Tag: News Approved

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STAT+: Eli Lilly says Verve’s gene editor lowers cholesterol levels in early study

Eli Lilly said Monday that a high dose of its gene-editing therapy reduced cholesterol levels by 62% in participants in a clinical trial, an early but encouraging test of whether a one-time treatment may one day help people seeking to lower their LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.

Lilly acquired the therapy, VERVE-102, in its $1 billion buyout of Verve Therapeutics last year. Executives tout it as a potential treatment to broadly prevent heart disease, the world’s leading killer, as many patients struggle to stay on existing, more conventional medicines for reducing cholesterol levels.

There were no treatment-related serious adverse events in the Phase 1 study — a notable finding, given that Verve had to shelve its first candidate due to safety concerns. 

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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Machine learning for Alzheimer’s disease progression under extreme class imbalance

BackgroundTimely identification of individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression remains a major clinical challenge. Traditional cognitive assessments provide limited prognostic insight, while many machine learning (ML) models rely on costly biomarkers or poorly interpretable algorithms that limit clinical scalability. This study evaluated whether widely available baseline demographic, clinical, and cognitive measures could support short-term progression prediction using interpretable ML methods under extreme class imbalance.MethodsWe analyzed 3,240 participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), of whom 2,423 had valid 24-month follow-up data. The primary outcome was strict unidirectional diagnostic worsening within 24 months (13 events; 0.5%). Baseline demographic, clinical, and cognitive variables were used to train XGBoost and logistic regression models under natural class imbalance using stratified k-fold cross-validation with out-of-fold predictions. Model performance was evaluated using AUROC, area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC), calibration analyses, and bootstrap confidence intervals. Sensitivity analyses evaluated cost-sensitive learning, threshold optimization, and alternative imputation strategies (KNN and MICE). Longitudinal mixed-effects modeling was conducted separately to characterize cognitive decline and was not used as input to the predictive models. SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) quantified feature contributions.ResultsUnder natural class imbalance, XGBoost achieved AUROC = 0.912 and AUPRC = 0.051, while logistic regression achieved AUROC = 0.787 and AUPRC = 0.038. Although discrimination exceeded baseline prevalence, precision remained low and threshold optimization produced substantial false-positive burdens, limiting immediate clinical applicability. Cost-sensitive learning did not materially improve performance. MICE imputation produced results comparable to median imputation, whereas KNN imputation reduced performance. SHAP analyses identified baseline cognitive severity, functional measures, and diagnostic status as dominant predictors. Mixed-effects modeling confirmed significant cognitive decline over time (β = −0.027 points/month, p < 0.001).ConclusionAccessible baseline clinical and cognitive variables contain measurable but limited predictive signal for short-term AD progression under extreme event scarcity. These findings should be interpreted as an early-stage proof-of-concept rather than a clinically deployable decision-support tool. External validation remains necessary before clinical translation.
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Workload analysis of pilot steep turn maneuvers using SR20 aircraft and EEG data

ObjectiveTo compare left vs. right steep turns in terms of workload-related neurophysiological signatures using electroencephalogram (EEG) and machine learning.MethodsThirty-seven flight cadets performed one left and one right steep turn in an SR20 desktop flight simulator while a 32-channel EEG (Emotiv EPOC Flex 32) was recorded. From 2-s sliding windows (50% overlap), 800 features per window were extracted (time-, frequency-, and non-linear domains). Six classifiers (XGBoost, LightGBM, GB, SVM, LR, and Linear SVC) were evaluated using cross-subject nested cross-validation with variance-ranked feature subsets (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%), and an additional 10% subset was assessed to identify a more parsimonious feature set.Results: Objective EEG/MLLightGBM demonstrated superior performance across all feature proportions.SubjectiveNASA-TLX was significantly higher in right turns than in left turns (5.55 ± 1.13 vs. 4.98 ± 1.06, p < 0.001, and Cohen’s d = 0.52). Post-hoc interpretation combined RF-based importance and variance-ranked top-feature analysis, showing convergent frontal/frontocentral dominance with complementary utility definitions (predictive contribution vs. signal dispersion). Physiologically, left turns were associated with relatively higher high-frequency activity/complexity, whereas right turns showed relatively stronger theta/alpha-related patterns.InterpretationThese findings support MWL-associated directional neurophysiological differences in steep turns and identify candidate EEG markers for lightweight real-time workload monitoring, facilitating optimized flight training and enhanced aviation safety.
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The impact of face-to-face social exclusion on university students’ interpersonal cooperation behavior: a hyperscanning study based on fNIRS

BackgroundMost studies on social exclusion adopt virtual paradigms focusing on unilateral responses, while neglecting real-world face-to-face interaction and its neural basis. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning allows recording of interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) during dyadic interaction, providing a novel approach for investigating interpersonal cooperation.MethodsThis study recruited 24 dyads of college students randomly assigned to social exclusion and inclusion groups. Using fNIRS hyperscanning combined with a face-to-face rejection paradigm and the Prisoner’s Dilemma task, we examined subjective experience, behavior, and INS.Results(1) The exclusion group reported lower intimacy, trust, belonging need and state self-esteem than the inclusion group. (2) Only defection decision reaction time was faster in the exclusion group, with no group differences in overall cooperation and defection rates, indicating exclusion primarily accelerates defection. (3) INS showed channel-specific differences: the exclusion group had weaker right orbitofrontal INS during cooperation and stronger left dorsolateral prefrontal INS during defection. (4) Cooperation reaction time negatively correlated with trust, while defection efficiency positively correlated with left frontopolar INS. (5) State self-esteem partially mediated the link between social exclusion and defection reaction time.ConclusionFrom an integrated psychological–behavioral–neural perspective, this study confirms that face-to-face social exclusion accelerates defection decisions by impairing subjective interpersonal experience, altering prefrontal INS, and through the mediating effect of subjective feelings. These findings provide empirical evidence for understanding the mechanisms underlying campus social exclusion.
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Long-term psychological and functional outcomes after hepatitis C eradication with direct-acting antivirals: an 80-month follow-up study

IntroductionDirect-acting antivirals (DAAs) have dramatically changed hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, by achieving high virological cure rates and a reduced percentage of adverse events compared with previous treatments. Despite this, long-term psychiatric and quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes after viral eradication remain insufficiently understood. This study provides an 80-month follow-up of a previously evaluated cohort.MethodsOf the original 62 patients, 24 (38.7%) were reassessed approximately 80 months after DAA initiation. Psychopathological symptoms (HAM-D, HAM-A, SCL-90-R), coping strategies (COPE), and QoL (SF-36) were evaluated and compared with baseline (T0). Patients were stratified by psychiatric history (Group P vs. Group NP). Non-parametric tests and exploratory correlations and regressions were performed.ResultsIn Group P, depressive and anxiety symptoms significantly improved from T0 to follow-up (HAM-D: 16 vs. 3, p < 0.01; HAM-A: 15 vs. 4, p < 0.01), with additional reductions in SCL-90-R Interpersonal Sensitivity, Paranoid Ideation, and Psychoticism (all p < 0.05). Group NP showed stable psychological profiles, reflecting the maintenance of improvements already observed at T1, with significant reductions in HAM-D (7 vs. 4, p < 0.01) and HAM-A (8 vs. 4, p < 0.001). Both groups demonstrated a significant decline in SF-36 Physical Component Summary (Group P: p < 0.05; Group NP: p < 0.01). No between-group differences were detected at follow-up. Avoidant coping and psychiatric history were significant negative predictors of long-term anxiety change.ConclusionsSeven years after HCV eradication, psychological well-being remains stable or improved, while physical QoL declines. DAAs demonstrate sustained long-term psychiatric safety, underscoring the need for integrated medical–psychological follow-up in HCV survivors.
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Role of psychological resilience and psychological distress in linking fear of disease progression to quality of life in chronic heart failure: a cross-sectional serial mediation analysis

ObjectiveTo examine whether psychological resilience and psychological distress serially mediate the association between fear of disease progression and quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 212 patients with CHF admitted between June 2023 and June 2025. Assessment tools included a demographic questionnaire, the Fear of Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q), the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). Correlation and serial mediation analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 22.0, and the PROCESS macro, with the bootstrap method (5,000 resamples) used to test the mediation effects.ResultsThe mean scores were 43.60 ± 8.32 for FoP-Q, 52.71 ± 14.28 for CD-RISC, 44.29 ± 10.68 for DASS-21, and 48.63 ± 10.85 for MLHFQ. Correlation analysis indicated that FoP was negatively correlated with psychological resilience (r = −0.775) and positively correlated with psychological distress and MLHFQ scores (r = 0.868 and 0.773, respectively; all P < 0.05). Psychological resilience was negatively correlated with both psychological distress and MLHFQ scores (r = −0.728 and −0.744, respectively), while psychological distress was positively correlated with MLHFQ scores (r = 0.745; all P < 0.05). The mediation model revealed a direct effect of FoP on QoL (effect = 0.629, 41.14%), along with three indirect pathways: via psychological resilience alone (effect = 0.508, 33.22%), via psychological distress alone (effect = 0.344, 22.50%), and via the serial pathway from psychological resilience to psychological distress (effect = 0.048, 3.14%).ConclusionPatients with CHF exhibited elevated levels of FoP and generally reduced QoL. Psychological resilience and psychological distress served as significant serial mediators in the relationship between FoP and QoL. FoP could directly reduce QoL in patients with CHF and indirectly affect it by decreasing psychological resilience and exacerbating psychological distress. Clinical attention should be directed toward assessing the psychological status of patients with CHF, improving psychological resilience, alleviating negative emotions, reducing the adverse impact of FoP, and enhancing patients’ QoL.
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Craving fullness: a fullness-seeking phenotype that blurs the line between binge eating disorder and food addiction

Food addiction and binge eating disorder show striking clinical overlap that current diagnostic frameworks do not fully capture. In binge eating disorder samples, Yale Food Addiction Scale-defined food addiction has been reported in roughly half of participants. Higher symptom severity is associated with greater impairment. Within this overlap, clinicians frequently observe a subset of patients whose compulsive eating is organized around the pursuit of extreme fullness rather than palatability for specific trigger foods. Compulsive high-volume eating (CHVE) refers to recurrent, distressing episodes of consuming dangerously large volumes of food, often to the point of marked gastric distension. In some cases, the food is low-caloric or non-hedonic, and the dominant motivator is the interoceptive target state of extreme fullness rather than taste. This Perspectives article focuses on fullness-seeking as a high-volume pattern within binge eating disorder phenomenology that has received little attention in the food addiction literature. It extends prior work that framed volume addiction within compulsive high-volume eating as a public health issue. The focus here is clinical formulation, not the public health case. Evidence from reward learning, gut-brain signaling, gastrointestinal physiology, and neuroendocrinology suggests that this pattern may be rooted in binge eating disorder. It may identify a subset of patients with addiction-like dynamics. These cases may be better addressed when addiction-informed concepts and tools are integrated. It offers a physiologically grounded lens for combining eating disorder and addiction frameworks in a more coherent clinical approach.
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Beyond surface acting: a mixed-methods investigation of an ACT-based intervention for promoting psychological flexibility and regulatory shift in hotel frontline emotional labor

BackgroundFrontline hotel employees in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) routinely suppress authentic emotions to meet organizational display rules—a process known as surface acting—associated with burnout, emotional exhaustion, and diminished well-being. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), adapted within a collectivist, Buddhist-informed cultural framework, offers a theoretically grounded pathway for facilitating regulatory shift from surface to deep acting through enhanced psychological flexibility and emotional acceptance. Empirical evidence for ACT-based interventions specifically targeting emotional labor in hospitality contexts remains limited.MethodsA sequential mixed-methods design was employed across two phases. Phase 1 involved semi-structured interviews with 24 frontline hotel employees to explore emotional labor experiences and inform intervention development. Phase 2 evaluated the ACT-EL intervention—the MINNICHA Model, an 8-session culturally adapted ACT program integrating compassion-based approaches—using a quasi-experimental pre-post design with a non-equivalent control group (n = 30 per condition). Outcomes included the Emotional Labor Scale (ELS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and an Emotional Go/No-Go task. Between-group differences were assessed via MANCOVA controlling for baseline scores.ResultsPhase 1 identified four themes: pervasive emotional dissonance and regulatory burden (83% routinely suppressing authentic emotions), culturally amplified display rule demands rooted in Kreng Jai, occupational dignity threats precipitating regulatory collapse, and a critical training gap in which behavioral skills were taught without psychological regulatory resources. Phase 2 showed significant post-intervention improvements in the experimental group across all outcomes. Between-group effects included greater deep acting (d = 0.741), lower surface acting (d = −0.562), improved psychological flexibility (d = 0.810), faster emotional response efficiency (d = −1.607), and higher self-compassion (d = 0.778). The control group showed no significant within-group changes (all p >.05). MANCOVA confirmed significant multivariate between-group differences (Wilks’ Λ = .42, p <.001, partial η² = .58).ConclusionsThe ACT-EL program produced large, significant improvements across cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Emotional acceptance is proposed as a central mechanism facilitating regulatory shift from surface to deep acting. Buddhist-aligned cultural adaptation with ACT’s core processes offers a replicable model for diverse service workforce contexts. Future randomized trials with active controls, long-term follow-up, and mediation analyses are needed.
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Factors influencing the sensory profile in patients with autism spectrum disorder from 16 months to 14 years: results of an observational study

IntroductionSensory processing abnormalities represent a high-impact clinical feature in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sensory alterations can be classified by modality and behavioral responses to stimuli. The literature presents conflicting results regarding the association between the sensory profile and other clinical elements. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the clinical variables that influence sensory anomalies in subjects with ASD.MethodsThis single-center retrospective observational study selected 159 subjects with a confirmed ASD diagnosis, aged 16 months to 14 years. Data collected included clinical assessments (developmental profile, intelligence quotient, adaptive profile and autistic symptom severity) and sensory evaluations using the Sensory Profile-2. A Bayesian cumulative logit model was implemented to assess the impact of clinical variables on sensory profiles.ResultsThe analysis identifies adaptive functioning as the most consistent predictor of sensory outcomes, where higher functioning correlates with a reduction in atypical patterns, particularly sensory sensitivity. Conversely, autism severity and sex generally showed no significant impact, though higher cognitive functioning was specifically linked to increased sensory avoiding behaviors. Furthermore, the Bayesian analysis revealed a modifying effect of age on the sensory profile, characterized by a non-monotonic trend clustered around two distinct age peaks. The preschool period is characterized by a predominance of sensory seeking behaviors and auditory processing challenges, whereas the 8-to-12-year developmental window marks a significant shift toward hypersensitivity and avoidant patterns, particularly within the visual and oral modalities.DiscussionOverall, the analysis revealed that the adaptive profile has a significant impact on the sensory profile, consistent with existing literature. Age emerged as a key modifying factor with a non-monotonic trajectory, contrasting with previous studies that typically highlight either improvement or stability over time. Study main limitations include its retrospective and non-longitudinal nature. Therefore, further prospective longitudinal studies are necessary to explore these dynamic associations between the sensory profile and other clinical variables over time.