Research Roundup

Expert Commentary

Monkeypox virus image

Monkeypox: An explainer and research roundup

A handful of researchers tried to notify the international community about a brewing problem with monkeypox, but their reports went mostly unnoticed until an outbreak in the United Kingdom in May. More than 90 countries have now reported outbreaks.

Expert Commentary

pulse oximeter reading image

Racial disparities in pulse oximeter readings: Research roundup

A series of recent studies has found that pulse oximeters are more likely to give inaccurate readings for people with darker skin, especially Black people, by overestimating their blood oxygen levels. This is particularly important for critically ill patients, where doctors constantly rely on pulse oximeter readings to decide how much oxygen to give patients.