November 11, 2024
A New Edition of European Journal of Human Genetics Is Now Available
European Journal of Human Genetics (vol. 32, no. 10, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
Informed Consent
November 8, 2024
Should Alzheimer’s be diagnosed without symptoms? Proposal to rely on blood tests roils scientists
(Nature) – Controversy has erupted among researchers over an effort to adopt blood tests and brain scans for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, rather than the cognitive screening that has been used for decades. Proponents of the change say that new biomarker … Read More
November 8, 2024
This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the lab
(Nature) – Virologist Beata Halassy says self-treatment worked and was a positive experience — but researchers warn that it is not something others should try. A scientist who successfully treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumour with lab-grown … Read More
November 8, 2024
Nurse’s death linked to approved weight-loss drug
(BBC) – Susan McGowan, 58, took two low-dose injections of tirzepatide, known under the brand name Mounjaro, over the course of about two weeks before her death on 4 September. Her death certificate, seen by the BBC, lists multiple organ … Read More
November 8, 2024
What can’t Ozempic and other weight loss drugs cure?
(Quartz) – Numerous studies suggest that Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications may help with a range of conditions such as kidney failure, sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s, and more It seems like every day a new study emerges linking Ozempic and similar … Read More
November 7, 2024
Novo Nordisk aware of reports 10 people taking compounded weight-loss drug copies died
(Reuters) – Novo Nordisk chief financial officer Karsten Munk Knudsen said on Wednesday the company was aware of reports of 10 deaths and 100 hospitalisations of people who had taken compounded copies of its weight-loss and diabetes drugs. U.S. regulations … Read More
November 7, 2024
Body Horror
(The Cut) – When plastic surgeon “Dr. Roxy” rose to TikTok fame, her OR seemed busier than ever. Until a record of botched surgeries caught up to her. If you’re squeamish, you probably didn’t recognize the name Dr. Katharine Roxanne … Read More
November 6, 2024
Teen emergency room visits for caffeine overdose spike
(Axios) – Emergency room visits due to eating or drinking too much caffeine roughly doubled among adolescents in the past several years, according to new data from Epic Research. Why it matters: The episodes are still relatively uncommon but they … Read More
November 6, 2024
A New Edition of Journal of Medical Ethics Is Now Available
Journal of Medical Ethics (vol. 50, no. 11, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
November 5, 2024
Opinion: An Honest Discussion of Covid Vaccine Side Effects Is Overdue
(Undark) – Experiencing a severe side effect is rare, but officially documenting such cases is vital to designing better vaccines. I wrote about the experience in 2021 in The Boston Globe, after the FDA attached a warning to the J&J shot, citing an … Read More
November 5, 2024
Nodal connects hopeful parents with surrogates as reproductive freedom hangs in limbo
(Tech Crunch) – Nodal is a marketplace for prospective parents to get matched with vetted surrogates. Nodal founder and CEO Dr. Brian Levine told TechCrunch that his company wants to fix the industry’s supply-and-demand problems. Nodal takes the same technology-driven … Read More
November 4, 2024
Spa Owner Accused of Performing Thousands of Fake Botox Injections
(Gizmodo) – Federal prosecutors have charged 38-year-old Rebecca Fadanelli with having allegedly imported and used counterfeit Botox and fillers on her clients for at least three years. A Massachusetts spa owner is in hot water for allegedly injecting her customers … Read More
November 4, 2024
Hospitals size up ways to ensure their AI works
(Axios) – Health systems are under increasing pressure to embrace new artificial intelligence tools without a formal system for evaluating how well they work. Why it matters: Even AI developers can struggle to explain why a model makes a particular … Read More
November 4, 2024
Mushrooms hit the ballots as researchers grapple with the dangers of psychedelics
(Washington Times) – Massachusetts could become the third U.S. state to decriminalize psilocybin, the psychedelic drug found in mushrooms, if enough state voters mark “yes” on their ballot’s Question 4. Many drug policy researchers say legalization could be dangerous because … Read More
November 4, 2024
A New Edition of Medico-Legal Journal Is Now Available
Medico-Legal Journal (vol. 92, no. 3, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
November 1, 2024
US lawmakers call on EPA to ban pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease
(The Guardian) – Politicians say use of common yet toxic paraquat can’t be justified due to apparent health and environment risks More than 50 US lawmakers are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to join dozens of other countries … Read More
November 1, 2024
Dentists Are Pulling ‘Healthy’ and Treatable Teeth To Profit From Implants, Experts Warn
(KFF Health News) – Amid this booming industry, some implant experts worry that many dentists are losing sight of dentistry’s fundamental goal of preserving natural teeth and have become too willing to remove teeth to make room for expensive implants, … Read More
November 1, 2024
From A.I. to Musk’s Brain Chips, the F.D.A.’s Device Unit Faces Rapid Change
(New York Times) – The new director overseeing medical devices will confront criticisms about hasty approvals as she ushers in revolutionary technology. Medical device technology is now deeply entrenched in many patients’ health care and can have a stunning impact … Read More
October 31, 2024
Key global bioethics guidelines get ‘dramatic’ update
(Science) – Revised Declaration of Helsinki stresses need for equity, protection of vulnerable groups, and research integrity The Declaration of Helsinki—a foundational text that outlines international ethical principles for medical research—has undergone one of the most extensive revisions since it … Read More
October 31, 2024
New Alzheimer’s drugs create prescribing dilemmas for doctors
(Science) – As monoclonal antibodies roll out, uncertainty about their risks and benefits is dividing physicians “I’ve been worrying about these therapies for a long time,” says Alberto Espay, a neurologist at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where, to … Read More
October 30, 2024
A Woman Died After Being Told It Would Be a “Crime” to Intervene in Her Miscarriage at a Texas Hospital
(ProPublica) – Barnica is one of at least two Texas women who ProPublica found lost their lives after doctors delayed treating miscarriages, which fall into a gray area under the state’s strict abortion laws that prohibit doctors from ending the … Read More
October 29, 2024
Anti-Obesity Medications Show Whole-Body Promise, With More to Come
(Medscape) – The potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists continues to grow more promising as new studies identify benefits beyond glucose control and weight loss. With hundreds of studies underway or recently completed on ClinicalTrials.gov, the signals are … Read More
October 29, 2024
Exosomes are touted as a trendy cure-all. We don’t know if they work.
(MIT Technology Review) – People are spending thousands of dollars on unproven exosome therapies for hair loss, skin aging, and acne, as well as more serious conditions like long covid and Alzheimer’s. “They’re magic!” claims one YouTube review. One US … Read More
October 29, 2024
Why your next prescription could include an app
(Axios) – The apps could boost the drugs’ clinical value and provide a more personalized approach to managing chronic conditions such as depression, obesity and musculoskeletal problems. But the combinations are blurring the line between digital health and medicines and … Read More
October 28, 2024
People opt out of organ donation programs after reports of a man mistakenly declared dead
(Associated Press) – Transplant experts are seeing a spike in people revoking organ donor registrations, their confidence shaken by reports that organs were nearly retrieved from a Kentucky man mistakenly declared dead. It happened in 2021 and while details are … Read More
