Friday, April 26, 2024 – KFF Health News

Washington Post: Restoring vision is now possible with optogenetics

Several companies are experimenting with optogenetics to create a “bionic eye” that could restore vision in blind people. (Zaleski, 4/23)

North Carolina Health News: The rise of mega-hospitals

When it comes to developments, it seems hospitals can’t get enough of it. Across the country, a wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions in recent years has created billion-dollar hospital giants that serve large segments of the population. (Crouch, 4/22)

Washington Post: Dentist finds ancient human jawbone in her parents’ tile floor

A dentist was visiting his parents’ newly-renovated home in Europe when he noticed something strange: something like a human mandible embedded in one of the floor tiles in a corridor leading to the terrace. It was cut at an angle, including a cross section. Some teeth. Not sure what action to take, the dentist posted a photo of the discovery on Reddit. The Internet was filled with excitement, interest and ick. (Johnson, 4/23)

New York Times: For postpartum and pregnancy care, a brand turns to a porn star

Mom and baby care brand Frida is working with Asa Akira, a famous porn actress, to create educational videos about its products. (Gupta, 4/16)

Wall Street Journal: The father of nutrition labels doesn’t count calories and loves ice cream

Peter Barton Hut doesn’t care what food you buy, as long as you know what’s in it. They introduced America to nutrition labels, the fine print on food and drinks that tell, say, the number of calories in that pint of vanilla ice cream or how much fruit juice is actually in that “juice drink.” He also dictated the size of the label type: no smaller than 1/16th of an inch. From a historical perspective, the Hutt has left a mark more than few humans have. In the five decades since the Food and Drug Administration wrote the rules, these labels have appeared on millions—billions—perhaps billions—of consumer products. (White, 4/25)

New York Times: Losing a Leg Never Helped Him, Until He Tried to Join the Army

Hannah Cavankara dreams of becoming an Army nurse and she has been trying to achieve that dream for more than a decade. But every time she applies she is rejected. It’s not that the 28-year-old can’t handle the job. She is now working as an emergency department nurse at a civilian Level II trauma hospital in Spokane, Washington, treating car accident victims, drug abusers, children suffering from seizures, and whatever else comes through the door. Comes from, takes care of him. (Philips, 4/25)

New York Times: Belgian Man’s Drunk Driving Defense: His Body Made Alcohol

A man was charged with driving under the influence after crashing his truck and dumping 11,000 salmon on a highway in Oregon. Another was secretly recorded by his wife, who was convinced that he was an alcoholic. And in Belgium, a brewery worker was recently pulled over and given a breathalyzer test, which revealed that his blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit for drivers. Problem? None of them had consumed alcohol. Instead, they were all diagnosed with a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome, in which a person’s gut ferments carbohydrates into ethanol, effectively making alcohol inside the body. (Watkins, 4/23)

Statistics: Next-generation bed nets save 25,000 lives in pilot study

The fight against malaria is a test of human intelligence against mosquitoes – and so far, our little winged enemy is winning. But new results shared this week show substantial improvements in one of the most important tools we have for preventing the life-threatening disease: bed nets. (Marelli, 4/17)

New York Times: It introduced Ozempic to the world. Now it has to rebuild itself

Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen has a problem: Too many people want what he’s selling. Mr Jorgensen is chief executive of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk. The company may not be a household name, but the TV jingle for its best-selling drug – “Oh-oh-oh, Ozempic!” – You may have ringing in your ears. Across the United States, Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Vegovy, have reached celebrity status and helped make the company Europe’s most valuable public firm. Due to this, sufficient medicines are not made. (Nelson, 4/20)