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Everyone knows that the elderly and those with co-morbidities are at greater risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19. But are all co-morbidities the same? Do some conditions result in more or perhaps fewer hospitalizations and deaths? Let's take a look.

“The extent to which SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, will circulate during the 2020–21 influenza season is unknown. However, it is anticipated that SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses will both be active in the United States during the upcoming 2020–21 influenza season.” - CDC 2021 Guidelines

Sometimes studies are full of bad data. Sometimes they are just based on stupid ideas. Here's one that manages to incorporate both flaws. Should elderly people with broken ribs be given Tylenol in pill form or IV for pain? Perhaps a salami sandwich is a better offering ... since this study is full of baloney.

A study that found basically no link between hair color or dye use and cancer predictably was sensationalized by the media anyway.

Attendees of last month's virtual AMR conference learned about advances in reimbursement programs in Europe for antibiotics. However, no one should believe that these baby steps represent significant progress in the effort to fix the antibiotic marketplace. ACSH advisor Dr. David Shlaes explains.

In July, the CDC released a preliminary report showing that opioid‐​related overdose deaths increased 6.2 percent from December 2018 to December 2019. During that same period, deaths due to fentanyl and its analogs increased 15.8 percent. Seemingly in a state of denial, weeks later H.R. 7701 was introduced in Congress, effectively doubling down on clearly failed policies. ACSH advisor Dr. Jeff Singer (pictured) takes a closer look at this issue while examining the wayward thinking permeating the House.

A large study just found that there was little, or no, evidence of cancer linked to the use of hair dye. But one of the most common dyes, para-phenylenediamine, could be reasonably expected by a chemist to be carcinogenic because of the conditions used in the dying process. Even though it's not. Here's why.

Are vaccines going to be adequately tested for safety and efficacy if Phase 3 clinical trials are not completed? Does convalescent plasma work to treat COVID? Is the COVID death toll inflated? We attempt to clarify these controversies.

Here we go: Zombies, in this case, among ants .... What's that listless, unfocused feeling that the time of COVID has created within us? ... Abbott's new 15-minute COVID test explained ... And a book review points out that not telling the public the whole story has historical roots.

Some of you screwballs out there have been complaining that I'm not giving enough chemistry lessons. Be careful what you ask for. Here are a chemistry AND a biochemistry lesson about aspirin and heroin. Don't blame me. Consumer demand rules.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn indicated that his agency would be willing to grant emergency authorization to a coronavirus vaccine, even before it completes Phase 3 clinical trials. This is a reckless gamble and could cause an unmitigated public health disaster.

The COVID crisis, the unrelenting, omnipresent dilemma battering America and altering our daily lives, has commanded our attention like no other health and science issue we've ever seen. But what about other issues, like those involving the effectiveness of ordinary chemicals used around the house ... or highly-dangerous ones that would-be criminals seek to acquire to carry out their premeditated homicides? Yes, our scientific experts are weighing in on those, too, as demonstrated by the varied media coverage ACSH recently received. So from Missouri to Manila, some of the places we appeared in August.

One of the issues in medical data, brought into sharp relief by the pandemic, is what is written on death certificates. For a while, the presumption of a COVID-19 infection without a positive culture was enough to get it listed as a cause of death –- possibly creating a bit of an over-count. But it is not just COVID-19 that is problematic.

Loneliness, if you follow the media, is a problem of old age. It worsens one by one, as you lose your companions. Yet at the same time, it seems to be a problem of adolescence, too, as youngsters tries to find their peeps. So loneliness can affect any age, and a new paper suggests the sources of loneliness change over time.

For everything, there is a time and place. Emergency Use Authorizations by the FDA were necessary for COVID-19's recent past; they are not necessary and will be harmful when applied to a COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no safe way to inject heroin. Narcan (naloxone) may not save your life. Your friends may not be able to, either.

A study early in the COVID-19 pandemic linked air pollution, especially smaller particles, to COVID-19's mortality. As it turns out, and as ACSH scientific advisor Dr. Fred Lipfert points out, the linkage is weak -- at best.

A fact-checking site called PolitiFact weighs in on the validity of the claim that opioid deaths decreased in 2018, thus supposedly marking the first time we are getting control of the "opioid epidemic." Let's fact-check the fact-checkers. Plus, Andrew Kolodny dines on his own words.

A European study found that 44% of "antibiotic-free" animal feed samples tested contained antibiotics.

On tap this time around: Is natural always best, or even better? ... Channeling Rod Serling on digital clutter ... "Slow down, you move too fast" ... How do penguins survive the winter? ... And, can food coloring help against COVID-19?

There are some striking differences between how Europeans and Americans are navigating the pandemic. The latter have a lot to learn from the former.

September marks the 175th anniversary of Scientific American, one of the magazines from a memorable era in journalism that included Life as well as Time – periodicals longer than 20 pages. In honor of SA's anniversary, the editors devoted an article to the words used in articles since the founding of the magazine back in 1845.

As I watch the current debacle of our children preparing to return to school, I more and more feel it is time to take a moment to talk about the errors we have made. My original thoughts turned to responsibility and accountability, words that have occupied my professional life as a surgeon, words molding my thinking just as they molded my character.

If you're someone who believes that the Food and Drug Administration is purely guided by science and that politics has never influenced its decisions, we likely live on different planets. As for some background, here's some recommended reading to go with our overall perspective on this issue.

My PSA was 22 – but my biopsy only showed inflammation. I was needlessly upset, and it seems like I underwent an unnecessary procedure. There has to be a better way!