Do ‘behavioral psychedelics’ help patients make lasting, positive change?
Despite their reputation as illicit drugs, psychedelics may find new, legitimate roles in treatment for anxiety, depression, stress disorders, addiction, and other mental and behavioral health problems. But ensuring they do requires developing rigorous, standardized methods to study and apply the results, according to a new report. In a perspective published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, […]
Do Measles Still Exist? Outbreak, Symptoms, Complications
Despite a developed vaccine and being declared eliminated, countries are still at risk of a measles outbreak in under-vaccinated populations. Yes, measles does still exist and is infecting a high population globally. It is a highly contagious infection caused by a virus. Measles remained a common disease among various countries but was declared eliminated in […]
Most cases of never-smokers’ lung cancer treatable with mutation-targeting drugs: Available, FDA-approved drugs may be effective in targeting about 80% of never-smokers’ lung tumors
Despite smoking’s well-known role in causing lung cancer, a significant number of patients who develop lung tumors have never smoked. While scientists are still working to understand what spurs cancer in so-called “never-smokers,” a study led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates new possibilities for treating these baffling tumors. […]
AFM vs. Polio: Is Acute Flaccid Myelitis the Same as Polio? Causes
Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is not always the same as polio despite their similarities, such as causing paralysis and typically affecting children. No, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is not always the same as polio (also called poliomyelitis). Recent outbreaks (between 2014 and 2018) of AFM have led people to believe that polio is back. However, […]
Does CPAP Therapy for Sleep Apnea Really Have Heart Benefits?
Despite the widespread belief that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes cardiovascular events like strokes and heart attacks, there is actually no good evidence that treating OSA lowers the risk of such cardiovascular outcomes. Observational data showing that OSA is associated with cardiovascular outcomes like atrial fibrillation (Afib), stroke, cardiovascular death, and myocardial infarction (MI) have […]
Drug Resistance in People on PrEP Who Acquire HIV
While a small subset of individuals acquired HIV despite being in a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program, many of those people had mutations resistant to antiretroviral drugs, according to a study from the Global Evaluation of Microbicide Sensitivity (GEMS) project. Breakthrough HIV infections occurred in 204 individuals in GEMS, out of more than 104,000 people in […]
Some Liver Transplant Patients Got Hepatitis B From Donors
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was discovered in patients receiving liver transplants, despite donors testing negative for the virus, CDC researchers found. From 2014 to 2019, the agency received reports of 20 patients who contracted HBV after liver transplants from donors who had no evidence of prior HBV infection, according to Danae Bixler, MD, and colleagues […]