From racial bias in medicine to more accessible Alzheimer’s drugs, here are the health stories you may have missed this week from Yahoo News partners.
Biden warns AI could ‘take over human thinking’
During a speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday, President Biden said experts have warned him that artificial intelligence “could take over human thinking.” USA Today reported that it was the president’s “most direct warning yet” about the power of AI technology.
“These are not going to be easy decisions, guys,” Biden said. “I met with eight leading AI scientists in the Oval Office. Some of them are very concerned that AI could actually take over human thinking and planning. So we have a lot to deal with. An incredible opportunity, but a lot [to] deal with it.”
The president’s comments come days after hundreds of AI leaders, as well as other public figures, released a statement saying that “mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority, alongside other societal risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”
Last month, Biden met with the CEOs of innovative AI companies including Google, Microsoft and OpenAI to ensure AI products are secure before they are made available to the public.
Lung problems in black men are underdiagnosed due to racial bias in testing, study says
A study published Thursday found that 40 percent more black male patients would be diagnosed with respiratory problems such as “asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung scarring due to exposure to air pollutants” if current computer software that supports diagnosis were modified to eliminate racial bias, the Associated Press reported.
Based on data from more than 2,700 black men and 5,700 white men tested by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, researchers looked at a widely used test with a computer-generated report that scores a person’s ability to breathe based on how much and how quickly they can inhale and exhale. The report is created by algorithms that take race into account, which “raises the bar for diagnosing a problem in black patients,” the Associated Press reports. When comparing the race-based algorithm to a new algorithm, researchers found that there would have been nearly 400 more cases of lung obstruction or restriction diagnosed in black men if the new algorithm were used.
The American Thoracic Society, which represents pulmonologists, has recommended that race and ethnicity no longer play a role in the interpretation of test results. It also calls for more research to prevent changes that could lead to overdiagnosis of lung problems.
Medicare Plans to Pay for Alzheimer’s Drugs That Get FDA Approval
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will now pay for new Alzheimer’s drugs that have received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the agency said Thursday, on the condition that doctors who prescribe the drugs use a government registry to track patients’ progress and assess “how these drugs work in the real world.”
NBC News reported that until now, Medicare would only pay for drugs if patients participated in a clinical trial. This new development will likely allow more patients to afford drugs that can slow the progression of the disease.
“Alzheimer’s disease takes a toll not only on the people who suffer from it, but also on their loved ones and caregivers, in a way that almost no other disease does,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “CMS has always been committed to helping people get timely access to innovative treatments that meaningfully improve care and outcomes for this disease.”
CDC says winter sees spike in rare brain infections in children
A report released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that hospitals reported the highest number of brain infections in children in years last winter, although these are still very rare.
CBS News reported that the CDC began investigating a possible increase in “pediatric intracranial infections” after doctors reported a surge in hospitalizations, with many children infected with the bacteria Streptococcus. Most Streptococcus infections result in benign illnesses such as strep throat, but in rare cases they can develop into worrisome symptoms, “such as seizures and changes in mental status.”
Last winter, there were 102 cases in December, which is higher than the previous high of 61 cases during the 2016-2017 winter season.
