Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here.
good morning. Here we introduce unexpected combinations of proper nouns. Harry Styles and Haruki Marukami from Runner’s World. It’s a pretty existential conversation, partially shared in Style Profile. “I’ve always wondered, what is creativity?” asked Marukami. “I’ve been writing books and creating things for about 45 years, but I still don’t know what creativity is.”
Autism researchers form new group and reprimand Kennedy
A group of autism researchers and advocates has established a new independent advisory group with a name very similar to the federal autism body. I don’t think this is a coincidence. The Independent Autism Coordinating Committee (I-ACC) will hold its first meeting on March 19, the same day its federally funded doppelganger, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), will meet for the first time in its new version.
What do you mean? As you may recall, 21 new members were recently appointed to the federal commission, many of whom have publicly expressed or belong to groups that have publicly expressed their belief in the debunked claim that vaccines can cause autism. The new group wants to be a bulwark against potential misinformation from federal health agencies about autism, STAT’s O. Rose Broderick reports. Hear more from Rose about the new group members, why they chose such a similar name, and their plans for the future.
How preschoolers react to ultra-processed foods
A Canadian cohort study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open found that the more ultra-processed foods a 3-year-old child eats, the worse the behavioral and emotional symptoms that appear at age 5. Among more than 2,000 children, researchers found that ultra-processed foods accounted for about 45% of 3-year-olds’ energy intake. Every 10% increase in energy from ultra-processed foods was associated with more external behavioral problems such as anxiety and depression, as well as external problems such as aggression and hyperactivity.
This study adds to the body of research linking diet quality and psychosocial health in humans, although the mechanisms behind these associations require further research. And, as STAT’s Sarah Todd reported, things could get even more complicated if the Trump administration decides to codify a definition of ultra-processed foods that differs from the system typically used in research.
Strange changes in UnitedHealth’s latest SEC filing
When UnitedHealth Group filed its annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission last year, it reported about 3,100 subsidiaries. But this week, the company counted just 10 “significant subsidiaries.”
STAT reports over the past few years have revealed that UnitedHealth has been a voracious buyer of clinics, surgery centers and numerous other businesses. But as reporter Bob Herman writes, these subsidiaries are now in a black hole, still out there somewhere but invisible. Piggybacking on the Trump administration’s clear goal of reducing corporate reporting requirements, read Bob’s story about how this change reflects the decision of America’s biggest business leaders to disclose only what is absolutely necessary.
What a French Philosopher Knew About Going to the Doctor Today
When French philosopher and historian Alexis de Tocqueville wrote Democracy in America after traveling through the New World in the 1830s, he said that equality “instills in men the desire to judge everything for themselves.” (See: Everyone on the internet says they’ll do their own research.) We want expertise, but we resist experts. We seek guidance but are troubled by hierarchies.
In a new First Opinion essay, entrepreneur and advocate Scott Hamilton argues that one of the most intimate relationships in American life today, the doctor-patient encounter, is shaped by the same tensions. Hamilton writes that the tendency to trust one’s colleagues is not a rebellion against medicine. “It’s a reflex of democracy,” and it’s something he has personally experienced as a survivor of severe traumatic brain injury. Read more about Hamilton’s story about what the French philosopher’s analysis of 19th-century American culture has taught him about his own recovery.
Wildfire pollution linked to increased stroke risk
Increased exposure to pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter during the 2023 Canadian wildfires was associated with both a higher risk of stroke and more severe strokes, according to a research summary to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Chicago next month. Researchers analyzed EPA data on air quality downwind of the Ozone Fire in Camden, New Jersey, and found particulate matter levels spiked during the fire compared to the same day a year earlier.
On days when ozone levels were above average, the number of strokes per day averaged 1.25, compared to 0.93 on days when ozone levels were below average. And on days when the ozone layer was high, there were more hemorrhagic (bleeding, not clotting) attacks, plaque buildup, and hardening of major arteries.
This is the latest in a series of studies to illustrate the stark link between wildfires and health. A separate study earlier this year found that wildfire smoke pollution is linked to 24,100 American deaths annually.
what we are reading
-
Delays in award and funding calls worry researchers funded by the NIH, Science
-
New once-a-day pill brings hope to HIV’s ‘forgotten people’, NPR
- Virginia lawmaker pushes new approach to Prescription Drug Affordability Commission STAT
- Parents are spending millions to optimize their baby’s microbiome, Wall Street Journal
- Moderna pays Roivant up to $2.25 billion to settle patent lawsuit over mRNA vaccine, STAT
