MEDICINE AND RX

US Hospitals Prone to Cyberattacks

KFF HEALTH NEWS – In the wake of a debilitating cyberattack against one of the nation’s largest health care systems, Marvin Ruckle, a nurse at an Ascension hospital in Wichita, Kansas, said he had a frightening experience: He nearly gave a baby “the wrong dose of narcotic” because of confusing paperwork. Ruckle, who has worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph for two decades, said it was “hard to...

Antibiotics wreak havoc on the gut. Can we kill the bad bugs and spare the good ones?

LOS ANGELES TIMES – Inside every human is a thriving zoo of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microscopic organisms collectively known as the microbiome. Trillions of microbes live in the digestive tract alone, a menagerie estimated to contain more than 1,000 species. This ecosystem of tiny stuff affects our health in ways science is only beginning to understand, facilitating digestion, metabolism, the immune response and more. But when serious infection sets in, the most powerful antibiotics take...

People using popular drugs for weight loss, diabetes are more likely to be diagnosed with stomach paralysis

CNN – Injected medications that treat diabetes and obesity increase the risk of a rare but serious side effect: stomach paralysis, according to new data on the real-world use of the drugs. At least three new studies based on large collections of patient records show that the risk of being diagnosed with stomach paralysis, or gastroparesis, is higher for people who take GLP-1 agonists than for those who don’t. 1 in 8 adults in the US...

“Outrageously” priced weight-loss drugs could bankrupt US health care

Without a dramatic price cut, Americans will likely face either losing access to the drugs or shouldering higher overall health care costs, or some of both.

Patients with female doctors have a lower risk of death or serious complications, research shows

A new study found that higher gender diversity on surgical teams was associated with a slightly lower chance of serious complications for patients after major, non-emergency surgical procedures.

Dementia treatments linked with serious side effects: Study

The treatments are highly controversial due to the serious side-effects and their limited efficiency.

Antidepressants and Sex Drive: What Are the Side Effects?

GREATEST – Some folks find that antidepressants cause sexual problems. However, there may be alternative options, so chat with your doctor! In the quest for mental wellness, many peeps tackle depression or anxiety head-on with the help of antidepressants. They’re a trusty sidekick in the battle against the blues. But when you thought you had the upper hand, they throw you a curveball — one that hits right in the libido department. Yep, these meds have a...

More Patients Are Losing Their Doctors — And Trust in the Primary Care System

KFF HEALTH NEWS – First, her favorite doctor in Providence, Rhode Island, retired. Then her other doctor at a health center a few miles away left the practice. Now, Piedad Fred has developed a new chronic condition: distrust in the American medical system. "I don’t know,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “To go to a doctor that doesn’t know who you are? That doesn’t know what allergies you have, the medicines that make you...

A doctor with lung cancer got a lifesaving treatment after seeing an NBC News report

NBC NEWS – As a pulmonologist, Dr. Gary Gibbon never expected to be diagnosed with lung disease himself, much less be in need of a new set of lungs. “I had no previous medical history of any significance. I was on no medication at all on a regular basis,” Gibbon, of Santa Monica, California, told NBC News. When he developed a cough and then lost weight, Gibbon got a chest X-ray and CT scan of his...

Eli Lilly warns of temporary short supply of two insulin products

CNN – Drugmaker Eli Lilly warned this week that two of its formulations of insulin would be temporarily out of stock through the beginning of April, citing a “brief delay in manufacturing.” The 10-milliliter vials of Humalog and insulin lispro injection will be in short supply at wholesalers and some pharmacies, Lilly said in a statement posted online Wednesday. The company said that prefilled pen versions of those medicines are still available in the US and...

Professor discovers breakthrough in stroke patient’s head positioning

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The moments after a stroke are critical. Time is of the essence to get to a hospital and get care but a new clinical trial is also shedding light on what should be done in those moments leading up to removing a clot. The 2024 American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in Phoenix, Arizona showcased the latest stroke and brain health science. Dr. Anne Alexandrov is a professor of nursing with a joint...

‘It feels like we’ve been lobotomised’: the possible sexual consequences of SSRIs

"My clitoris feels like my elbow now, and there’s nothing I can do to reverse it.”

Antidepressant prescribing for youths surged during COVID

AXOIS – Antidepressant prescribing to youths rose 63.5% during the pandemic, with adolescent girls accounting for some of the sharpest increases, according to new research in Pediatrics. It's further evidence of a youth mental health crisis characterized by depression and anxiety brought on by social isolation, concern about the future and financial and other stressors. But a shortage of mental health workers and the shift toward telehealth and remote prescribing may have contributed to a prioritization...

Big Pharma spends billions more on executives and stockholders than on R&D

ARS TECHNICA – When big pharmaceutical companies are confronted over their exorbitant pricing of prescription drugs in the US, they often retreat to two well-worn arguments: One, that the high drug prices cover costs of researching and developing new drugs, a risky and expensive endeavor, and two, that middle managers—pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), to be specific—are actually the ones price gouging Americans. Both of these arguments faced substantial blows in a hearing Thursday held by the...

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