Obesity Drugs Show Early Promise Against PMOS
Charlotte Touzalin was still a young teenager when she began struggling with weight gain, abnormal periodsopens in a new tab or window, and unwanted facial hair — the same puzzling symptoms that plagued her mom for decades and that no doctor could piece together. “I’d go home and I’d cry,” said Touzalin, an 18-year-old college […]
GLP-1 Telehealth Platforms Rated by U.S. News
For the first time ever, U.S. News & World Report has released ratings of telehealth platforms offering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. The inaugural ratings evaluated 20 online platforms that offer FDA-approved, brand-name GLP-1 medications, such as semaglutide (Wegovy), tirzepatide (Zepbound), and orforglipron (Foundayo). Overall, 11 of the platforms received top ratings, including Amazon One Medical, Noom, […]
Cannabis inhalation tied to fewer premature heart beats, not more
Clinical takeaway: In a habitual user, inhaling cannabis may not disturb heart rhythm immediately after use. But this doesn’t answer questions around longer-term cardiovascular risks. Cannabis legalization has outpaced the cardiac evidence. Now, it is widely legal and used by millions of US adults, plenty of whom take commercial availability as a kind of clearance […]
Same BMI, less fat: coffee tied to leaner body composition
Clinical takeaway: Habitual coffee intake may track with lower body fat and higher muscle mass, differences that BMI and waist measurements do not capture. Coffee looks metabolically protective, but no one quite understands why. The association with lower rates of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease has held across decades of cohort studies. The potential […]
Whole Foods Recall; RFK Jr.’s Voting Problem; Glass Particles in Biosimilar
Whole Foods Recall Whole Foods has announced the recall of certain jalapeño-containing dips, salsas, and guacamole from Taylor Farms due to potential Salmonella contamination, as noted in an FDA alert. CDC Cyclosporiasis Update The CDC has reported tracking 13,895 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, resulting in 740 hospitalizations, with an additional 10,455 cases currently under investigation. […]
Waist size flags CV risk that BMI finds normal
Clinical takeaway: Consider central adiposity across the full BMI range when estimating cardiovascular risk. A patient in the normal or overweight range with an elevated waist size may warrant closer prevention attention. Central adiposity has been tied to cardiovascular outcomes for years, but the metric on the vitals screen still reduces body composition to a […]
AED Drones; Endometriosis and Blood Clots; Wonky PFO Closure Risk
AED Drones in Cardiac Emergencies A pilot study has introduced drones flying automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to patients during real 911 calls for cardiac arrest in two counties in North Carolina and Virginia, stated VCU Health. Tirzepatide and Cardiovascular Health The cardioprotective benefits of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) in people with type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic […]
Noteworthy Developments in Health and Medicine
Death in Gene-Editing Trial A child has tragically died during a trial of an investigational gene-editing therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy conducted by Shanghai-based HuidaGene Therapeutics. This incident raises important ethical questions about the safety and oversight of gene-editing therapies. Wegovy and Dementia Risk Recent findings indicate that semaglutide (Wegovy) can lower a dementia risk […]
Pediatricians and Health Departments Sidestep Trump’s CDC on Vaccine Guidance
AMHERST, Mass. — For the last 30 years, whenever pediatrician John Snyder, MD, wanted to find the most up-to-date research on treating young patients, he would turn to the CDC. If he wanted to learn more about an outbreak of measles or hantavirus, he would pore over the weekly CDC report that came by email. […]
BMI Aside, Waist Size Matters for Cardiovascular Risks
There were plenty of people whose normal weight belied the higher cardiovascular risk evident in their waist size, according to a pooled analysis of over a dozen cohort studies. Among those with normal weight or overweight measured by body mass index (BMI), a large waist circumference (WC) and a high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were associated […]