A pregnant woman sitting on the edge of an examination table talking with her female doctor in the doctors office in claymation style
Blood Pressure / High Blood Pressure / Pregnancy / Women's Health

UW researchers develop test to predict preeclampsia

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have developed an approach that can predict preeclampsia in pregnant women as early as the first trimester by using cell-free DNA in blood samples. Such a screening test could enable earlier interventions and help prevent the severe complications of preeclampsia.

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An illustration of a bearded man dressed in farmer overalls holding a test tube.
Health Policy / Politics / Rural Hospitals

NIH funding cuts will hit red states, rural areas and underserved communities the hardest

The cuts will be detrimental to the entire country, they will disproportionately hurt states that traditionally have received very low levels of NIH funding, the majority of which are red states that supported Trump’s election to a second term. This is because such states lack resources to develop advanced research infrastructure necessary to compete nationally for NIH funding.

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flu cold patient bed influenza sick
influenza / Vaccines

As flu cases break records this year, vaccine rates are declining, particularly for children and 65+ adults

In February 2025, flu rates spiked to the highest levels seen in at least 15 years, with flu outpacing COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified this flu season as having “high” severity across the U.S.

The Conversation asked epidemiologist Annette Regan to explain why this flu season is different from last year’s and what people can do to help reduce the spread.

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