Happy Thursday, Postcall is here! It’s a particularly happy day for people who have pets! A study conducted by the American Psychiatric Association found that 84% of Americans with pets say their furry (or not so furry) friend helps boost their mental health. About 2,200 people participated in the poll and said their pets provide a calm presence, encourage them to be more physically active, and bring structure to their lives.

Now on to this week’s stories!

The Money Monster 👺 

The markets are in greed mode:

• US equity markets soared to new record highs (although dipped a bit early this week).

• Big tech is growing even larger — boosted by AI (read: Nvidia’s massive earnings report last week).

• Bitcoin surged past its previous high, hitting $68K USD earlier this week.

This growth trend persists despite the delay in the much-anticipated rate decreases. So, does this mean a market downturn is on the horizon and you should move to bonds or cash? Maybe, maybe not: cycles of exuberance can extend over months, even years, especially when company earnings are as robust as they currently are.

*we’re not financial advisors, this newsletter is intended for entertainment only.

Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1. A breakthrough in cervical cancer

A new RCT published in NEJM compared radical hysterectomy vs. simple hysterectomy with lymph-node assessment in patients with low-risk cervical cancer. The simple approach was non-inferior based on the 3-year incidence of pelvic recurrence: 2.17% for radical and 2.52% for simple hysterectomy, which represents an absolute difference of 0.35 percentage points (90% confidence interval, −1.62 to 2.32). Simple hysterectomy was also associated with a lower risk of urinary incontinence or retention at 4 weeks after surgery (2.4% vs. 5.5%; P=0.048) and beyond 4 weeks (4.7% vs. 11.0%; P=0.003).

2. Bronchodilator response: yay or nay?

How many of you remember learning that bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) differentiates between asthma and COPD in med school? A prospective cohort study with 3,500+ patients looked into the utility of a positive BDR in obstructive airway diseases. The BDR was 19% for asthma, 18-25% for COPD, and 23-30% for asthma plus COPD. So, should a positive BDR test be a diagnostic requirement for asthma? Since a positive BDR does not differentiate asthma from COPD, some suggest it should be repurposed for predicting asthma severity and treatment response.

3. Achy breaky heart (from NAFLD)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an underrated risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). A study from South Korea using an 8 million-person database found that, regardless of diabetes status, 5-year risks for CVD and all-cause death were higher for patients with grade 2 NAFLD than for those with grade 1 NAFLD, and were higher for those with grade 1 NAFLD than for those without NAFLD. Risks within each NAFLD group were substantially higher in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes. 

 🧑‍💻Heidi’s Tech Bites

1: BloomerTech has created a bra that can detect heart disease in those who wear it. Co-founder Alicia Chong Rodriguez said the sensors in the bra collect data to detect arrhythmia triggers and breathing patterns. The data is then sent to a cell phone app where users can share their information with their doctors if necessary. Rodriguez’s hope is that her design will inspire more entrepreneurs to develop technology specifically for women.

2: Another way AI could help in the ED: wrist fractures are often missed as they’re hard to see on a X-ray, but a new meta-analysis in EJR found that convolutional neural networks (CNNs, a type of AI) accurately detect wrist fractures from plain X-rays. However, heterogeneity was observed among the studies, raising concerns of bias and quality.

3: With online gambling and live betting on the rise, it was only a matter of time before AI went all-in ♠️ . Companies using AI (like EquinEdge) are personalizing betting experiences and improving user engagement, while critics raise concerns about exploitation and addiction.

4: It turns out we weren’t the only ones talking about the Change Healthcare data hack, as Reddit users have typed up a storm regarding the recent leaks. Here’s what a few of them had to say:

Want to use AI instead of just reading about it? Try Heidi, the only free AI scribe.

The Race Towards Driverless Cars 🚗

Patients won’t need someone to drive them home from their appointments… if manufacturers can get self-driving cars to work.

What happened: Major car companies are putting pedal to the metal as they begin creating prototypes for self-driving cars.

Why it’s interesting: Volvo, Cadillac, and Audi have developed electric cars with features like a panoramic screen on the roof to create a party atmosphere. They’ve also created office and living room spaces with swivelling front seats to allow for conferences. 

Not having a “gas-guzzling motor” means more room for innovation. Ideas for the next gen of vehicles include: holographic tech so people can take meetings on the go, AI voice assistants, and VR metaverses allowing users to see their offices inside their cars.

These advancements could help get patients to and from appointments without calling a car service, or could help physicians provide care to patients who are unable to leave their houses by sending their medication. 

BUT: Don’t kick it into high gear yet because Cruise, a driverless car company under GM, has recently lost a big chunk of their funding due to excessive accidents like blocking ambulances from entering hospitals. The vehicles are no longer allowed to operate on roads. 

Driverless cars understand the rules of the road, but they have trouble reacting to subtle cues shared among human drivers, causing unnecessary traffic. The software code for self-driving cars is incredibly error-prone, and the problem only grows as the systems become more complex.

Bottom line: The future may be now, but until engineers can get over the software speed bumps, you might want to hold onto your keys.

Notable Numbers 🔢 

💉 217: That’s how many COVID-19 vaccines a man from Germany got in just 29 months. When researchers found out the man agreed to give them blood and saliva samples to see what the doses had done to his body. No significant side effects were found as a result except for a moderate increase in antibodies. 

$1B: How much a longtime professor is donating to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. 96-year-old Ruth Gottesman inherited $1 billion in stock from her husband, which is set to cover tuition in perpetuity.

12: Months after her announcement to run for the 2024 GOP Primaries, Republican candidate Nikki Haley has dropped out. This leaves Donald Trump as the only major candidate for the Republican nomination. In her speech Haley said she “gave Americans a voice,” and has no regrets concerning her campaign or her decision to drop out. Haley congratulated Trump, but has yet to endorse him, instead she called on him to “unite the party,” as many Republicans who are opposed to Trump will feel the blow of her departure. 

Postcall Picks ✅ 

🛫 Travel: From now until March 15th American Airlines is allowing passengers to travel to the US, Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America when they redeem 5,000 AAdvantage Miles. For information on deals and restrictions check out this article by Travel + Leisure.

💳️ Buy: with care. Basically all reviews online are now basically bullsh*t — as shown by this air purifier review company.

🤣 Laugh: “Surgeons only use a few dozen neurons to operate… a therapist can help unlock the rest of it.”

🕹️ Game ⛳️

Wait… where did it go?

We’ve moved it to our Sunday edition, when we all have a bit more time to decompress after the busy week.

Check your inbox this weekend for more Postcall goodies!

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