Search results

Despite years of research, our understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder is limited. But the National Institutes of Health is hoping to change that, by awarding $100 million in grants to nine different groups working on various aspects of ASD. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics released its first-ever guidelines on tattoos and body piercings among teens.

Awful as it is, let's clarify the clinical picture of a toddler's tragic death in Brooklyn, N.Y. Reportedly, the 1-year-old's father "attempted to cure his chronic cough with a home remedy that included leaving the baby alone in a steamy bathroom." His body temperature eventually reached 108 degrees.

When Sovaldi, the first in a family of drugs that cured hepatitis C came out, its maker Gilead came under fire for the price of the drug: $1,000 per pill x 84 pills. Now we have eight more direct-acting antivirals for hep C. They are not only getting better, but also cheaper. Competition in the pharmaceutical industry benefits all of us. 

Warning letters by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be interesting to read. A recent one, from the end of September, is more interesting than most.
The facilities of Nashoba Brook Bakery, located in Concord, MA, were inspected by the FDA and a number of violations were found and documented. Actually, to be clear, Nashoba Brook Bakery was found to be - in one phrase - a hot mess. 

It's hardly news that opioid drugs have a downside, even though many people have no choice but to use them. But just suppose you could exit surgery without needing any pain meds at all? Well, sometimes you can, thanks to the sciences of chemistry and drug formulation. A long-lasting drug that blocks pain may be the answer.

Why bother reading or reporting the original article when the story elements are laid out in front of you? 

The Missouri Court of Appeals reversed a jury's decision that awarded $72 million to a plaintiff who claimed Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products caused her ovarian cancer. But the court's ruling was based on a jurisdictional issue, not the lack of scientific evidence underpinning her claim.

And you think you have problems *now*? Maybe so, but if you're at a job interview and someone takes over control of your butt plug (which you probably should have left home, but I don't want to be judgemental) things are not going to go well. High tech sex toys and the people who hack them. Oh, the humanity. 

Leverage. Leveraging. While these might seem like terms associated with Hollywood movies like "Wall Street", "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" or "The Wolf of Wall Street", the reality is that leveraging is an integral part of academic science and policy research in the 21st century. With fiscal demands upon governments at the state/provincial and federal levels having increased dramatically over the past 20-30 years, innovative strategies were needed to ensure that the public sector’s high level of research (not to mention quality and importance) were not sacrificed.

A case report of 22-month-old conjoined twins evaluated and operated on last year at Massachusetts General Hospital was published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The staff and family faced impossible choices requiring a bioethics committee's input.

Narcan can be lifesaving for someone who's overdosed on opioids, and it should certainly be made available to at-risk people. But putting it into every single pharmacy in the country, or suggesting that all New Yorkers should carry it on them, doesn't make a lot of sense. 

During a panel discussion I was once asked, if I could change one thing about agriculture in Canada what would it be? My answer, I would remove labels. I would get rid of the arbitrary distinction that separates “organic” from “conventional” so we can instead focus on the bottom line: sustainability. 

Proper use of antibiotics in animals, just like in humans, can slow bacterial resistance. Europe leads the way in cutting antibiotic use. Meanwhile, the United States lags behind. 

We get it. The actress hates guns. But please don’t use your high visibility to spread untruths about the medical profession, just to make a political point.

If you ask yourself: "What segment of the population is most increasing its drug intake?" then the best-sellers come into better focus. From there, think ... cholesterol ... heart ... thyroid.

The three top healthcare systems in New York City where recently given a lowly “C” rating for patient safety. The grades were issued by the Leapfrog Group, which has the longest track record rating hospitals. It was formed in 1998 by business leaders seeking to control their costs by identifying best hospitals.

With pot, when it comes to cancer marketing finally a line has been drawn. FDA officials have issued warning letters to four companies, since these frauds are selling marijuana-based products with claims that they can prevent, diagnose, treat, or even cure cancer. Obviously, that's illegal – and a huge step beyond the shady claims that previously existed.

Despite the public health warnings about obesity, since 1999 its prevalence has increased markedly. And the latest CDC stats show that the trend continued for both adults and youngsters between 2014 and 2016. But amid the otherwise depressing statistics, there is a glimmer of hope buried within.

Surely, somebody can stop the most egregious offenders from spreading health misinformation that hurts or kills people, right? Actually, no, not in a free society. The only solution to fake news is better news.

A One Direction concert-goer, whose difficulty breathing after “intense screaming” yielded a published case report in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, is not alone. Learn why this happens and who's at greatest risk.

ACSH Scientific Advisor Dr. Stan Young has been appointed to EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. This is a great move for making sure we implement evidence-based improvements in air quality.

This latest story refers to dogs' affinity for humans — even strange ones. New research demonstrates that dogs react more strongly when a person is facing them than when they turn away. And that reaction isn't changed by the presence of food. 
 

Just three business days after getting the FDA's green light, Shingrix, a more effective shingles vaccine, will go before the Centers for Disease Control on Wednesday. A committee is expected to vote, formally recommending how often the vaccine should be administered, and to what age group.

Upon seeing what he deemed a poorly-constructed paper by a colleague in physics, Wolfgang Pauli is apocryphally said to have, "This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."