Welcome to Benchmarks, a weekly collection of news and notes about the Mass General Research Institute. With a community of over 9,500 people that spans more than 30 departments centers and institutes, there’s more news each week that we can cover. Here are a few highlights:
Why Do I Feel Butterflies in My Stomach When I'm on a Date?
Trisha Pasricha, MD, a gastroenterologist at Mass General, wrote an article for the New York Times explaining the biology behind the butterflies sensation that some people get when they’re excited about dating someone new.
The brain and gut are in constant communication via an intricate network of nerve fibers called the vagus nerve, Pasricha explains. It runs between the brain and abdomen and is one reason our thoughts affect our guts so uniquely.
In conversations with a series of experts, Pasricha details why the sensation of butterflies occurs (hint: it's tied in to you your fight-or-flight response) and identifies some strategies you can use to soothe your system so you can focus on your date. Read more.
Researchers explore the health memories etched inside baby teeth
While some may believe the eyes are the window to the soul, scientists have been looking to teeth to learn more about the risk of mental health disorders.
Erin Dunn, ScD, PhD, a researcher in the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Genomic Medicine at Mass General, was featured in an ABC 7 Los Angeles news story.
The story highlights the efforts of Dunn and others to study the rings that form in baby teeth over time to see if there are childhood markers of adversity that could indicate a predisposition to mental health issues.
Dunn and her team are recruiting women who were pregnant during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. They want to see if their moms' stress showed up in their children's teeth.
"If we can be able to better identify kids early who've experienced these early life stressors, we can then more quickly connect them to interventions," Dunn said. Read more.
Adjoa Anyane-Yeboa, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, was interviewed by Time Magazine for an article about the best ways to treat underserved patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
“The patients who are most likely to face disparities are those who are racial and ethnic minorities, and those with low socioeconomic status or who face inequities in the social determinants of health,” says Anyane-Yeboa.
One example of these disparities is a lack of access to appropriate specialist care. “Black patients with IBD are less likely to be under the regular care of a gastroenterologist or IBD specialist,” she says.
Delayed diagnoses, doctor-patient miscommunications, and a lack of access to the newest and best drug therapies are among the other challenges that threaten some of these underserved patient populations.
Researchers have found that these disparities lead to more outpatient physician visits, more hospitalizations, a higher risk of severe disease, and greater mortality as a few evidence-backed examples. Learn more.
Supporting the Next Generation of Cancer Researchers
Max Jan, MD, PhD, an investigator in the Department of Pathology and the Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, was one of three Harvard Medical School affiliated researchers to receive a 2023 Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award.
Jan is developing synthetic biology tools to engineer immune cells to recognize tumor proteins present on many advanced cancers and then activate the body’s tumor clearance mechanisms. His goal is to develop cell therapy candidates for direct translation to the care of people with advanced prostate cancer.
Innovation Award winners receive initial grants of $400,000 over two years, with the opportunity to receive an additional two years of funding. Congrats! Read more.
Tweets of the Week
As a student, I subscribed to @NEJM because I was fascinated by the "mystery case" in each week's @NEJMCPC. I am humbled and grateful to be sharing that I am now the published lead author of one. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen! https://t.co/KahhvZpwXU @MGHHMU
— Hemal N. Sampat, M.D. (@SampatMD) February 15, 2023
We loved this peek into @DrEstherFreeman's life, staying connected to her kids even while she braves long, international work trips far from home. Do any other #globalhealth parents have similar stories? https://t.co/4ppVmR9LIz
— Mass General Center for Global Health (@MGHGlobalHealth) February 9, 2023
Rockstar @MGHSurgery resident and future pedi surgeon @shannonlenore17 from the brilliant lab of @ShawnRangelMD @BostonChildrens crushing grand rounds @AllChildrens — #EPSNannualmeeting2023 @hopkinssurgery #SoMe4Surgery pic.twitter.com/p2y5fyi4oS
— Cornelia Griggs (@CorneliaLG) February 17, 2023
So deeply appreciative of many mentors, supporters, and colleagues, especially @kwonlab, also @bostonvaginadoc @mgh_id @BalskusLab @MGHBWHIDFellows @Thumbi_Ndungu @WUSTLmstp @TStappenbeckMD @DMAronoff @DrJLi @DrJeanneM @ragoninstitute and many more…
— Seth Bloom (@SethMBloomMDPhD) February 17, 2023
This Week in Mass General History
Mass General Surgeon Dislodges Bean Stuck in Lung of 3-Year-Old Patient
Sunday, Feb. 19, 1893—The New York Sun reposted a Boston Globe story about a procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital in which John Elliot, MD, operated on a three-year-old child with a bean stuck in his lung.
The ordinary white bean had become lodged in the windpipe leading to the right lung, which prevented air from reaching the lung. The danger of broncho-pneumonia with a fatal termination became imminent and a tracheotomy was performed.
The first three attempts to remove the bean using forceps retrieved only small particles, as the bean was firmly lodged and had softened. The fourth and final attempt succeed in removing the entire bean.
“Immediate relief was experienced by the little sufferer, and today the child is practically well.”
Proper Diet Can Save Hubby’s Heart
Feb. 16, 1966—The Desert Sun Newspaper featured an article by Mass General cardiologist Paul Dudley White, MD, who suggested some ways that wives can help their husbands maintain good heart health. The tips included:
- Shopping for the right foods—“Keep your husband’s calories under control by buying only the proper food, and prepare them by broiling, roasting or other methods that lower the amount of fat that finds its way into our stomachs.”
- Cooking carefully—"Avoid the use of butter and other animal fats when you prepare your husband’s meals."
- Suggest a check-up—"Subtly convince your husband to visit his doctor for a regular physical examination."
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