Supreme Court Appears Skeptical of Challenge to Abortion Pill Access
The Supreme Court seemed likely to preserve access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone (Mifeprex), in the court’s first abortion case since it overturned Roe v. Wade 2 years ago. During oral arguments on Tuesday, justices appeared skeptical of the plaintiffs’ case for a lawsuit that questions whether the FDA overlooked safety concerns when […]
MedPAC Wrestles With How to Fix Deep Flaws in Medicare Advantage Quality Metrics
The methods used to compare quality between one Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and another are so seriously flawed that the system needs an overhaul, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested last week. A commission review has determined the program “is costly and not a good basis for judging quality,” MedPAC principal policy […]
How Are Americans Using Emerging Cannabinoids?
About a quarter of Americans have used emerging cannabinoids — such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN) — in the past year, according to a cross-sectional survey. Among 1,169 participants who completed the poll, 25.2% reported past-year use of these compounds, which have been cropping up after the passage of the 2018 Farm […]
Epinephrine Was First an Asthma Treatment
This is the first in an occasional series on the origin of commonly used medicines. When epinephrine was first discovered at the turn of the 20th century, it was essentially a drug without a disease. In 1894, two British researchers — physician George Oliver and physiologist Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer — discovered that the extract of […]
How plant-derived nutrients can affect the gut and brain
Prebiotics are used to foster the colonisation of beneficial bacteria in the gut. These indigestible dietary fibres are found in plant-derived foods such as onions, leeks, artichokes, wheat, bananas, and in high concentrations in chicory root. They support gut health by promoting the growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria. Researchers have now investigated whether […]
Study Pinpoints Growing Use of Cannabis to Manage Menopause Symptoms
PHILADELPHIA — One in 10 midlife women said they used cannabis in the past month, some of which was to manage menopausal symptoms, a researcher reported here. In a nationally representative sample of U.S. women, ages 45 to 64, 42% said they had ever used cannabis either recreationally or for medical purposes in their lifetime, […]
Low-Dose Semaglutide Can Ease Insulin Need in Early T1D, Small Series Shows
When used very early on in type 1 diabetes, a GLP-1 receptor agonist may help reduce the need for insulin, a small case series suggested. Ten adults with a new type 1 diabetes diagnosis initially received a 0.125-mg dose of weekly semaglutide (Ozempic), which was adjusted up to a maximum of 0.5 mg per week […]
CMS Proposes 3.4% Cut in Medicare Physician Fees for 2024
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a 3.4% cut to the “conversion factor” used to set the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2024, and physician groups are none too happy about it. “The proposed 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) raises significant concerns for medical groups related to its […]
Aspartame Is a ‘Possible’ Carcinogen, WHO Declares
The WHO has declared aspartame, a food additive used frequently in diet soda and other low-calorie beverages, “possibly” carcinogenic to humans, but did not make any changes to its recommendations for maximum daily aspartame consumption. “It is very important to note that this was a hazard identification and not a risk assessment,” Mary Schubauer-Berigan, PhD, […]
Ketone supplements worsen performance in trained endurance athletes, researchers find
Kinesiologists at McMaster University have found ketone supplements, used by some athletes hoping to cross the finish line faster, may in fact worsen performance. The new study, published in the latest print edition of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, tackles contradictory research findings related to the effectiveness of ketone supplements, which […]