Hearing that your unborn baby has congenital heart disease can be traumatic, but now new research suggests that if you experience stress, anxiety or depression afterward it could affect your baby’s brain development.

Congenital heart disease (structural problems with the heart) is the one of the most common birth defects.

Challenging prenatal environment

“We were alarmed by the high percentage of pregnant women with a diagnosis of a major foetal heart problem who tested positive for stress, anxiety and depression,” said study co-author Catherine Limperopoulos. She is director of the Center for the Developing Brain at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

“We report for the first time that this challenging prenatal environment impairs regions of the foetal brain that play a major role in learning, memory, coordination and social and behavioural development, making it all the more important for us to identify these women early during pregnancy to intervene,” Limperopoulos said in a hospital news release.

“It’s critical that we routinely do these screenings and provide pregnant women with access to interventions to lower their stress levels,” she concluded.

The study included 48 pregnant women whose foetuses were diagnosed with congenital heart disease, and a control group of 92 pregnant women who had no complications.

Of the women expecting a baby with congenital heart disease, 65% tested positive for stress, 44% tested positive for anxiety, and 29% tested positive for depression. The rates in the control group were 27% for stress, 26% for anxiety and 9% for depression.

Social and behavioural development

MRI brain imaging of the foetuses was conducted between 21 and 40 weeks of gestation.

Among women expecting a baby with congenital heart disease – but not among those in the control group – stress and anxiety in the second trimester were associated with foetuses with a smaller left hippocampus and smaller cerebellum. However, the study did not prove that maternal stress actually caused these brain development differences.

Specific parts of the brain – the hippocampus head and body and the left cerebellar lobe – were more susceptible to stunted growth. The hippocampus is crucial in memory and learning, while the cerebellum controls motor coordination and is also involved in social and behavioural development, according to the researchers.

The study was published online in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

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An unpublished report on a hospital for vulnerable adults could have prevented abuse, a review finds.

Machines can be trained to outperform humans when it comes to catching breast tumours on mammograms, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Google and several universities are working on an artificial intelligence (AI) model aimed at improving the accuracy of mammography screening. In the 1 January issue of Nature, they describe the initial results: Computers, it seems, can beat radiologists both in detecting breast tumours and avoiding false alarms.

Less angst for patients

Compared with mammography results collected from routine practice, the computer model reduced false positives by 1.2% (at three UK hospitals) and 5.7% (at one US centre). “False positive” refers to a mammogram that is deemed abnormal, even though no cancer is present.

“That means we could, potentially, create less angst for patients,” said researcher Dr Mozziyar Etemadi, an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

Artificial intelligence also bested humans when it came to false negatives – where a mammogram is interpreted as normal despite the presence of a tumour. The algorithm reduced those cases by 2.7% in the United Kingdom, and by 9.4% in the United States.

Etemadi called the findings “exciting”, but also stressed that research into using AI in medicine is “still in its infancy”.

Nor will it be replacing humans any time soon. Instead, Etemadi explained, AI is seen as a “tool” to boost doctors’ efficiency and accuracy.

As an example, he said AI could be used to “re-order the queue” – so that instead of analysing mammograms in the order they come in, radiologists could have certain images with suspicious findings flagged for priority review.

‘Deep learning’

Mammography screening can detect breast cancer in its earliest stages, but it’s imperfect: According to the American Cancer Society, it misses about 20% of cancers. And if a woman gets a mammogram every year for 10 years, she has about a 50% chance of receiving a false positive at some point.

The new study, funded by Google, is the latest to explore whether AI can help detect cancer.

Typically, it works like this: Researchers develop an algorithm using “deep learning” – where a computer system mimics the brain’s neural networks. It’s exposed to a large number of images – digital mammograms, for example – and it teaches itself to recognise key features, such as signs of a tumour.

Other studies have suggested that AI can outperform humans in diagnosing certain cancers. One found that computers bested dermatologists in distinguishing harmless moles from melanoma skin cancer. Another found that AI was typically better than pathologists at finding breast tumour cells in lymph node samples.

This latest AI model was “trained” by exposing it to mammograms from over 90 000 women whose outcomes were known. The researchers then tested the model on a separate dataset, involving mammograms from over 25 000 UK women and 3 000-plus US women.

Overall, the model reduced false positive and false negative results. The improvement was greater in the United States. While it’s not certain why, Etemadi pointed to one potential reason: In the United Kingdom, it’s standard for two radiologists to analyse a mammogram, which generally improves the accuracy.

Not foolproof

But while the AI model performed well in this “controlled environment”, it remains to be seen how it will work in the real world, said Dr Stamatia Destounis.

She is a spokesperson for the Radiological Society of North America and a clinical professor of imaging sciences at the University of Rochester, in New York.

“What’s needed are clinical studies in real day-to-day practice to see if these findings can be reproduced,” Destounis said.

Even in this controlled setting, the AI model was not foolproof. It did not detect all cancers or eliminate false positives. And sometimes it lost out to humans.

In a separate experiment, the researchers pitted the AI model against six US radiologists. Overall, the computer was better, but there were cases where the doctors correctly saw a tumour the machine missed.

Another tool

So what did the AI model overlook? And what did it see that doctors didn’t? No one knows, Etemadi said.

“At this point, we can only observe the patterns,” he said. “We don’t know the ‘why’.”

But, he added, it all suggests the combined forces of human and machine would be better than either alone.

To Destounis, the prospect of a new tool to help spot breast cancer is “exciting”.

“I’m hopeful that AI will be another tool in our clinical practice to help radiologists identify breast cancer as early as possible – when the tumour is smallest and the treatment least invasive,” she said.

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Nearly 300 people have been infected in the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China.

Recent research finds that repeated flooding events have a cumulative effect on the structural integrity of earthen levees, suggesting that the increase in extreme weather events associated with climate change could pose significant challenges for the nation’s aging levee system.

A hitherto unknown antibiotic-resistant bacteria species, in the same family as E. coli and Salmonella spp., has been found and classified in Sweden. The proposed taxonomic name of the species — the first of the new genus — is Scandinavium goeteborgense, after the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, where the bacterium was isolated and the research was done.

Recent models are telling us that, as our climate warms up, herbivores and pests will cause increased damage to agricultural crops. One study predicted that crop yield lost to insects increases 10 to 25 percent for every 1 degree Celsius increase.

If you’re a senior who loves to take in the latest art exhibit or check out a new musical, it might do more than stimulate your senses: New research suggests it could lengthen your life.

Scientists found that among over 6 700 older adults they tracked, patrons of the arts had a markedly better survival rate over the next 14 years.

‘Receptive’ arts involvement

People who, at the outset, devoted time to cultural activities at least every few months were 31% less likely to die during the study period, versus those who never did.

The findings do not prove the arts will extend your life. But they do add to evidence that “engaging in the arts can help promote good health,” said lead researcher Daisy Fancourt, an associate professor at University College London, in the United Kingdom.

And you don’t have to be the artist. According to Fancourt, a body of research suggests that “receptive” arts involvement can benefit physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Walking around a museum might not be a workout, but it does replace sedentary time on the couch. Being immersed in music, art, dance or theatre can also provide mental stimulation, a balm for stress or depression, and a chance to socialise.

“Participating in the arts should not be something you do when everything else is OK in your life,” said Dr Nicola Gill, of Health Education England, part of the U.K. health service. “It should be something you do as part of everyday living. The richer your tapestry of life, the better able you are to survive and thrive.”

Gill co-wrote an editorial accompanying the study published online in the BMJ.

Many other differences

The findings were based on 6 710 UK adults who were, on average, 66 years old at the start. Over 3 000 said they attended arts events infrequently (once or twice a year), while 1 900 did so frequently (at least every few months).

Over the next 14 years, both groups had a lower death rate compared with people who were uninvolved in the arts. In that latter group, the death rate was 47%, versus 27% in the group that made time for the arts once or twice a year.

The lowest death rate was seen among people who frequently attended arts events – at just under 19%, the findings showed.

Of course, there are many other differences among those groups of people, Fancourt said. Most obviously, older adults who are healthier and wealthier can more easily see concerts, plays and art exhibits.

So her team accounted for people’s wealth, education level, marital status and whether they lived in urban or rural areas. And those factors did not account for the longevity edge.

Arts patrons did tend to score higher on tests of memory and thinking, have fewer disabilities, and be more physically and socially active in general.

Meaningful activities

Still, those differences explained only part of the arts-longevity link, the researchers said.

Does that mean there’s something unique about the arts that promotes a longer (hopefully better) life? Not necessarily.

If you dislike museums, devoting time to them probably wouldn’t benefit you, noted James Maddux, a senior scholar with the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia.

And, he said, there’s nothing to say that people couldn’t get similar benefits from other activities that get them out of the house and socialising – whether that’s seeing movies or sports, or taking a hike in the woods.

“I wouldn’t want people to get the idea that these [arts] activities are the ones everyone should be doing,” said Maddux, who was not involved in the study.

Instead, he sees the findings as more evidence that it’s important to fill your life with meaningful activities.

Lifelong arts fan

A question the study leaves open is whether participation in the arts – not only being an audience member – is related to a longer life.

“Is it even better to take a painting class or dance lessons?” Maddux said. “That might enhance your experience of seeing exhibits or performances.”

In addition, Fancourt’s team noted, the study participants were surveyed at only one time point: It’s not clear whether you would need to be a lifelong arts fan to see a longevity benefit – or whether the same holds true for retirees who newly discover the theatre.

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A new coronavirus strain, first discovered in the city of Wuhan, is causing alarm as it shows a connection to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that killed nearly 650 people across China and Hong Kong in 2002.

What exactly is the coronavirus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the term coronavirus is used to define a group of viruses that cause illnesses that can range from the common cold to more severe diseases such as SARS.

A new strain (called “novel coronavirus”) has been discovered, one that hasn’t previously been identified in humans.

When was the new virus discovered? 

The first case of the virus was reported on 9 January 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) after the WHO China Country office was informed of a case of pneumonia with an unknown cause.

What are the symptoms?

Common signs of coronavirus include classic respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, fever and shortness of breath. In severe cases pneumonia and kidney failure can occur, which can be fatal.

How many people have been infected so far?

The number of people having contracted the new virus stood at 218 on 20 January 2020, according to reports from CCTV. The WHO appointed an emergency committee to discuss the infections.

Cases of the virus were confirmed on Monday in Beijing and Shanghai, while more cases appeared in southern Guangdong province and Wuhan, according to CCTV, the state broadcaster.

So far, four people have died and authorities are scrambling to take precautions as the Lunar New Year brings thousands of tourists to these regions.

How does this virus spread?

Previous strains of coronaviruses were all classified as zoonotic, meaning that they spread from animals to humans. Previously, detailed investigations found that SARS had been spread from civet cats to humans.

In the case of the latest strain, which was provisionally traced to a seafood market in Wuhan, it is equally important to determine exactly how the virus is transmitted. 

Zhong Nanshan, a renowned scientist at the National Health Commission, announced that there is a possibility that patients may contract the virus even without visiting the city.

According to Science Alert, in an interview with CCTV, he said, “Currently, it it is affirmative that there is the phenomenon of human-to-human transmission.” 

People in Guangdong who contracted the virus were infected directly by family members who came from Wuhan, he further explained. Fourteen members of a medical team who treated the patients are now also infected.

While Zhong said that there may be an increase of this virus during the Lunar New Year, he is of the opinion that it can be curbed. He added that the WHO panel is meeting in Geneva on 22 January 2020 to decide if the virus should be declared as a “public health emergency of international concern” – a status only used for the worst epidemic scenarios.

What measurements are currently in place to curb the spread?

Since the virus has spread past China’s borders (cases have been recorded in Thailand and Japan), three airports in the USA (San Francisco International Airport, New York’s JFK and Los Angeles’s LAX) and several Asian airports will start screening those who arrive on flights from Wuhan.

According to a report from the BBC, infected people have been treated in isolation to avoid further contamination. The seafood market in Wuhan has also been closed for disinfection.

Should we be worried?

At the time of publishing this article, there are no known cases of the novel coronavirus on the African continent.

Right now, experts reckon it’s hard to tell how far the virus will spread, but authorities are taking action. Meanwhile, if you are travelling to any of the regions affected, the WHO suggests the following:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, especially before handling food, after coughing or sneezing, or after using the bathroom.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who displays cold or flu-like symptoms.
• Cook meat and eggs thoroughly.
• Don’t have unprotected contact with any live wild or farm animals in the affected regions.
• Visit a medical professional if you are concerned about any symptoms, especially after travelling.

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Marelize Wilke