RADx Tech Program tackles design of accessible COVID-19 home tests

NIH’s RADx Tech committed resources in early 2022 for increased accessibility of COVID-19 home tests. The RADx Tech Accessibility Program subsequently invited collaboration from advocacy organizations to contribute to design insights and is a first step that will help manufacturers address the gap in accessible test availability.

Faster progression of multiple sclerosis associated with newly identified genetic variant

In a new study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an international team identified for the first time a genetic variant associated with faster progression of the disease and accumulation of disability. Despite the development of effective…

Life stressors may contribute to multiple sclerosis flares, disability

Stressors across the lifespan — including poverty, abuse and divorce — are associated with worsening health and functional outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis, a new study finds. Researchers say the findings can inform MS research as well as clinical care, including referrals to mental health or substance use support.

SLU Researcher, Collaborators Awarded NSF Grant to Create Software System that Generates Accessible STEM Content for Persons with Disabilities

A collaborative team of academia, industry, start-ups, and non-profits, led by Jenna Gorlewicz, Ph.D., associate professor in aerospace and mechanical engineering and associate dean of research and innovation in the School of Science and Engineering at Saint Louis University, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop technology to enhance the quality of life, employment access, and opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Feeling Anxious or Blue? Ultra-processed Foods May be to Blame

A study measuring mild depression, number of mental unhealthy days and number of anxious days in 10,359 adults 18 and older found those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods as compared with those who consumed the least amount had statistically significant increases in the adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression, “mentally unhealthy days” and “anxious days.” They also had significantly lower rates of reporting zero “mentally unhealthy days” and zero “anxious days.” Findings are generalizable to the entire U.S. as well as other Western countries with similar ultra-processed food intakes.

New Model May Help Us Better Understand Cancer-Related Disability in Humans

A novel preclinical mouse model of pancreatic cancer may promote better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to disability in human cancer patients, according to the findings of a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting.

Virginia Tech, partners launch nation’s first pediatric rehabilitation resource center

Research partners across three institutions are opening the nation’s first and only resource center dedicated to promoting clinical trials research in the rapidly expanding field of pediatric rehabilitation. It will be one of a network six centers under the umbrella of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health, with direct oversight from the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research.

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Receives $4.3M Grant to Launch National Center to Improve Care for People with Disabilities

Through a $4.3 million grant, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) will become a national center dedicated to improving health and function of people with disabilities and their caregivers.

Heat Stress May Affect More Than 1.2 Billion People Annually by 2100

Heat stress from extreme heat and humidity will annually affect areas now home to 1.2 billion people by 2100, assuming current greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Rutgers study. That’s more than four times the number of people affected today, and more than 12 times the number who would have been affected without industrial era global warming.

Validating NIH Toolbox to help evaluate cognitive processing in people with intellectual disability

Cognitive processing in people with intellectual disability can now be accurately assessed thanks to UC Davis Health researchers who updated and validated series of tests, part of the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery.

More medical students are telling their schools about their disabilities, and schools are responding, study finds

The percentage of medical students who told their schools that they have a disability rose sharply in recent years, a new study shows. Medical schools made changes, called accommodations, for nearly all medical students who disclosed the fact that they have a condition that qualifies as a disability, the study also finds.