Carnitine intake is associated with better postnatal growth and larger brain size in very preterm infants
A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital shows that carnitine intake in the first postnatal weeks promotes better growth and larger brain size at term equivalent age in very preterm infants. Carnitine intake from breast milk in particular seems to be associated with better growth. The findings were published […]
Twelve-Month Data Back Pegloticase-Methotrexate Gout Combo
PHILADELPHIA — Previous findings that adding methotrexate to pegloticase (Krystexxa) in patients with gout was more effective than pegloticase alone have now been extended to a full year of treatment. At month 12 in the randomized, 152-patient MIRROR RCT trial, 60% of patients receiving the combination had serum urate levels below the target of 6 […]
Terry Bradshaw’s Merkel Cell Carcinoma
With football back in action this fall, watchers of “Fox NFL Sunday” noticed that commentator and Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw looked different. He appeared to have gained weight and seemed unsteady on his feet. Fans flooded social media with concerns about Bradshaw. This past week, Bradshaw decided to address those concerns. In November […]
Dr. Oz Defeated; State Abortion Rights Win; Please Stop Licking Toads
Note that some links may require subscriptions. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated Mehmet Oz, MD, in a pivotal Pennsylvania Senate race. (New York Times) Voters supported abortion rights in all five states with ballot measures, with Michigan and two other states enshrining rights into their state constitutions; meanwhile, Kentucky voters rejected a measure that would […]
Diet high in saturated fat can reprogram immune cells in mice
A new study by Portland State University researchers is the first to show that eating a diet exclusively high in saturated fats can reprogram the mouse immune system, making it better able to fight off infection but more susceptible to systemic inflammatory conditions, including sepsis. Brooke Napier, assistant professor of biology at PSU, led the […]
Why Respiratory Sicknesses Are Hitting Kids So Hard This Year
You might think that as COVID-19 becomes less of a threat, we would all be spending less time talking about viruses, testing and how to prevent the spread of germs. But it seems that everywhere you turn these days, there are sick kids. Pediatricians are tending to a never-ending stream of patients, and children’s hospitals […]
Bariatric Surgery Cuts All-Cause Mortality Rate Over Many Years
SAN DIEGO –Patients who underwent bariatric surgery saw a reduction in all-cause mortality that held strong over multiple years, researchers reported. In a retrospectives study, bariatric surgery patients were 16% less likely to die from any cause than their matched non-surgical counterparts over a median 13.2 follow-up period (hazard ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.79-0.90, P<0.001), […]
Emergency Physician Faces Charges After Car Crash Kills Colleague
An emergency medicine physician is facing a myriad of charges following a car accident in July that claimed the life of his 47-year-old colleague, Douglas Rockacy, MD, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), CBS Pittsburgh reported. In addition to DUI charges, Joseph Yanta, MD, 38, is also facing charges of homicide by vehicle […]
Danica Patrick’s Breast Implant Illness
Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, 40, told People magazine that she had her breast implants removed after experiencing breast implant illness. Patrick previously decided to get breast implants in 2014 in a quest to attain “an ideal body.” Things went well for the first 3 years; however, she then began to experience unexplained symptoms. Her […]
Opinion | Mental Health Is a Slippery Slope When It Comes to Physician Well-Being
I applaud the efforts of several states that have enacted legislation to make it easier for physicians to get mental health treatment without incurring the wrath of physician health programs (PHPs). PHPs, while well-intended, are notoriously disruptive to the lives and careers of physicians struggling with depression, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions. […]