In the most common type of pancreatic cancer, the abnormal cells contain highly fragmented mitochondria. New research suggests that they can serve as a novel target in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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Can we forget past misdeeds? If you have done the crime (and the time) are you forgiven? Or do you continue to carry that baggage? Forgetting is a topic journalists and hospital credential committees have been grappling with for some time.
Evidence consistently shows diet soda isn't harmful. Why does the media insist we quit drinking it?
The Lancet reports on a polypill containing aspirin, blood pressure medicine and a statin. For a large at-risk population, it reduced major cardiovascular events by 20 to 33% ... and for about $1.25 a month.
Using an AI algorithm researchers can use electrocardiograms to tell us our gender and age. Have they found a Magic 8-ball of health?
Oklahoma now has 572 million extra dollars, thanks to a judge's ruling that Johnson & Johnson was partly responsible for the so-called opioid crisis. Other states will follow and J&J will cough up a bunch of money, regardless of whether the company did anything wrong or not. Other companies will be hit as well. Meanwhile, ponder these questions: Why would any company sell opioids from now on? And what will this mean for you?
New York Times journalist Eric Lipton, who defended the indefensible by offering support to a group of virulent anti-vaxxers and scam artists known as Moms Across America, is a scourge on public health. The national newspaper recently demoted Jonathan Weisman, a deputy editor based in Washington, DC, for displaying poor judgment. Lipton should face the same fate.
Have the internet and social media created a climate where Americans believe anything is possible? With headlines citing now as the age of conspiracy, is it really true? In a word, no.
When there is little if any money to be made curing a disease, non-profits could come to the rescue.
Andrew Kolodny's lack of knowledge of pharmacology is legendary. His chemistry must be far worse. Should I be flattered when he appears to be copying mine? "Imitation is the best form of flattery." Charles Caleb Colton, 1824 ... "Except when it makes me want to puke." Josh Bloom, 2019
The Department of Health & Human Services has tried in many ways to gauge patient satisfaction with hospital care. Perhaps it should listen to hospitalized children, since they make more sense than the current "concerns" attributed to adults.
Does our immune system act as a defensive barrier, or a translator of different worlds? Is there a mismatch between our genetic heritage and our current environment? And can being less "clean" make us more healthy? Let's find out.
A recent study identifies a new risk calculator, one which better predicts the surgical outcomes of complications or death. And while it's an improvement, can it be a useful tool? After all, how many people gamble with their loved ones?
The enormous Rand Corporation just issued a 265-page report discussing how and why fentanyl is plaguing the United States. Interesting stuff, but "itsy bitsy" ACSH was all over this years ago. See for yourself.
Mosquitoes suck, both literally and figuratively. No other animal on Earth is responsible for more human deaths than the lowly mosquito. The mosquito-borne virus that causes EEE (or Triple E) is the latest to cause public concern. Here's what you need to know about it.
As we grow more and more dependent on electronic devices to minimize even the smallest amount of physical effort, it cannot be terribly surprising that pampered Americans are turning to Alexa-controlled devices. Why? So they can become even lazier. And now Alexa has invaded the bathroom. There are even smart toilets and they listen. What could possibly go wrong?
Proposed guidelines for physicians from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommend screening everyone over the age of 18 for drug use. Mind you, that's without having evidence of benefit or harm. Can the reasoning "it can't hurt" be an acceptable justification for the move?
Why is everyone always above average? Hint-we are poor judges of our ability. Chemophobia is challenging to discuss, but it does drive 100% natural marketing. Are hospital administrators and their salaries growing at such a high rate that they are the cause of high prices? The graph says yes, the truth is a bit more nuanced. Finally, with all the concern about a replication crisis and the integrity of science, you would think that writing a paper debunking other research would be easy; you would be wrong.
It's astounding how quickly the summer has flown by. For many of you, it was because you spent some of the season on vacation. But not for us at ACSH. Oh no. We were busy keeping the world safe from junk science.
The food crazies are now warning us about a new "threat": fruit. One of them, a physician, says that modern fruit has been bred to contain 100 times more sugar than ancient varieties, so therefore it's not a healthy snack. Let's see what Angela Dowden, a real nutritionist, has to say about this.
The other day, CNN hosted a 7-hour long climate change town hall for the Democratic presidential candidates. This, of course, isn't the only scientific topic of relevance to Americans. If we were running the debate, we would ask questions about the following science and health topics: Vaccines, opioids, energy policy, alternative medicine, vaping, stem cells, and genetic engineering.
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is more than a bad cold. Seasonal outbreaks cause not only tremendous misery but huge numbers of hospital admissions and fatalities. Although the "holy grail" – a universal flu vaccine that recognizes all strains, including newly-arising ones – is not yet available, this does not mean that you should not get the seasonal vaccine. You should, and soon.
Paradoxically, for scientists, the more you express your uncertainty, the more likely you are to be trusted ... that is, to a point.
In nutrition, bashing sugar is all the rage. Over roughly the last 20 years, many researchers and health commentators have moved beyond implicating sugar as a cause of life-threatening disease, to blaming it for more mild concerns, even acne. Is it true? Let's find out.
Vaxart, a biopharmaceutical company, is working on a vaccine for the dreaded norovirus. The company just released its Phase Ib results. Did it work? Our lips are sealed. But here are some thoughts on its chances for success.
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