Drug Combination Promising as Pre-Sex Birth Control
A drug combination that uses emergency contraception and a cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor may effectively disrupt ovulation, making it the first potential candidate for on-demand, pericoital oral contraception, according to an exploratory pilot study. Among a group of nine patients, six demonstrated ovulation disruption after taking a combination drug of ulipristal acetate (UA) and meloxicam, reported […]
Opinion | Are My Coping Skills a Result of My Emergency Medicine Training?
In the wake of a harrowing year, I’m left wondering: Is a career in emergency medicine worth it? Like so many of my colleagues, I suffered personal tragedies during the pandemic that exacerbated the incredible stress at work. My brother died in March 2021, 3 weeks after receiving a diagnosis of metastatic colon cancer. Just […]
I Saw Blood In The Toilet. I Never Expected A Common Drug Could Be The Cause.
When I saw the blood in the toilet bowl, I decided it was time to go to the emergency room. I had been doubled over in pain for the better part of three hours. It started out as par for the course: I had grown accustomed to semi-regular stomach problems that left me stuck in […]
Physician Advocates for Immigrants, Asylum Seekers Celebrate End of ‘Title 42’
Last week, the CDC announced the end of an emergency public health order that was used over a million times to prevent both children and adult migrants, including asylum seekers, from entering U.S. borders since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy, known as “Title 42,” allowed federal health officials expanded leeway to prevent […]
Unwinding Medicaid’s Pandemic Protections Won’t Be Easy, Experts Say
When the public health emergency (PHE) ends, pandemic-era protections that allowed Medicaid enrollees to remain in the program regardless of changes to their eligibility, will also end. Will states and the federal government be ready for the transition, or will beneficiaries fall through the cracks? “The stakes couldn’t be higher,” said Kinda Serafi, JD, a […]
Why ‘Zero COVID’ Policies May Backfire For Countries Like China
As Europe and the U.S. prepare to turn the page from the emergency stage of the coronavirus pandemic, countries once deemed winners for using strict measures to contain COVID-19 cases could face long-term challenges dealing with the virus. A new surge in China driven largely by the omicron BA.2 subvariant led authorities to once again […]
Opinion | Does Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Constitute Biological Warfare?
War can be the cause of, and the perpetuation of, a public health emergency. The current Russian-Ukrainian conflict is no exception, and warrants a discussion of whether invading a country in the midst of a global pandemic constitutes an act of biological warfare. A look back in history can help us explore this question. The […]
9/11 Responders More Likely to Carry Genetic Mutations Tied to Cancer
Firefighters and emergency medical personnel who were among the first to respond to the World Trade Center (WTC) attack on Sept. 11, 2001 harbor significantly higher rates of genetic mutations associated with blood cancers and other inflammatory diseases, researchers have found. A full 10% of WTC responders exposed to particulate matter from the burning twin […]
‘Bundling’ Intervention Boosts Mental Health Care for Suicidal Kids in the ED
A mother brings her daughter to the emergency department (ED) and says, “We need help. [My daughter] wants to kill herself.” Before the visit, the mother sought a therapist for her child but wound up on a waitlist. The scenario plays out every single day in U.S. EDs, according to Kathleen Kiley, RN, senior staff […]
FDA Panel Backs Pfizer Booster for Select Groups
An FDA advisory panel recommended emergency use authorization (EUA) of a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) for individuals 65 and older, and those judged to be at high risk of severe COVID-19. On Friday, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted 18-0 that the known and potential benefits […]