Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Category Archives: Medicine

XBB, BQ.1.1, BA.2.75.2 – a variant swarm could fuel a winter surge

Washington Post: “For two years, coronavirus variants emerged, one by one, sweeping the globe. But this fall and winter are expected to be different: Instead of a single ominous variant lurking on the horizon, experts are nervously eyeing a swarm of viruses — and a new evolutionary phase in the pandemic. This time, it’s unlikely… Continue Reading

Select Subcommittee Details Trump Administration’s Assault On CDC And Politicization Of Public Health During The Coronavirus Crisis

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus – Oct 17, 2022 – Press Release – “Report is the third installment detailing findings from investigation into Trump Administration’s political interference with federal coronavirus response…the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, chaired by Rep. James E. Clyburn, released a staff report detailing efforts by the Trump Administration to compromise… Continue Reading

Nearly Half of Covid Patients Haven’t Fully Recovered Months Later

Hastie, C.E., Lowe, D.J., McAuley, A. et al. Outcomes among confirmed cases and a matched comparison group in the Long-COVID in Scotland study. Nat Commun 13, 5663 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33415-5 “With increasing numbers infected by SARS-CoV-2, understanding long-COVID is essential to inform health and social care support. A Scottish population cohort of 33,281 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections… Continue Reading

Findings suggest COVID-19 rebound not caused by impaired immune response

NIH: “Findings from a small study of eight patients published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggest that COVID-19 rebound is likely not caused by impaired immune responses. The study, led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, aimed to define the clinical course and… Continue Reading

Privacy Rights Under the Constitution: Procreation, Child Rearing, Contraception, Marriage, and Sexual Activity

CRS Legal Sidebar – Privacy Rights Under the Constitution: Procreation, Child Rearing, Contraception, Marriage, and Sexual Activity, September 14, 2022: “A line of Supreme Court cases establishes that the U.S. Constitution guaranteesa person’s ability to make certain decisions in matters related to procreation, child rearing, contraception, marriage (including interracial marriage and same-sex marriage), and consensual… Continue Reading

Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the Covid 19 pandemic

The Lancet: “As of May 31, 2022, there were 6·9 million reported deaths and 17·2 million estimated deaths from COVID-19, as reported by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME; throughout the report, we rely on IHME estimates of infections and deaths; note that the IHME gives an estimated range, and we refer to… Continue Reading

Rape victims can face huge hospital bills if they seek help

Vox: “When victims of rape or sexual violence seek emergency medical assistance following an attack, they may be saddled with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in medical bills, a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine found. These bills can further traumatize victims, the study authors warn, and deter… Continue Reading

TikTok’s Search Engine Pumps Toxic Misinformation To Its Young Users

NewsGuard: “[A] NewsGuard investigation found that for a sampling of searches on prominent news topics, almost 20 percent of the videos presented as search results contained misinformation. This means that for searches on topics ranging from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to school shootings and COVID vaccines, TikTok’s users are consistently fed false and misleading… Continue Reading

Omicron boosters are the future of COVID vaccines in the US

Popular Science: “Over Labor Day weekend, pharmacies across the country began receiving shipments of new Omicron- specific mRNA booster shots against COVID-19, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on their use last week. The updated formulas, which will become the standard booster for almost… Continue Reading

Climate Change Remains Top Global Threat Across 19-Country Survey

Pew – Concerns about climate, misinformation and cyberattacks predominate across 19 countries, but people are also concerned about the global economy and spread of infectious diseases. “With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, a hot war between Russia and Ukraine ongoing, inflation rates rising globally and heat records being smashed across parts of the world, countries… Continue Reading