exclusiveRFK Jr. explores a GOP proposal to overturn how doctors are paid RFK Jr. explores a GOP proposal to overturn how doctors are paidPeople close to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are exploring a proposal that would reduce the role of the American Medical Association in determining what Medicare pays for medical services, four sources familiar...
Category: <span>News</span>
There’s bad news on the H5N1 front The genetic sequence of the bird flu virus that infected a teenager in British Columbia shows that the virus had undergone mutational changes that would make it easier for that version of H5N1 to infect people, Helen Branswell reports.
The teenager remains in critical condition in hospital. While there is no evidence the patient infected anyone else — and researchers believe the virus mutated while they were infected — it’s a concerning development in a virus that officials have reassured the public is not an immediate threat. “By no means is this Day 1...
First U.S. case of new mpox strain detected in California
California has detected the country’s first case of a new mpox strain that is spreading from person to person, STAT’s Helen Branswell reports . The infected individual had recently traveled from Eastern Africa, where multiple countries are battling transmission of this virus. The version of the virus the person is infected with is known as clade...
A sad girl
According to new research out of the Boston health system Mass General Brigham, the number of people with long Covid could be three times as high as previous studies have found. The researchers estimate nearly 23 percent of people have endured long-term symptoms, lasting at least two months, from a Covid-19 infection. That compares to a...
1 big thing: Dad jokes
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios Chip Leighton and I have three things in common: We both love Maine (he lives there; I wish I did), both wrote books, and both love laughing at the dumb-ass things our kids say, Jim writes.We have one big difference: He makes enough money making fun of his kids to quit his corporate job...
World-first stem-cell treatment restores vision in people
The treatment, given to four people with damaged corneas, seems safe but needs to be tested in larger trials. The transparent cornea is the outermost layer of the eye. Credit: Patrick Landmann/SPL Three people with severely impaired vision who received stem-cell transplants have experienced substantial improvements in their sight that have persisted for more than...
Neuroimmune communication pathway reveals interactions that may drive endometriosis-associated pain
by Justin Jackson , Medical XpressImage of a mouse endometriosis lesion stained for nerves (red) and a peptide released by nerves (CGRP, green) that helps endometriosis lesions grow. Credit: Dr. Victor Fattori and Dr. Michael RogersBoston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered a neuroimmune communication pathway that may drive endometriosis-associated pain and...
On Second Thought: Aspirin for Primary Prevention — What We Really Know
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Aspirin. Once upon a time, everybody over age 50 years was supposed to take a baby aspirin. Now we make it a point to tell people to stop. What is going on? I’m Christopher Labos, and this is On Second Thought. Our recommendations vis-à-vis aspirin have evolved at a dizzying...
Tirzepatide Slashes Progression From Prediabetes to T2D
SAN ANTONIO – Once-weekly tirzepatide (Zepbound) reduced the risk for progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) by more than 90% at 3 years and continued to maintain dramatic levels of weight loss achieved earlier, but these benefits began reversing when the drug was stopped. The findings, from the subset of 1032 individuals with...
FIRST IN PULSE: SEEKING A SITE-NEUTRAL PAY CUT
— Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) are releasing a bipartisan plan to stop hospitals from getting more payments from Medicare for the same services delivered at the doctor’s office, POLITICO has learned. Robert reports that the two senators will release a legislative framework Friday detailing a plan to impose site-neutral payments for hospitals’ outpatient departments. The goal is to generate savings...