Nate Bear: “A recent article in The Atlantic asked “is covid a common cold yet?” The answer was not quite, but they happily tell the reader that the symptoms have changed a lot and we’re on the way. The Atlantic is not an outlier. Much mainstream coverage has focused on covid’s ‘cold-like’ symptoms, neglecting to… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Medicine
ChatGPT vs Google for Queries Related to Dementia and Other Cognitive Decline Comparison of Results
Journal of Internet Medical Research [full text free] Published on 25.7.2023 in Vol 25 (2023) Background: People living with dementia or other cognitive decline and their caregivers (PLWD) increasingly rely on the web to find information about their condition and available resources and services. The recent advancements in large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT,… Continue Reading
Next Generation Covid Vaccines Update
PLOS – Absolutely Maybe: “This update is packed with news, with 3 developments standing out in particular. The first is the “major hat” in this post’s title. It’s a new consortium of major scientific groups, along with a major global pharmaceutical company, spanning bases in Israel, the US, and Europe. That’s everything that’s needed for… Continue Reading
Sen. Warren Probes Google’s Quest for Soldiers’ Medical Data
ProPublica: “Reflecting rising concerns that Big Tech’s infatuation with artificial intelligence threatens privacy and economic competition, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has begun investigating Google’s efforts to swoop up medical information derived from biopsy specimens of millions of military service members. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat and the chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, wrote… Continue Reading
COVID Tracking Project Records and Resources Now Available
This announcement is authored by COVID Tracking Project Archive Lead, Alex Duryee: “The UCSF Library Archives and Special Collections is pleased to announce that the COVID Tracking Project (CTP) records are available for research. The CTP is a crowdsourced digital archive that was managed by a group of journalists at The Atlantic and approximately 500… Continue Reading
How to Use the Updated “Nursing Home Inspect” Database
ProPublica: “Nursing Home Inspect” makes it fast and easy to search thousands of recent government inspection reports, find information about specific nursing homes and discover new serious issues found by inspectors. Below are some tips to help you make the most of our database. First, a little background. Nursing homes receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding… Continue Reading
Who Employs Your Doctor? Increasingly, a Private Equity Firm.
The New York Times: “A new study finds that private equity firms own more than half of all specialists in certain U.S. markets. In recent years, private equity firms have been gobbling up physician practices to form powerful medical groups across the country, according to a new report released Monday. In more than a quarter… Continue Reading
FDA Approves First Nonprescription Daily Oral Contraceptive
“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Opill (norgestrel) tablet for nonprescription use to prevent pregnancy— the first daily oral contraceptive approved for use in the U.S. without a prescription. Approval of this progestin-only oral contraceptive pill provides an option for consumers to purchase oral contraceptive medicine without a prescription at drug stores, convenience… Continue Reading
Facebook could be tracking your online Plan B or HIV test purchases
Popular Science: “Looking for an at-home HIV test on CVS’ website is not as private an experience as one might think. An investigation by The Markup and KFF Health News found trackers on CVS.com telling some of the biggest social media and advertising platforms the products customers viewed. And CVS is not the only pharmacy… Continue Reading
The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained
Vox – 8 things you should know about the number that measures bad air: “It’s not enough to trust the senses to know when it’s a bad air day. Well before you can see or smell smoke, it can start wreaking havoc on the lungs. That haze you can see and smell on a particularly… Continue Reading
How Often Do Health Insurers Say No to Patients?
ProPublica: “It’s one of the most crucial questions people have when deciding which health plan to choose: If my doctor orders a test or treatment, will my insurer refuse to pay for it? After all, an insurance company that routinely rejects recommended care could damage both your health and your finances. The question becomes ever… Continue Reading
The Dobbs Divide
Five Thirty Eight – “Percentage change in the number of abortions per month, compared to the average monthly abortions before Dobbs (April and May 2022), through March 2023 by state: “New estimates provided exclusively to FiveThirtyEight by #WeCount — a national research project led by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit that supports research… Continue Reading
