The Lincolnwood Times

Ananth Prabhu's Reporting

Science & Health | Date Published: Friday, May 22, 2026

Importance of Networking, Attending Conferences and Getting The Most of the College Experience

A backdrop of the exhibitor booth for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (A.A.F.A.), an N.G.O. nonprofit. Printed in white on the front is the title “Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.” To the left of the title is the AAFA logo: the lowercase letters “aafa” surrounded by many white dots. On the right side of the table, many pamphlets are displayed face up, partially overlapping. In the center, a stand props up more brochures. On the left side is a sign-up sheet. Behind the table sit two chairs in front of a light blue backdrop. The backdrop features three cartoon portraits of children side-by-side. The leftmost portrait features a girl with tan skin and black hair, wearing a pink open shirt over a white blouse against a purple background. The center portrait features a fair-skinned girl with brown hair and a blue beanie, wearing a red shirt against a blue background. Where the two girls’ backgrounds overlap, the color is dark purple. The rightmost portrait features a fair-skinned boy with black hair, wearing a blue shirt against a yellow background. The overlap between the center girl’s and the boy’s backgrounds is green.

CHICAGO — The Lincolnwood Times gained the opportunity to attend Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 from May 2 to 5 at the west building in McCormick Place. Poster presenters at the conference showcased...

Science & Health | Date Published: Friday, May 15, 2026

Navigating Health and Medical Education with Readability and Comprehensibility via Rigorous Academic Research

Here is a photograph of a science poster. The wall behind the poster is gray. In the top left corner, it reads: 'D.D.W. 2026.' 'Digestive Disease Week ®.' 'May 2-5, 2026 Chicago IL.' 'Exhibit Dates: May 3-5, 2026.' To the left of 'D.D.W. 2026,' there is a logo of two letter D’s mirrored with the flat side adjacent to each other. There is a bump in the top right, bottom right, top left, and bottom left corners of the double D’s logo. The background behind this title and logo area is dark blue with light blue dots. Along the top, the poster reads: 'Evaluating YouTube as an Educational Tool for Patients with Barrett’s Esophagus.' 'E. Shamsian1. R. Shankman1, Y. Shah1, Z. Israeli1, B. Kim1, J. Pagán-Busigó1, A. Al-Khazraji2.' '1 Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Medicine, Newark, NJ, United States.' '2 Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Gastroenterology, Newark, NJ, United States.' The background behind this title and author area is dark blue with light blue dots. The top right corner of the background has some blue and white pipes overlapping each other. Along the far left column, it reads: 'Introduction.' '1. Barrett’s esophagus is the main precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma, a cancer with rising incidence.' '2. Many patients rely on YouTube for health information, making content quality and readability increasingly important.' '3. As digital platforms increasingly shape patient understanding, the accuracy and clarity of online G.I. content has becoming a growing clinical concern.' '4. The educational value of Barrett’s-related videos has not been well characterized.' '5. This study provides the first systematic evaluation of Barrett’s esophagus content on YouTube.' '6. It is also the first G.I.-focused study to apply the S.M.O.G. readability index to YouTube videos.' At the bottom left corner, it reads: 'Aim.' 'To systematically assess the readability, reliability, and educational quality of YouTube content on Barrett’s esophagus, including the first application of the S.M.O.G. Index to G.I.-related videos.' The second column to the right of 'Introduction,' there is a downward flowchart of eight boxes. The flow chart is named: 'Video Selection Process.' Box 1 reads: 'YouTube Search.' 'Private browser search using 'Barrett's esophogus,' 'Barrett’s,' and 'Barrett’s oesophagus.'' There is a YouTube logo of a red play button and white play symbol in this box. Down arrow to next box. Box 2 reads: 'First 120 Results Screened.' 'First 120 videos from each search term screened or eligibility.' There is a blue circle with a white magnifying glass symbol in the circle in this box. Down arrow to next box. Box 3 reads: 'Duplicates Removed.' 'Duplicate and re-uploaded videos removed.' There is a blue symbol of a page with the top right corner dog eared and a second page under it, and white lines of text on the top page in this box. Down arrow to next box. Box 4 reads: 'Eligibility Assessment.' 'Remaining videos assessed for Inclusion and exclusion criteria.' There is a blue symbol of a clipboard and three check marks and a line next to each check mark in this box. A line to the right shows another box. Box 5 reads: 'Excluded videos.' There are five bullet points. Each bullet point has a red circle with a white x in the circle. '1. Non-English Videos.' '2. Duplicate/re-uploaded videos.' '3. Unrelated or only peripherally related to Barrett’s esophagus.' '4. Purely promotional/advertising content without educational value.' '5. Videos with inadequate transcript/audio content for readability assessment.' Under Box 4 'Eligibility Assessment' is a down arrow and another box. Box 6 reads: '100 Videos Included.' 'Final sample of 100 videos Included In analysis.' There is a green circle with a white check mark in the green circle in this box. Down arrow to next box. Box 7 reads: '3 Independent Reviewers.' 'Each video independently evaluated by three reviewers.' There is a blue person silhouette in the front and 1 blue person silhouette behind each shoulder of the front person silhouette. Down arrow to last box. Box 8 reads: 'Data Collected And Analyzed.' There are two columns. Column 1 is titled: 'Video Characteristics.' There are six bullet points in column 1. Column 1 reads: '1. Views.' '2. Likes.' '3. Comments.' '4. Duration.' '5. Subscriber count.' '6. Source/category of upload channel.' Column 2 is titled 'Quality And Readability Assessments.' There are three bullet points in column 2. Column 2 reads: '1. S.M.O.G Index (readability).' '2. Modified DISCERN (reliability).' '3. Global Quality Scale (G.Q.S.) (educational quality).' Under the flow chart, it reads: S.M.O.G.: Simple Measure ot Gobbledygook; DISCERN: Instrument to Assess reliability of health information; G.Q.S.: Global Quality Scale. Along the bottom, the poster reads: 'Conclusions.' There are four bullet points under conclusions. '1. These findings demonstrate that while most Barrett’s esophagus videos on YouTube offer acceptable reliability, the overall complexity poses a substantial barrier to patient understanding.' '2. The average readability level, equivalent to high-school to early college, exceeds national literacy recommendations by the NIH for patient education (S.M.O.G. of 4.5-6.4).' '3. Institutional videos often achieve higher reliability but remain difficult for general audiences to comprehend, whereas simpler videos may sacrifice nuance or completeness.' '4. To improve accessibility, professional societies and medical institutions should prioritize the development of patient-centered, high-quality videos that balance accuracy with understandable language.' The right side of the poster reads: 'Results.' There are three figures. The figures will be described now. Each of the three figures features box plots with vertical box-and-whiskers present for each of seven labels on the x-axis. The first figure will be read now: 'Figure 1.a. S.M.O.G. by Channel Type.' S.M.O.G. Score 0 through 20 is on the y-axis labeled as 5, 10, and 15. The seven x-axis labels are as follows: '1. Doctor’s Personal Channel.' '2. Medical Institutions.' '3. Nonprofit Organization.' '4. Online Medical Library.' '5. Private Company.' '6. Professional Development.' '7. Student Education.' The data reads as follows: 1. Doctor’s Personal Channel has a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 8, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 9, a median at S.M.O.G. of 10, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 14.8, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 16. 2. Medical Institutions has an outlier at S.M.O.G. of 1, a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 7, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 10, a median at S.M.O.G. of 12, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 15, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 17. 3. Nonprofit Organization has a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 10, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 10.2, a median at S.M.O.G. of 11, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 12, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 14.8. 4. Online Medical Library has a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 11, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 12.5, a median at S.M.O.G. of 14, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 15, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 16. 5. Private Company has a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 6.5, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 9, a median at S.M.O.G. of 11, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 12, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 15. 6. Professional Development has a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 14.1, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 14.2, a median at S.M.O.G. of 15, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 15.8, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 16. 7. Student Education has a lower whisker at S.M.O.G. of 9, lower part of box at S.M.O.G. of 9.5, a median at S.M.O.G. of 10.5, upper part of box at S.M.O.G. of 13, and an upper whisker at S.M.O.G. of 15.9. The second figure will be read now: 'Figure 1.b. G.Q.S. by Channel Type.' G.Q.S. Score 1 through 5 on the y-axis labeled as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The seven x-axis labels are as follows: '1. Doctor’s Personal Channel.' '2. Medical Institutions.' '3. Nonprofit Organization.' '4. Online Medical Library.' '5. Private Company.' '6. Professional Development.' '7. Student Education.' The data reads as follows: 1. Doctor’s Personal Channel has a lower whisker at G.Q.S. of 1, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 2.2, a median at G.Q.S. of 3, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 4, and an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 4. 2. Medical Institutions has an outlier at G.Q.S. of 1, a lower whisker at G.Q.S of 2, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, a median at G.Q.S. of 4, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 4, and an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 5. 3. Nonprofit Organization has a lower whisker at G.Q.S. of 2, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, a median at G.Q.S. of 3, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 4, and an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 5. 4. Online Medical Library has a lower whisker at G.Q.S. of 3, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, a median at G.Q.S. of 3, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 3.5, and an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 4. 5. Private Company has a lower whisker at G.Q.S. of 2, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, a median at G.Q.S. of 4, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 4, and an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 5. 6. Professional Development has an outlier at G.Q.S. of 2, a lower whisker at G.Q.S. of 3, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, a median at G.Q.S. of 3, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 3, an outlier at G.Q.S. of 4, and an outlier at G.Q.S. of 5. 7. Student Education has a lower whisker at G.Q.S. of 2, lower part of box at G.Q.S. of 3, a median at G.Q.S. of 3.5, upper part of box at G.Q.S. of 4, and an upper whisker at G.Q.S. of 5. The third figure will be read now: 'Figure 1.c. DISCERN (1-5) by Channel Type.' DISCERN Score 0 through 5 on the y-axis labeled as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The seven x-axis labels are as follows: '1. Doctor’s Personal Channel.' '2. Medical Institutions.' '3. Nonprofit Organization.' '4. Online Medical Library.' '5. Private Company.' '6. Professional Development.' '7. Student Education.' The data reads as follows: 1. Doctor’s Personal Channel has an outlier at DISCERN of 1, a lower whisker at DISCERN of 2, lower part of box at DISCERN of 2.2, a median at DISCERN of 3, upper part of box at DISCERN of 3, and an upper whisker at DISCERN of 4. 2. Medical Institutions has an outlier at DISCERN of 0, a lower whisker at DISCERN of 2, lower part of box at DISCERN of 3, a median at DISCERN of 4, upper part of box at DISCERN of 4, and an upper whisker at DISCERN of 5. 3. Nonprofit Organization has a lower whisker at DISCERN of 3, lower part of box at DISCERN of 3, a median at DISCERN of 4, upper part of box at DISCERN of 4, and an upper whisker at DISCERN of 4. 4. Online Medical Library has a lower whisker at DISCERN of 3, lower part of box at DISCERN of 4, a median at DISCERN of 5, upper part of box at DISCERN of 5, and an upper whisker at DISCERN of 5. 5. Private Company has an outlier at DISCERN of 0, an outlier at DISCERN of 1, a lower whisker at DISCERN of 3, lower part of box at DISCERN of 3, a median at DISCERN of 4, upper part of box at DISCERN of 4, and an upper whisker at DISCERN of 5. 6. Professional Development has a lower whisker at DISCERN of 2, lower part of box at DISCERN of 3, a median at DISCERN of 3, upper part of box at DISCERN of 4, and an upper whisker at DISCERN of 5. 7. Student Education has an outlier at DISCERN of 0, a lower whisker at DISCERN of 3, lower part of box at DISCERN of 3, a median at DISCERN of 3, upper part of box at DISCERN of 3, an upper whisker at DISCERN of 3, and an outlier at DISCERN of 4. Under the three figures, it reads: 'Boxplots demonstrating S.M.O.G. readability scores (1.a.), Global Quality Scale (G.Q.S) scores (1.b.), and modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) scores (1.c.) across YouTube channel types for Barrett’s esophagus-related videos.' Here is a table. There are 5 columns and 8 rows. Each column has a title. The column’s titles from left to right are '1. Channel Type,' '2. n,' '3. DISCERN (mean plus or minus S.D.),' '4. G.Q.S. (mean plus or minus S.D.),' and '5. S.M.O.G. (mean plus or minus S.D.).' Each row of 8 rows will be read left to right. '1. Doctor’s Personal Channel, n equals 10, DISCERN is 2.70 plus or minus 0.82, G.Q.S. is 3.00 plus or minus 1.05, and S.M.O.G. is 11.14 plus or minus 3.09.' '2. Medical Institutions, n equals 44, DISCERN is 3.45 plus or minus 1.52, G.Q.S. is 3.55 plus or minus 1.11, and S.M.O.G. is 12.03 plus or minus 3.28.' '3. Nonprofit Organization, n equals 5, DISCERN is 3.60 plus or minus 0.55, G.Q.S. is 3.40 plus or minus 1.14, and S.M.O.G. is 11.63 plus or minus 1.81.' '4. Online Medical Library, n equals 3, DISCERN is 4.33 plus or minus 1.15, G.Q.S. is 3.33 plus or minus 0.58, and S.M.O.G. is 13.60 plus or minus 2.30.' '5. Private Company, n equals 23, DISCERN is 3.13 plus or minus 1.58, G.Q.S. is 3.39 plus or minus 1.08, and S.M.O.G. is 10.74 plus or minus 2.25.' '6. Professional Development, n equals 9, DISCERN is 3.44 plus or minus 0.88, G.Q.S. is 3.11 plus or minus 0.93, and S.M.O.G. is 14.96 plus or minus 1.19.' '7. Student Education, n equals 6, DISCERN is 2.67 plus or minus 1.37, G.Q.S. is 3.50 plus or minus 1.05, and S.M.O.G. is 11.45 plus or minus 2.90.' '8. Total, n equals 100, DISCERN is 3.29 plus or minus 1.39, G.Q.S. is 3.40 plus or minus 1.05, and S.M.O.G. is 11.90 plus or minus 2.96.' Under the table, it reads: 'Summary of video quality and readability metrics across YouTube channel types, including modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), Global Quality Scale (G.Q.S.), and S.M.O.G. readability scores.' To the right of the table, it reads: 'Key Takeaways.' There are three bullet points under 'Key Takeaways.' Each bullet point is an arrowhead pointing to the right. '1. Medical sources produced most videos and were the most reliable.' '2. Overall quality was acceptable, but readability was too high for patients.' '3. Misleading content was rare, yet high complexity remains a major barrier.' The bottom right corner has titled 'Contact Information.' Under 'Contact Information,' it reads: 'Ethan Shamsian, D.O.' 'P.G.Y.-2 Internal Medicine Resident.' 'Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.' 'Email: shamsianethan@gmail.com.' 'Phone: (973) 289-5039.' There is a Q.R. Code under all of the 'Contact Information.' The Q.R. Code gets directed to: 'http://eposters.ddw.org/ddw/2026/ddw-2026/4197665/'

CHICAGO — Pre-med and pre-nursing students may be intimidated by academic rigor and excelling in the medical and nursing fields, respectively. The Lincolnwood Times recently covered Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 to ease the intimidation that young academics feel...

Science & Health | Date Published: Friday, May 8, 2026

Tomorrow’s Tech Transforms Treatment for Complex Brain Diseases

On a table, a mannequin head displays a blue EEG cap that covers the entire head except for the face. The cap is perforated with a pattern of holes, resembling swiss cheese, with electrodes placed in the gaps. Wires run from the electrodes to the back of the cap. Lying flat on the table next to the mannequin are additional EEG caps in red, yellow, and green, along with a tablet and a small, box-like electronic device for data acquisition.
An EEG cap is displayed on a mannequin's head at an exhibitor's booth during the SfN 2024 conference in McCormick Place. Permission to capture this photo was granted by the exhibitor, MagstimEGI. (Photo Credits: Ananth Prabhu).

CHICAGO — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) was hosted in Chicago at McCormick Place over a five-day span on October 5 to 9, 2024 for the purposes of sharing the latest neurobiological research through lectures, exhibitors, industry professionals...