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World Health Organization official publicly criticizes China’s lack of transparency and unwillingness to collaborate in determining the origination of the Covid-19 outbreak. Lack of data disclosure is highlighted as the most egregious transgression during this probing process.

The United States National Institute on Aging is making advances toward building a large-scale Alzheimer’s Disease database in order to improve, support, and further dementia research ambitions. This data platform, aimed at transforming the research landscape, has a price tag of about $300 million.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador penned a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting increased efforts of controlling outgoing shipments of fentanyl. The letter also outlined a desire of acquiring information from China on when and where fentanyl was being sent, as well as how much and by whom.

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay out $8.9 billion to settle various talcum powder lawsuits. These soon-to-be settled lawsuits allege the infamous talcum powder played a significant role in developing ovarian cancer, or mesothelioma, which affected the lungs among other targeted organs.

Sudden closures of Massachusetts nursing homes results in displacement, concern, and criticism as advocates for the elderly and disabled search for answers. The racing pace of closure caused a lack of options and jarring experience for the affected elderly and disabled being forced to move.

Global infertility affects an alarming 1 in 6 people

Global prevalence of lifetime infertility has hiked to a frightening number at 17.5%, which affects around 1 in every 6 people. The WHO report, which they described as the first of its kind in a decade, includes an analysis of infertility data from 1990 through 2021 which came from 133 previously published studies on the subject matter.

• According to the WHO, rates of infertility – defined as not being able to conceive after a year of having unprotected sex – are similar across all countries and regions.
  
  
• Lifetime prevalence of infertility does not differ by income classification of countries. Lifetime prevalence was 17.8% in high- income countries and 16.5% in low- and middle-income countries, showing an insignificant jump between classes.
  
  
• “People in the poorest countries were found to spend a significantly larger proportion of their income on a single cycle of IVF or on fertility care compared with wealthier countries,” Dr. Gitau Mburu, a scientist of fertility research at WHO, said, “exemplifying that this is an area with high-level risk of inequality in access to health care.”

Dr. Pascale Allotey, director of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research Department at WHO states: “Infertility is an important public health concern because it can have wide-reaching negative impacts on the lives of the people affected,” she said. “WHO is calling for universal access to affordable high-quality fertility care, improved data to enable infertility to be meaningfully addressed in health policy and programs, and greater efforts to ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research and policy.”

In the United States, the traditional fee-for-service model has dominated physician payment for decades. However, this model has been criticized for encouraging overutilization of services and prioritizing quantity over quality of care. In response, the healthcare industry has been undergoing a transition towards payment reform, aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of care while controlling costs. This shift has significant implications for physician payment and the broader healthcare system. In this article, we will explore the key drivers, challenges, and potential benefits of payment reform on physician payment.

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Setting our sights on soaring gun violence

A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked a ban on the abortion pill mifepristone that was imposed by the state legislature. The law made it illegal for doctors to prescribe the pill, also known as RU-486, for abortions after seven weeks of pregnancy. The judge’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood, which argued that the law was unconstitutional and would force women to undergo more invasive and risky surgical abortions. The judge’s ruling will remain in place while the case is being litigated in court.

Key takeaways

• Mifepristone is a medication that is often used in combination with another drug, misoprostol, to end a pregnancy in its early stages. Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, which is necessary for a pregnancy to continue, and causes the lining of the uterus to break down. This makes it easier for the uterus to expel the pregnancy tissue. Mifepristone is typically prescribed by a healthcare provider and can be taken at a medical facility or at home under supervision. It is considered a safe and effective method of abortion, but its use has been subject to legal restrictions in some states.
  
  
• The lawsuit from anti-abortion advocates claims that the drug is not safe and that the FDA didn’t study it enough to approve it.

By the digits

• >60 countries have access to the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol.
  
  
• Up to 70 days or less since the first day of their last period before the drug is ineffective in ending pregnancy.
  
  
• 99.6% effective method when used to end a pregnancy.
  
  
• 0.0005%: death rate associated with mifepristone use.
  
  
• 0.3% of patients experience major adverse events like blood loss, hospitalization or a significant infection.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

A 34-year-old elementary school teacher comes to the office because of a 1-month history of worsening right upper quadrant abdominal pain and discomfort. She describes the pain as a dull ache and says it is not affected by eating or defecating. She has not had nausea or changes in appetite or bowel habits. She feels the pain constantly while she is awake, but it rarely keeps her from sleeping. Acetaminophen provides occasional relief. She has been otherwise healthy. Medical history is unremarkable and her only other medication is an oral contraceptive. Vital signs are normal. Abdominal examination discloses hepatomegaly but no palpable masses or evidence of cirrhosis. Results of liver function tests and serum αfetoprotein concentration are within the reference ranges. Serologic studies for hepatitis B and C are negative. Ultrasonography of the abdomen shows a 4×4-cm mass in the right lobe of the liver.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

The findings of a new study suggest that even healthy men who have sleep apnea may experience cognitive issues. The study, which involved over 800 men with an average age of 49 who did not have any memory or thinking problems at the beginning of the study, found that those with sleep apnea had a greater risk of experiencing cognitive decline, even when they did not have other health issues such as obesity, hypertension, or diabetes.

According to a new study, gender differences can influence obesity in men and women in different ways, with results highlighting the need for gender-specific approaches to obesity prevention and treatment. In women with obesity, changes in the brain tended to be centered on regions related to emotions, while in men with obesity, the changes tended to be found in regions that play a role in gut sensations, such as how hungry or full a person feels, the study found.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported two cases of babies born with COVID-19-related brain damage in which the babies were born to women infected with the virus during pregnancy. One of the babies died shortly after birth and had severe brain damage and inflammation while the other baby survived but had moderate to severe brain damage.

New findings by the FDA have resulted in its decision to withdraw its approval of Makena, a drug approved over a decade ago to reduce the risk of preterm birth. This drug, which is the only medication currently approved to treat this condition, was determined to be ineffective, and the benefits did not outweigh the risks.

Thank you for reading! More next week,

My best wishes for a productive and idea-filled week ahead. Thanks for your ongoing efforts to improve the lives of the patients we all serve. Please send any news, comments, suggestions and ideas to hello@morningmed.email.

Quiz answer: The correct answer is A) "Hepatic adenoma"

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