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Category Archives: Medicine

A Valuable COVID Drug Doesn’t Work against New Variants

Scientific American – “Current monoclonal antibodies fail against COVID virus variants, so drugmakers want to use a fast-track test for new ones…In an e-mail to Scientific American, an FDA spokesperson said the agency is concerned as well, and it will work with drug companies on expedited development of preventive therapies for immunosuppressed patients. But the… Continue Reading

US Postal Service can continue to deliver prescription abortion medication

Reuters: “The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) can continue to deliver prescription abortion medication despite a June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned a landmark abortion rights decision, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in an opinion sought by USPS that the mailing of mifepristone and misoprostol, commonly used… Continue Reading

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

Via LLRX –  As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe – The cold and flu season of 2022 has begun with a vengeance. Viruses that have been unusually scarce over the past three years are reappearing at remarkably high levels, sparking a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the flu… Continue Reading

The FDA Now Says It Plainly: Morning-After Pills Are Not Abortion Pills

The New York Times: “The Food and Drug Administration on Friday [December 23, 2022] significantly changed the information that will be in every box of the most widely used emergency contraceptive pills to make clear that they do not prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb. The agency explained in an accompanying document… Continue Reading

It’s all too easy to get sick right now. Here’s how to protect yourself.

Vox: “Right now, the US is in the middle of an infectious disease trifecta. The “tripledemic” of the coronavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has led New York City and Los Angeles County, among others, to “strongly recommend” masking indoors. Officials in Oakland and Sacramento may follow suit soon. The CDC, which has barely… Continue Reading

Depletion and Dysfunction of Dendritic Cells: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Chang T, Yang J, Deng H, Chen D, Yang X, Tang ZH. Depletion and Dysfunction of Dendritic Cells: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Front Immunol. 2022 Feb 21;13:843342. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.843342. PMID: 35265087; PMCID: PMC8898834. “The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a serious threat to public health and economic systems worldwide. As of January 27, 2022, more… Continue Reading

The 2022 tech breakthroughs that could advance medicine

Mashable: “Technology and medicine have shared history for so long that the two have practically become inseparable. It’s difficult to imagine where modern medicine and, in fact, humanity, would be today without photography, microscopes, pacemakers, prosthetic devices, you name it. Thinking of how far we’ve come, from the ability to detect and diagnose disease, to… Continue Reading

Dozens of Telehealth Startups Sent Sensitive Health Information to Big Tech Companies

MarkUp: “Open the website of WorkIt Health, and the path to treatment starts with a simple intake form: Are you in danger of harming yourself or others? If not, what’s your current opioid and alcohol use? How much methadone do you use? Within minutes, patients looking for online treatment for opioid use and other addictions… Continue Reading

CRS Video Seminars on Disruptive Technologies

CRS Seminars on Disruptive Technologies: Videos – Updated December 8, 2022: CRS Seminars on Disruptive Technologies: Videos – “New technologies, and those that represent an evolutionary improvement of an existing tool or process, that exhibit the potential to have large-scale effects on social and economic activity are often referred to as “disruptive” technologies. They can… Continue Reading

The 100 greatest innovations of 2022

PopSci The 35th annual Best of What’s New awards. “Every year since 1988, Popular Science has highlighted the innovations that make living on Earth even a tiny bit better. And this year—our 35th—has been remarkable, thanks to the successful deployment of the JWST, which earned our highest honor as the Innovation of the Year. But… Continue Reading

Legal counsel to Justice Alito responds to alleged ethical lapses

Steven Mazie – “I’ve been covering the Supreme Court for only about a decade but I don’t recall seeing a letter from the legal office or seeing a Justice effectively lawyer up in response to allegations. It’s remarkable Justice Alito saw the need to do so here.” The New York Times – Supreme Court Defends… Continue Reading