Author: healthadmin
You’re reading the web version of DC Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter on health and medical politics and policy. Sign up here to get it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Healthcare (sic),” Blaine Reid, who writes a newsletter on drug pricing policy, wrote in Friday’s edition. I feel very stupid to laugh at that “chic” notation. Share your thoughts on AP’s new compound noun words here and send your news tips to: (email protected) Or Signal’s John_Wilkerson.07. CPT codes become the new front line for fraud allegations House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has taken aim at the…
Written by Ben Felder, Midwest Survey, Midwest Survey May 5, 2026 Last summer, 18 different pesticide compounds were detected in 10 parks and playgrounds across Illinois, including pesticides that washed ashore at least 3,700 feet from the nearest application site. The new study, conducted by the Champaign-based nonprofit Prairie Rivers Network, comes days after a state bill that would have required pesticide applicators to notify nearby schools and parks before spraying was defeated. “There was pretty strong opposition from the agricultural industry,” said Kim Erndt Pitcher, environmental health director for Prairie Rivers Network, referring to House Bill 1596. “But we…
Kyverna Therapeutics is taking a historic first step in approving a CAR-T therapy for an autoimmune disease. And now we’re getting closer to the finish line and trying to make even more commercial impact. The California-based biotech company has hired Omeros and AbbVie alumnus Nadia Duck as its new chief commercial officer, who will “lead commercial strategy and execution for miv-cel (mivocabtagene autoreucel),” according to a May 4 statement. The therapy recently produced positive results in a registration trial for stiff person syndrome (SPS), putting it on track to become the first CAR-T therapy approved for an autoimmune disease, after…
Recent research published in journals nature communications Our results suggest that a single high dose of psilocybin can cause lasting changes in human brain connectivity and psychological well-being. Scientists found that these brain changes, with evidence of increased mental flexibility and insight, persisted for at least a month after the experience. This study provides a rare glimpse into the biological and psychological changes that occur when a person takes a psychedelic substance for the first time. Psilocybin is the main psychoactive compound found in certain types of mushrooms. When a person ingests this substance, the body converts it to psilocin.…
A meta-analysis of studies involving more than 3.2 million participants found that major depressive disorder was significantly more prevalent among patients with cannabis use disorder compared to the general population, and vice versa. In a psychiatric sample of individuals with cannabis use disorder, 19% also had current major depressive disorder. This proportion was 22% in the community sample. The paper was published in. Psychiatric Research Journal. Depression, or major depressive disorder, is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide. According to recent data, approximately 13% of people have been diagnosed with depression at least once in their life.…
New research published in Journal of Sex Research Evidence shows that when teenage daughters talk humorously about sex with their mothers, they tend to have better sexual well-being. The same study suggests that when mothers use humor during conversations, it can actually make daughters less willing to open up. These findings reveal how how families interact during sensitive discussions shapes healthy sexual development in teenagers. Discussing sexuality is often an uncomfortable experience for both parents and teens. Student and educational consultant Rotem Shumil Itzhak and Professor Yaniv Efrati, head of the Addictive Behaviors Laboratory at the Faculty of Education at…
Although largely in the background until recently, Prolific Machines’ optogenetic approach to biomanufacturing is about to make a splash with the company achieving an impressive milestone in monoclonal antibody (mAb) production. Now, in addition to a recent new technology designation from the FDA and increased interest in its platform from industry heavyweights, Prolific is increasingly well-positioned as its light-controlled production methods come into the spotlight. Prolific announced that it has reached a record-breaking productivity milestone of 21 g/L in a 15-day enriched fed-batch Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line run of mAbs, leveraging a custom-built Photomolecular platform designed to “directly…
Sanofi is significantly increasing its artificial intelligence capabilities. The French pharmaceutical company will invest $294 million to expand its global AI center of excellence in Toronto, beginning to scale the digital infrastructure it built at its Canadian site four years ago. The expansion is supported by a conditional grant of up to $5 million from the Invest Ontario Fund and is expected to create 50 highly skilled jobs in AI, machine learning and data science by 2028, according to a May 4 release. This builds on a foundation of more than 150 roles already established in the field, across specialist…
Although the United States requires warning labels on alcoholic beverages, the number of alcohol-related deaths has steadily increased over the past two decades. But new labels warning of the risk of certain diseases, including cancer and liver disease, could increase motivation to drink less, researchers say. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. The warning labels currently required on alcohol containers in the United States have remained unchanged since their introduction in 1988, despite new evidence linking alcohol to several illnesses. Labels list the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and while driving or operating machinery, and generally warn that drinking…
Startup Assort Health has developed an outbound AI agent that can proactively reach out to patients, automate appointment rescheduling, close unresolved referrals, work on payment collection, and accelerate the uptake of flu vaccinations. The AI agent, called Assort Activate, is already being used by more than 1,000 healthcare providers and can improve patient access without adding staff, executives said. Assort Health will introduce specialty-specific agenttic AI voice agents in November 2023 to support practices ranging from orthopedics to cardiology to immunology, triaging incoming patient calls by answering frequently asked questions and routing patients to the right person within the clinic.…