Newly identified group of nerve cells in the brain regulates bodyweight
Obesity is a global health problem that affects many people. In recent years, very promising anti-obesity drugs have been developed. Despite these successes, there are patients who do not respond to these drugs or suffer from side effects. Therefore, there is still an unmet need for therapies. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism […]
Could Arthritis Enhance Male Fertility?
Infertility does not seem to be a problem for men with inflammatory joint diseases, a large Scandinavian study indicated. In fact, men with arthritis showed lower rates of childlessness relative to a control group, and had fathered more children on average, according to Gudrun David Sigmo, of Stavanger University Hospital in Norway, and colleagues. National […]
U.S. Attempts to Get Its Xylazine Problem Under Control
In February, we reported on the emerging problem of xylazine-laced fentanyl. In this report, we follow up on what has happened since doctors first started raising concerns about this contaminant and its effects. Early in 2023, word started to spread among physicians that a veterinary tranquilizer called xylazine — also known as “tranq” — was […]
Heavy metals in our food are most dangerous for kids
The problem of foodborne metal contamination has taken on new urgency, thanks in part to a 2021 US Congressional Report detailing high levels of metals found in infant food pulled off grocery shelves.?(More recently, high levels of lead were discovered in children’s fruit puree pouches.) Now, two new studies provide information on the correlation between […]
Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
PHILADELPHIA — Loneliness among both seniors and younger people is a health problem that needs more attention, Kelsey McNamara, MPH, senior director of research at Papa, an organization that provides paid companionship to people in need of social support, said at the Population Health Colloquium here. “Loneliness increases the risk of premature death, independent of […]
Addiction Tx, Better Border Control Dominate House Hearing on Drug Policy Office
When it comes to solving the opioid addiction problem in the U.S., is decreasing the demand for the drugs or stopping the supply more important? Differing opinions were on display at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing Thursday on funding the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). “We need to understand […]
Opinion | ‘It’s Not a First-World Problem’: What We Heard This Week
“It’s not a first-world problem and it’s not a Western-world problem.” — Punith Kempegowda, MBBS, MD, PhD, MSc, of the University of Birmingham in England, about why all women with polycystic ovary syndrome should be assessed for body image concerns. “It weighs on all of us every single day.” — Melissa Simon, MD, of Northwestern […]
‘Ghost’ Provider Networks a Big Problem for Patients, Especially in Mental Health
WASHINGTON — Nine years ago, Keris Jän Myrick had a problem: she got a new job in a new state, and with it, new health insurance, and she needed to change her mental health provider. “Navigating the Blue Cross Blue Shield for federal employees provider directory to find a psychiatrist in the D.C. or Maryland […]
Opinion | Solve Physician Burnout With Subtraction
I am naturally a problem solver, and I share this characteristic with most of my fellow physicians. When I felt burned out at one point in my career, I was certain that a literature search would help me solve the problem by giving me answers I could use to make my burnout a thing of […]
Study shows how to prevent a high-fat diet from throwing metabolism out of whack: Biologists discover removing a protein inhibitor restores metabolic balance
Eating lots of fats increases the risk of metabolic disorders, but the mechanisms behind the problem have not been well understood. Now, University of California, Irvine biologists have made a key finding about how to ward off harmful effects caused by a high-fat diet. Their study appears in Nature Communications. The UC Irvine research centered […]