Genetic Test for Opioid Addiction Risk Should Be Withdrawn, Experts Tell FDA
A group of 31 physicians and researchers called on the FDA to reverse its decision about AvertD, a test that uses DNA to identify whether adults may have an elevated risk of developing opioid use disorder (OUD). In a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, experts in genetics, addiction, psychiatry, public health, and device […]
No Laughing Matter: Nitrous Oxide for Transrectal Prostate Biopsy
Patient-adjusted nitrous oxide (N2O), commonly called laughing gas, did not reduce anxiety associated with transrectal prostate biopsy but significantly reduced pain as compared with standard anesthesia, a small randomized study showed. Scores on a standardized anxiety questionnaire, the primary endpoint, did not differ significantly between patients randomized to N2O or standard care. However, patents in […]
Jen Psaki Busts Republican Reason For Gun Violence As ‘Big Cop Out’
LOADINGERROR LOADING MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Sunday called out Republicans who say the sole blame for gun violence in America should lie with the mental health crisis, while at the same time opposing programs to tackle it. Mental health is an issue worldwide and “isn’t unique” to the United States, acknowledged Psaki, the former Biden […]
CDC Issues Sepsis Care Guidance for Hospitals
The CDC issued new guidance to hospitals Thursday for managing sepsis and called on hospitals to do better at treating it. “Every hospital, regardless of size, location, and resources can strengthen the quality of care delivered to these patients and ensure their survival,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, said at a press conference. “That’s […]
Full-On Reversal of Cardiac Amyloidosis Possible With Antibodies
It is possible for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM, also called cardiac ATTR amyloidosis) to be reversed with antibody treatment, as suggested by rare cases of patients who had their ATTR-related heart failure resolve spontaneously, with cardiac structure and function restored to almost normal. In a small case series, three men (ages 68, 82, and 76) […]
Opinion | How This Doctor Found Purpose After a Devastating Injury
Dec. 20, 2012, started like any other day for me as an ob/gyn when I was called to do a precipitous delivery. I immediately saw that the baby’s heart rate was dangerously low, and knew I had to act quickly. Several nurses helped me maintain the patient’s position to get a vacuum on the baby’s […]
Opinion | Patients Are Dying in Emergency Department Waiting Rooms
A special session of Congress was called 35 years ago to make lawmakers and the public aware of stories of patients left to die in hospital parking lots for lack of insurance. Around the time of that congressional testimony, called “Equal Access to Health Care: Patient Dumping,” a new guarantee came about: that any individual […]
Physician Wants Hospital CEO Pay Capped at $800K
A former physician at the MetroHealth System in Cleveland has called for a cap on CEO pay after the health system’s top executive allegedly awarded himself and others more than $2.2 million in unauthorized bonuses last year. Kenneth Frisof, MD, a retired family medicine doctor, wrote in a letter to the editor of Cleveland.com that […]
Everyone Seems To Be Joining BeReal. Here’s What You Need To Know.
The latest social media app making a buzz is called BeReal, and its popularity soared in 2022. Reaching over 56 million downloads this year, its reputation for prioritizing more genuine, in-the-moment content even caught the attention of rival TikTok, which launched a competing feature named TikTok Now for users to share their “most authentic moments.” […]
Obesity drug helps teens lose weight, study finds
A drug called semaglutide, which is approved for adults with obesity or overweight, also helps adolescents shed pounds and have healthier hearts, according to a new study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at Obesity Week 2022. In an international phase 3a clinical trial, adolescents with obesity who received once-weekly […]