TT HealthWatch Podcast: Exploring AI in Healthcare, Social Media’s Impact on Adolescents
TL/DR –
The TT HealthWatch podcast, hosted by Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Rick Lange, MD, president of Texas Tech Health El Paso, discussed the impact of social media on adolescent cognition, gene therapy for ADA deficiency, a new treatment for SLE, and AI in healthcare. They said a new drug for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was promising but required more study, especially regarding its dual-pathway inhibition mechanism. The podcast also covered the development of gene therapy for adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency, which showed a high survival rate and success in discontinuing enzyme replacement therapy.
TTHealthWatch Discusses Social Media’s Impact on Adolescents and Developments in Healthcare
The Texas Tech weekly podcast, TTHealthWatch, has addressed various medical issues of the week, shedding light on topics such as social media’s effects on adolescent cognition, gene therapy for ADA deficiency, AI in healthcare, and a new treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
A new drug for SLE, a serious chronic autoimmune disease, has been discussed. Existing treatments have limited efficacy, but a new drug called telitacicept, which targets two specific pathways, has shown promise with 70% of test subjects seeing significant improvement. Side effects were limited to increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections and injection site reactions. However, concerns remain about the long-term effects of the drug and the practical challenges of producing a protein with two active components.
Turning the discussion to the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, the podcast noted that AI tools are increasingly adopted in medical imaging, mobile health, and healthcare operations. However, many AI applications fall outside the regulatory oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raising concerns about safety monitoring and effectiveness. As AI continues to rapidly advance, it warrants closer scrutiny and possibly new policy measures.
The podcast also tackled the use of gene therapy for the treatment of adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency, a rare genetic disease that can be deadly. A study reported the use of a lentivirus vector in gene therapy that has resulted in 100% overall survival and 95% event-free survival. This genetically engineered approach may offer new hope not only for patients with ADA deficiency but also for other genetic diseases.
Lastly, an examination of social media’s impact on cognitive performance in adolescents was discussed. A study showed that increasing social media use in early adolescence correlated with lower cognitive function, particularly in areas related to learning, vocabulary, and reading skills. It is suggested that this could be due to the displacement of vital daily routines that contribute to cognition, such as school attendance and homework completion.
These discussions serve as a reminder that those in the medical field must continually evolve and adapt to new technologies and societal trends to provide effective healthcare.
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