KPWHRI in the Media

2022

August 1-31

New open data released to help understand Alzheimer’s disease

Read the news release.

Researchers have released new open data showing the specific types of cells and neurons that die off or change in Alzheimer’s disease as part of a collaboration between the Allen Institute, KPWHRI, and the University of Washington School of Medicine.

• NPR, Aug. 1
  Alzheimer's researchers are looking beyond plaques and tangles for new treatments
• Fierce Biotech, Aug. 2
  In search of Alzheimer’s drug targets, Allen Institute builds massive brain cell map

Dementia risk screening tool shows promise

Read the news story.

Assistant Biostatistics Investigator Yates Coley, PhD, spoke to Medscape about a recent publication that assessed performance of a new tool to help identify more older adults with undiagnosed dementia.

• Medscape, Aug. 9​​​​​​​
  New tool helps gauge risk of undiagnosed dementia

Malaria study finds that whole-parasite vaccine conveys protection

Read the paper.

A malaria vaccine study overseen by KPWHRI Senior Investigator Lisa Jackson, MD, MPH, working with collaborators at the University of Washington, Fred Hutch, and Seattle Children’s, found that a genetically engineered whole-parasite vaccine was safe for volunteers in trials and protected them from infection.

• Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Aug. 25​​​​​​​
  Malaria protection conferred by genetically engineered whole-parasite vaccine
• KOMO-AM, Aug. 27 (no link available)

A new study to raise clinician awareness about drugs known to increase fall risk

Read the news release.

A collaboration between KPWHRI and the University of Washington School of Medicine will test a program to raise awareness about how certain dementia medications may increase the risk of falls in older adults.

• McKnights Long-Term Care News, Aug. 23
  New program will test clinician awareness of drugs known to increase falls in dementia

July 1-31

New open data released to help understand Alzheimer’s disease

Read the news release.

Researchers have released new open data showing the specific types of cells and neurons that die off or change in Alzheimer’s disease as part of a collaboration between the Allen Institute, KPWHRI, and the University of Washington School of Medicine.

• Ellensburg Daily Record, July 28
  Cell by cell, scientists are building a high-resolution map of brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease
• Inside Precision Medicine, July 28
  Data trove released by Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas
• Technology Networks, July 29​​​​​​​
  Cell-level map builds an atlas of Alzheimer’s brain changes
• India 07, July 29​​​​​​​
  A cell-level map helps build an atlas of how the brain changes in Alzheimer’s

Learnings from deploying community resource specialists at Kaiser Permanente Washington
 

Associate Investigator Clarissa Hsu, PhD, spoke about the collaborative work of creating the community resource specialist role and implementing it in Washington.

• Healthcare Innovation, July 25​​​​​​​
  Lessons learned deploying community resource specialists at KP Washington

June 1-30

Most medical cannabis use not documented in electronic health records

Read the paper.

Assistant Investigator Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSW, comments on her recent study looking at the prevalence of patient-reported medical cannabis use.

• Mediquality/Reuters Health, June 11
  Medical cannabis use often left undocumented in electronic health records

Eye conditions may help screen for Alzheimer’s disease

Read news release.

Findings from the ACT Study on a link between certain eye conditions and Alzheimer's disease are referenced in discussing a new study on eye health and dementia.

• Best Life, June 8
  This change with your eyes may prevent dementia, new study says

Senior Investigator Kathy Bradley, MD, MPH, discusses alcohol screening
 

Kathy Bradley and several other KPWHRI investigators contributed expertise to the new Core Resource on Alcohol from the NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

• ​​​GIST Healthcare, June 6
  NIAAA releases new materials to screen and treat alcohol use disorder as alcohol-related deaths spiked

May 1-31

KPWHRI starts first clinical trial for schistosomiasis vaccine

Read the news story.

The Phase I trial could pave the way for the first-ever vaccine against schistosomiasis, which impacts an estimated 200 million people worldwide.

• GeekWire, May 31 
  Seattle biotech startup backed by Gates Foundation launches trial for snail fever vaccine
• KLUR8, May 31 
  PAI Life Sciences Doses First Healthy Volunteer in Schistosomiasis Vaccine Clinical Trial

Senior investigator Eric Larson, MD, MPH, writes about age-related memory changes
 

• 3rd Act Magazine, May 2022
  Enlightened Aging: Forgetful Need Not Lead to Fretful

Is blood pressure reading more accurate at home or clinic?

Read news release.

Home blood pressure monitoring demonstrated to be an excellent alternative for making new diagnoses of hypertension.

• Business Daily Africa, May 18 
  Why home-based tests are ideal for blood pressure screening

March 1-31

Social risks: Do patients want health systems to help?

Read the news story.

SONNET (Social Needs Network for Evaluation and Translation) study led by KPWHRI’s Leah Tuzzio, MPH, looks at patients’ unmet social risks and their desire for assistance.

• Healthcare Innovation, March 30
  Research explores patients’ desire for assistance with unmet social needs      

Senior Investigator David Arterburn, MD, MPH, comments on story on safer weight loss surgeries
 

• WebMD, March 29
  Lap band failures drive many to safer weight loss surgeries   

Implementing virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Read the paper and report.

A report led by the Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE), part of KPWHRI, assesses changes in safety net health centers’ capacity to implement virtual care and the experience of health care staff in delivering telehealth during the pandemic.

• California Health Care Foundation, March 28
  Two reports detail health centers’ implementation of telehealth visits for underserved patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Is blood pressure reading more accurate at home or clinic?

Read the news release.

Home blood pressure monitoring demonstrated to be an excellent alternative for making new diagnoses of hypertension.

• HealthDay, March 17
  Home-based BP measurements comparable to ambulatory BP monitoring
• VeryWell Health, March 16
  Your blood pressure reading is likely more accurate at home
• WebMD, March 8
  Home blood pressure testing better than at clinics: study
• California News Times, March 3
  Is blood pressure reading more accurate at home or clinic?

Senior Investigator Jessica Chubak, PhD, comments on study that found canine affection may help reduce pain
 

• CNN, March 9
  Affection from a dog really is medicinal, according to a new study
• People.com, March 10
  Dogs can reduce pain in ER patients, study finds        
• Smithsonian Magazine, March 15
  Therapy dogs help reduce pain in emergency room patients
• Yahoo Life, March 15
  A new study found that affection from dogs could ease physical pain in humans
• The Black Chronicle, March 14
  Affection from a dog is medicinal, according to a new study  

Effect of offering care management or online dialectical behavior therapy skills training vs usual care on self-harm among adult outpatients with suicidal ideation: A randomized clinical trial

Read the paper.

Research compared 2 low-intensity outreach programs with usual care for prevention of suicidal behavior among outpatients who report recent frequent suicidal thoughts.

• Duluth News Tribune, March 1
  Outreach via  electronic patient portal ineffective at reducing self harm, study finds 

February 1-28

Effect of offering care management or online dialectical behavior therapy skills training vs. usual care on self-harm among adult outpatients with suicidal ideation: A randomized clinical trial

Read the paper.

Research compared 2 low-intensity outreach programs with usual care for prevention of suicidal behavior among outpatients who report recent frequent suicidal thoughts.

• Post Bulletin, Feb. 28
  Outreach via electronic patient portal ineffective at reducing self harm, study finds 
• MedPage Today, Feb. 15
  Low-intensity care options flop for self-harm prevention

Recent studies on breast cancer screening

Read the story.

Researcher Ellen O’Meara, PhD, and affiliate investigator Diana Miglioretti, PhD, estimate that 15% of screen-detected breast cancers, about 1 in 7, are overdiagnosed in those who screen every other year.

• MedPage Today, Feb. 28
  Study: Breast cancer is still being overdiagnosed

ACT Study/Alzheimer’s research

Read news release.

Kaiser Permanente, University of Washington School of Medicine, and University of California San Diego join to lead the next phase of aging brain study.

• World Economic Forum, Feb. 1
  Here’s how exercise alters our brain chemistry — and could prevent dementia

Use of recombinant zoster vaccine associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults 

Read the commentary.

Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, and Jennifer C. Nelson, PhD, comment that while a recent study found that the recombinant zoster vaccine was linked to a small increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome, on balance, benefits outweigh safety concerns for the vaccine for adults.

• Annals of Internal Medicine, Feb. 28
  In older adults, use of a recombinant zoster vaccine was associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome ​​​​​​​

January 1–31

Cataract surgery linked with lessened dementia risk

Read the news release.

Research based on KPWHRI’s ACT Study led by Eric Larson, MD, MPH, finds that cataract surgery is associated with 30% lower risk of dementia in aging population.

• National Institute on Aging, Jan. 31
  Cataract removal linked to a reduction in dementia risk
• New York Times, Jan. 24
  Cataract surgery may reduce your dementia risk
• Money Talks News, Jan. 17
  Kaiser Permanente study indicates people who undergo cataract surgery are less likely to develop dementia
• Washington Post, Jan. 9
  People who have cataracts removed are 30 percent less likely to develop dementia
• Oregon Public Broadcasting, Jan. 4
  Cataract surgery may reduce the risk of dementia, study finds

Patient-reported firearm access prior to suicide death

Read the JAMA Network Open research letter.

Julie Richards, PhD, MPH, explores the question: When people who died by suicide were asked about gun access before their death, how did they answer?

• Healio, Jan. 10
  Firearm access screening could mitigate suicide risk

Trial confirms mix-and-match COVID-19 vaccine boosters are safe, produce immune response

Read the news release.

Lisa Jackson, MD, MPH, explains results support boosting with Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

• NIAID, Jan. 26​​​​​​​
  Mix-and-match trial finds additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine safe, immunogenic

New study from Vaccine Safety Datalink organizations supports the safety of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy

Read the abstract.

Lisa Jackson, MD, MPH, is a co-author in a CDC study showing that pregnant women who get the COVID-19 vaccine are at no greater risk of delivering early or delivering unusually small babies.

• New York Times, Jan. 4​​​​​​​
  Covid vaccinations are not linked to pre-term births, researchers report

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Media contact

For more on Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute news, please contact:

Amelia Apfel

Amelia.X.Apfel@kp.org

(425) 507-5455
After-hours media line: (206) 287-2055

@KPWaResearch