ AI memory is privacy’s next frontier. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Chipmakers are going vertical as Moore’s Law slows
They’re stacking transistors to keep chips advancing. (Economist $)
+ IBM is betting on the technique. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Ivy League students suspected of AI cheating saw scores fall in person
From 96% all the way down to 48%. (Ars Technica)
+ AI giants want to take over the classroom. (MIT Technology Review)
7 A new study says parents’ phone addictions damage bonds with kids
It can exacerbate “insecure attachment” for life. (Bloomberg $)
+ And make children more anxious and avoidant. (Gizmodo)
8 A judge approved Musk’s $1.5 million Twitter settlement with the SEC
Despite what she called “serious misgivings” and “red flags.” (Reuters $)
+ Musk was accused of skirting stock disclosure rules. (Fortune)
9 Shoebox-sized “detector satellites” could find nuclear bombs in space
Cubesats carrying the detector could sense a bomb’s radiation. (Space)
+ Russia is suspected of developing space-based nukes. (Reuters $)
10 A World Cup match drove Google Search traffic to a new record
The milestone came after Argentina’s comeback against Egypt. (CNBC)
Quote of the day
“I talk about it on Tic Tac.”
—President Donald Trump tells the public where to find his insights on the dangers of communism, Gizmodo reports.
One More Thing
Robots are bringing new life to extinct species
Paleontologists aren’t easily deterred by evolutionary dead ends or a sparse fossil record. And in the last few years, they’ve developed a new trick for turning back time and studying prehistoric animals: building experimental robotic models of them.
In the absence of a living specimen, an ambling, flying, swimming, or slithering automaton is the next best thing for studying the behavior of extinct organisms. Learning more about how they moved can in turn shed light on their lives, such as their historic ranges and feeding habits. Scientists can simply sit back and observe their behavior in different environments.
—Shi En Kim
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ Georgia Hill’s monochrome artworks are filled with visual harmony.
+ AI has salvaged text from a papyrus scroll burned to a crisp when Mount Vesuvius erupted 2,000 years ago.
+ Rare images taken by a Japanese space probe show a near-Earth asteroid resembling a cuddly snowman.
+ “Another One Bites the Bee Gees” smoothly merges two classic tracks with a 4/4 time signature into the perfect song for applying CPR.
Local field potentials for target localization in centromedian deep brain stimulation for epilepsy
ObjectiveTo evaluate whether local field potential (LFP) spectral profiles can serve as a candidate “spectral fingerprint” for physiological confirmation of centromedian-parafascicular (CM–Pf) targeting during thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for drug resistant epilepsy (DRE).MethodsThis is a retrospective study of 10 patients (20 leads) who underwent CM-DBS implantation for DRE at a single tertiary center. Postoperative CT and preoperative MRI were co-registered, normalized to the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space, and reconstructed using Lead-DBS software to anatomically localize contacts. BrainSense™ Survey recordings were obtained at least 3 weeks post-implant during routine programming. LFP frequency content was analyzed, and prominent peaks were identified and classified into canonical frequency bands (theta, alpha, beta). These spectral profiles were then mapped to MRI-based anatomical localizations, and statistical tests were applied to assess associations between peak patterns, contact localizations and thalamic subregions.ResultsContacts were distributed as follows: 50 in the CM, 16 in the Parafascicular (Pf), 15 in the Centrolateral, 8 in the Mediodorsal, and 7 in the Ventrolateral (VL) nuclei. Of the 10 representative spectral localizations confined to the CM/CM-Pf region, 8 (80%) displayed a distinct dual-peak spectral profile with peaks in the theta/low alpha (5.5–9 Hz) and high beta (20–30 Hz) bands (mean frequencies: 7.63 Hz and 21.02 Hz, Fisher’s exact test, p < 0.001). Single-peak profiles showed no significant association with specific nuclei (p = 0.871). Contacts overlapping other thalamic nuclei more frequently exhibited narrow 10–15 Hz peaks (p = 0.005) or triple-peak profiles (p = 0.02), suggesting mixed structural contributions.ConclusionA dual- band candidate spectral pattern consisting of theta/low alpha and high beta peaks was associated with the CM-Pf region in this cohort. This finding provides early evidence supporting the feasibility of incorporating passive LFP recordings as a physiologic marker of target engagement. Future work to prospectively compare bipolar survey-based localization with monopolar recording strategies could enable development of a state-based, physiologically informed spectral atlas to refine CM-Pf targeting in thalamic neuromodulation for DRE.
Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation (iTBS) as an add-on to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Conditions: PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Interventions: Device: Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation (iTBS)
Sponsors: Aarhus University Hospital; Viborg Regional Hospital; Regionshospitalet Horsens
Not yet recruiting
Interventions: Device: Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation (iTBS)
Sponsors: Aarhus University Hospital; Viborg Regional Hospital; Regionshospitalet Horsens
Not yet recruiting
Impact of an Artificial Intelligence–Powered Clinical Decision Support System for Acute Kidney Injury Prevention in the Intensive Care Unit: Single-Center Uncontrolled Before-and-After Implementation Study
Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and serious complication among hospitalized patients, particularly in critical care settings, where its incidence can exceed 50%. AKI is associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospitalization, dialysis dependence, and higher health care costs. Although the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) guidelines emphasize supportive care, hemodynamic optimization, and avoidance of nephrotoxins, their implementation remains inconsistent, partly due to the lack of timely risk stratification. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have enhanced early prediction and detection of AKI, offering new opportunities to improve patient outcomes and intensive care unit (ICU) efficiency. The U-Care Renal Platform (UCRP; U-Care Medical S.r.l), a Conformité Européenne (CE)–marked artificial intelligence–powered medical device, integrates directly with the ICU electronic health record to continuously analyze patient data and predict the risk of moderate or severe AKI within 24 hours, providing actionable, guideline-based recommendations. While the predictive performance of UCRP has been validated previously, its real-world impact on clinical and operational outcomes in the ICU remains underexplored. Objective: This single-center uncontrolled before-and-after implementation study aims to evaluate the association between UCRP implementation and selected ICU clinical and operational outcomes in routine practice at SCIAS Hospital, Barcelona. Methods: This study was conducted as a retrospective service evaluation of a workflow-embedded clinical decision support system between March 2023 and March 2025. It included 202 postsurgical adult ICU patients. Outcomes of interest were assessed by comparing preimplementation and postimplementation periods. Months during which the UCRP was inactive were excluded from the analysis (total excluded duration: 10 months; 5 in the preimplementation period and 5 in the postimplementation period). The outcomes included the incidence of moderate-to-severe AKI (KDIGO stages 2 and 3), the use of nephrotoxic medications, the frequency of hypotensive episodes among patients with AKI, and the ICU length of stay. Results: During the postimplementation period, lower rates of moderate-to-severe AKI (9/99, 9.1% vs 12/103, 11.7%), nephrotoxic drug administration, and hypotensive episodes among patients with AKI were observed compared with the preimplementation period. Conclusions: Integration of the UCRP into ICU workflows was associated with differences in selected AKI-related process and intermediate clinical outcomes in this single-center uncontrolled before-and-after implementation study. However, given the study design, causal relationships cannot be established, and the findings should be interpreted as preliminary signals requiring confirmation in larger, controlled, and multicenter studies, including patient-centered outcomes.
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