The Verge: All Posts by Nicole Wetsmanhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52801/VER_Logomark_32x32..png2022-11-10T13:13:24-05:00https://www.theverge.com/authors/nicole-wetsman/rss2022-11-10T13:13:24-05:002022-11-10T13:13:24-05:00Wearables might be able to screen for premature birth
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<img alt="Person with Whoop on wrist rests hands on pregnant belly." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SLGaVdeLoZZsSATowih__Ucp3CI=/0x0:4703x3135/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71611001/WHOOP_Pregnancy_Lifestyle_6.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>Whoop’s new study shows changes in heart rate variability ahead of delivery.</em> | Image: Whoop</figcaption>
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<p id="YKCx3w">Monitoring changes in heart rate in pregnant people may be a way to screen for people who will deliver prematurely, according to <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.04.22281959v1.full.pdf">new data</a> from researchers working at wearable company Whoop. </p>
<p id="wgPzDQ">Preterm birth is risky and can lead to health complications for both the parent and the infant. But it’s hard to predict who might be likely to go into labor early. “Accessible, noninvasive screening options for premature birth can serve as early warning signs for pregnant people, giving them more time to find and administer interventions to improve health outcomes,” said Elizabeth Cherot, chief medical officer of the medical practice Axia Women’s Health, in a <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221109005358/en/WHOOP-Identifies-Novel-Pregnancy-Digital-Biomarker-to-Screen-for-Premature-Birth/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-bsjWlVyeNLyq_m2tvaHJJaD1w08bW43U_zsPK9s38B4rCOi9QzgjCezTS3Nw_X6kJUrpSBm-Hav1w-UkdSlG3miu0ZZ-LtXjCwD3Ec3ldN_zZCGORvG0LE20YOvo49uqw==">statement from Whoop</a>. </p>
<p id="qWak91">The Whoop wearable device calculates users’ <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21773-heart-rate-variability-hrv#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20low%20heart%20rate,have%20higher%20resting%20heart%20rates.">heart rate variability</a>,...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23451084/wearable-whoop-premature-birth-pregnancy-study">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23451084/wearable-whoop-premature-birth-pregnancy-studyNicole Wetsman2022-11-09T10:28:39-05:002022-11-09T10:28:39-05:00Amazon’s leaked ‘Clinic’ would connect patients to telemedicine
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<img alt="Illustration of Amazon’s logo on a black, orange, and tan background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7-0eo5hTByNw1CDFFVWQMSXrLHQ=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71605273/acastro_STK103__01.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p id="ph4tNF">Amazon might have a new healthcare offering coming soon, according to a leaked video. A video published to the company's YouTube page Tuesday — and then quickly taken down — described “Amazon Clinic,” an online care program that would offer treatment for “common conditions” like allergies and acne. </p>
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<figcaption><em>A screenshot taken from the now-unlisted video originally posted on the Amazon YouTube page.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="1LzUjF">As described in the video, people could fill out a questionnaire about their symptoms and pay a fee. A clinician would review their answers and provide a diagnosis and prescriptions as needed. “Telehealth services are offered by third-party healthcare provider groups,” according to the text in the video. The video directs people...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/9/23449075/amazon-clinic-leaked-video-healthcare-telemedicine">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/9/23449075/amazon-clinic-leaked-video-healthcare-telemedicineNicole Wetsman2022-11-08T12:50:33-05:002022-11-08T12:50:33-05:00In world-first trial, lab-grown blood was just injected into two people
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<img alt="Storage bag being filled with recently donated blood" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JmhQ3cYMriRfkB6u38p7cKcCpn8=/58x0:5064x3337/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71601452/129376385.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Universal Images Group via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="6mFnlz">In a world first, two people were injected with red blood cells grown in a lab as part of a clinical trial, the research team announced <a href="https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/news/first-ever-clinical-trial-of-laboratory-grown-red-blood-cells-being-transfused-into-another-person/">this week</a>. It’s a first step toward seeing if lab-grown blood cells are safe and work in the body — which would be a major advance for people living with rare blood types or blood disorders. </p>
<p id="xyjfgK">“This world leading research lays the groundwork for the manufacture of red blood cells that can safely be used to transfuse people with disorders like sickle cell,” said Farrukh Shah, medical director of transfusion for National Health Service Blood and Transplant in the United Kingdom, in a <a href="https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/news/first-ever-clinical-trial-of-laboratory-grown-red-blood-cells-being-transfused-into-another-person/">statement.</a> </p>
<p id="s1y1Nz">The milestone in this trial comes after <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/red-blood-cells-grown-in-lab">decades</a> <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-blood-stem-cells-produced-at-last/">of work</a> trying to figure out how to grow these types of cells in...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/8/23447076/lab-grown-blood-stem-cell-trial-sickle-cell">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/8/23447076/lab-grown-blood-stem-cell-trial-sickle-cellNicole Wetsman2022-11-03T15:31:05-04:002022-11-03T15:31:05-04:00Blood oxygen monitors face scrutiny from FDA panel
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<img alt="Pulse oximeter with the Walgreens logo clipped on a finger against a blue background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6H9vWgar_MovgzbejsgeNO83OeE=/0x0:3293x2195/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71581113/1364429991.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jon Akira Yamamoto/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="P1lqLg">Devices that monitor blood oxygen levels in the hospital and at home need to be more carefully regulated, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel indicated at a <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/162709/download">meeting</a> Tuesday. </p>
<p id="3CqJNb">The devices are everywhere in healthcare settings, and people regularly purchase them for at-home use. But research over the past few decades has steadily shown that they don’t work as well for people with darker skin tones — a disparity that became even more critical during the covid pandemic. The FDA issued <a href="https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/pulse-oximeter-accuracy-and-limitations-fda-safety-communication">an alert</a> saying that the devices have “limitations” in 2021.</p>
<p id="TjRuEI">“We need to take appropriate steps to remove the growing uncertainty around these devices and ensure the health and safety of the public,” anesthesiologist Jesse Ehrenfeld <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/health/pulse-oximeters-black-patients.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share">said to the panel...</a></p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/3/23438808/blood-oxygen-monitor-fda-bias-regulation">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/3/23438808/blood-oxygen-monitor-fda-bias-regulationNicole Wetsman2022-10-27T10:51:17-04:002022-10-27T10:51:17-04:00YouTube will let doctors and nurses apply to be labeled as reliable
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<img alt="YouTube logo on an abstract background" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_F4Fe9wb7afILgEAMMfbzJi96YM=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71550135/acastro_STK092_02.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p id="AUt2Zk">Licensed healthcare professionals on YouTube can now apply to get panels added to their videos that mark them as reliable health information sources, the company <a href="https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/new-ways-licensed-healthcare-professionals-product-feature-application/">said Thursday</a>. They’ll also be able to have videos added to health content shelves, which compile information on specific medical conditions.</p>
<p id="NKUJL1">Licensed doctors, nurses, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and social workers are eligible for the feature. YouTube will verify applicants’ licenses. They’ll have to agree to follow the best practices for health information sharing created by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, the National Academy of Medicine, and the World Health Organization — which says information should be science-based, objective, transparent,...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/27/23426353/youtube-doctors-nurses-health-information-labels">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/27/23426353/youtube-doctors-nurses-health-information-labelsNicole Wetsman2022-10-25T12:32:52-04:002022-10-25T12:32:52-04:00Uber, DoorDash will deliver Paxlovid from Walgreens for free to vulnerable neighborhoods
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<img alt="A gloved hand pulling a pill pack out of a box labeled “paxlovid”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xnyJuAijWsoRXdCrpNvpN7xkoeI=/1x0:1600x1066/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71541583/1243029369.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Image: Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune / Tribune News Service via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="s7XJ5G">Uber and DoorDash will deliver prescriptions for the covid antiviral Paxlovid filled through Walgreens for free to underserved neighborhoods, the companies announced Monday. The partnership is part of new pandemic response efforts <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/25/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-announce-additional-efforts-to-help-americans-get-their-free-updated-covid-19-vaccine-this-fall/">from the White House</a>.</p>
<p id="4Xp4lT">“This partnership is yet another way in which Uber’s technology can help Americans recover from the pandemic and make lifesaving healthcare more accessible,” Caitlin Donovan, general manager of Uber Health, said in a statement. </p>
<p id="xMhLzN"><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/22/22810371/pfizer-merck-paxlovid-covid-antiviral-fda-authorization-omicron">Paxlovid</a> reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from covid. It has to be taken within a few days of symptoms first appearing to be most effective, so getting the pills quickly is important. </p>
<p id="GV2A99">This initiative, which will launch in the coming weeks, is...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/25/23422801/walgreens-uber-doordash-paxlovid-prescriptions">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/25/23422801/walgreens-uber-doordash-paxlovid-prescriptionsNicole Wetsman2022-10-24T12:32:44-04:002022-10-24T12:32:44-04:00Kids who play video games score higher on brain function tests
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<img alt="An Xbox wireless headset on top of an Xbox Series X console" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ThYp-g62CxF9Wqhw362cEg-3DqE=/0x0:2050x1367/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71536831/cfaulkner_210311_4469_00010.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>Gamers are better at attention and memory tasks.</em> | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p id="Pdtp5r">Kids who play video games have better memory and better control over their motor skills than kids who don’t, according to a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797596?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=102422">new study</a> looking at adolescent brain function. </p>
<p id="rQ34lM">Video games might not be responsible for those differences — the study can’t say what the causes are — but the findings add to a bigger body of work showing gamers have better performance on some tests of brain function. That lends support to efforts to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/15/22976720/mental-health-video-game-treatment-deepwell-devolver-digital">develop games</a> that can <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/15/21292267/fda-adhd-video-game-prescription-endeavor-rx-akl-t01-project-evo">treat cognitive problems</a>. </p>
<p id="fZZqOJ">“This study adds to our growing understanding of the associations between playing video games and brain development,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in a <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/video-gaming-may-be-associated-better-cognitive-performance-children">statement</a>. </p>
<p id="4ImNgm">The study used data from the <a href="https://abcdstudy.org/">Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development...</a></p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/24/23420502/video-game-kid-brain-function-fmri">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/24/23420502/video-game-kid-brain-function-fmriNicole Wetsman2022-10-21T13:59:34-04:002022-10-21T13:59:34-04:00I hope someone makes memes out of these funny animal photos
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<img alt="A salmon flies into the side of a bear’s face." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X69f8Q0Jg5gOXm3dMwokMEF2VM0=/0x0:2781x1854/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71526499/38._John_Chaney_Fight_Back_00004815_copy.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Image: John Chaney / Comedy Wildlife 2022</figcaption>
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<p id="h6VhRZ">I learned today that there is a contest called the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, which selects the funniest animal photos submitted by professional and amateur photographers each year. The gallery of finalists includes some true gems, like a bear getting hit in the face by a fish, a zebra falling over, and a waving penguin. </p>
<p id="OR1XL8">The competition is for a good cause — every year, it supports a conservation organization, and this year, it’s working with the Whitley Fund for Nature, a charity in the United Kingdom. </p>
<p id="dzjMMz">It also seems like great fodder for memes. But I am only medium funny, so I’ll leave it to others to come up with some better ideas than I possibly could. These are some of my personal favorites from the finalists! I hope that...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/21/23416479/funny-animal-photo-contest-meme">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/21/23416479/funny-animal-photo-contest-memeNicole Wetsman2022-10-20T14:24:17-04:002022-10-20T14:24:17-04:00Tech companies added fertility features just in time for the culture war
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<img alt="A pack of birth control pills with the first two rows missing." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I2N4PXDkOjWMx8tWrWGxCLUK7T0=/0x2294:5504x5963/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71521804/1241735434.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>Anti-abortion groups are pushing back against hormonal birth control.</em> | Photo by Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="GFZ4SQ">Tech companies picked an interesting time to start including women’s and reproductive health in their products. For years, they sidestepped the issue: Apple <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/25/6844021/apple-promised-an-expansive-health-app-so-why-cant-i-track">didn’t include</a> period tracking in its health app <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/09/apple-stops-ignoring-womens-health-with-ios-9-healthkit-update-now-featuring-period-tracking/">until 2015</a>. Fitbit only added “Female health tracking” <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2018-05-07-fitbit-female-health-tracking-live.html">in 2018</a>. For products that claim to help people understand their bodies, most spent years sidestepping the basic biology that affects half the population.</p>
<p id="2SwwKs">But over the past year or so, companies have started juicing up their menstrual tracking and fertility features, and there’s been <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/the-dawn-of-the-femtech-revolution">more investment</a> in so-called femtech. And they caught up just in time for the end of federal abortion protections in the United States, a right-wing pushback on birth control, and a culture war...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/20/23414856/fertility-tracking-abortion-right-wing-apple-birth-control">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/20/23414856/fertility-tracking-abortion-right-wing-apple-birth-controlNicole Wetsman2022-10-19T12:30:00-04:002022-10-19T12:30:00-04:00Don’t confuse Apple’s fertility tracking with birth control
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<img alt="Apple Watch on a wrist showing a screen that lets a user log a period" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bqz9ivcJ0olIVsRehDwHUAMJjzE=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71516431/226292_Apple_Watch_SE_PHO_akrales_0232.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>Apple has new cycle tracking features.</em> | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p>There’s a gap in research around fertility, and tech companies are surging in to fill the space. But they’re not tested rigorously enough for doctors to trust. </p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/19/23408923/apple-fertility-cycle-app-research-rigour-pregnancy">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/19/23408923/apple-fertility-cycle-app-research-rigour-pregnancyNicole Wetsman