Deciding if and when to pursue deep brain stimulation (DBS) can be overwhelming for people with Parkinson’s disease. While DBS is one of the most effective interventions for movement symptoms, it’s also among the most complex. DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery‑powered device to send electrical signals to areas of the brain that control movement.

To make this decision easier, experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz created the first evidence-based decision tool for patients designed to improve patients’ understanding of DBS and boost their confidence as they weigh treatment options. Their results, published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, show that the majority of patients reported it was helpful in their decision-making process, they were satisfied with the tool and would recommend it to others.

“We designed this to support real shared decision‑making between patients and doctors, not just information‑sharing. What we found is that patients at every stage of the DBS journey found it useful,” said the study’s first author Michelle Fullard, MD, MSCE, Director of Clinical Research at the CU Anschutz Movement Disorders Center. “We see this as a tool that patients can use on their own so they’re coming to the table with knowledge about the surgery while talking to their doctors.”

About The Study: This systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies observed a relative increase in the annual rate of self-injury visits to health care and self-reported self-injury among children and youth, with variability in baseline rates across studies in 12 high-income countries. Effective, contextually informed, large-scale prevention initiatives are urgently needed to curb the rise in self-injury within high-income countries, particularly among female individuals. 

About The Study: This cross-sectional analysis found that delays in treatment initiation for early-onset colorectal cancer—often exceeding 90 days—were more common in all-urban populations and appeared to disproportionately affect young male, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, or Hispanic patients. Although absolute differences in average treatment timing were modest, the focus in this study on clinically relevant delay thresholds (30, 60, and 90 days) is supported by recent meta-analytic literature. The consistency of these delays across sociodemographic groups challenges assumptions of uniformly timely access in urban settings.

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that continuing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) or glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) agonist in the preprocedural period increased clinically significant residual gastric volume (RGV) but did not increase the risk of other adverse events. Clear liquids the day prior to the procedure may mitigate the risk of clinically significant RGV regardless of GLP-1/GIP use. 

In a clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a research team found that administering weekly injectable extended-release buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy led to higher rates of abstinence from illicit opioids than buprenorphine given daily under the tongue (sublingual), one of the standard methods of treatment. Additionally, serious adverse events were less common in those receiving extended-release treatment. The findings, which support the use of this formulation of buprenorphine for treating OUD during pregnancy, were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Innovative model successfully improves access to pediatric psychiatric health care, while training future pediatricians to manage common mental health conditions, new data suggests.