NBC News: Flu Hospitalization Rate Nearly Doubled During Thanksgiving Week, CDC Reports
The number of people hospitalized with flu nearly doubled during Thanksgiving week — 19,593 compared to 11,378 people admitted to the hospital the week prior. Of the people hospitalized with flu, most were aged 65 or older. (Edwards, 12/2)

Bloomberg: Flu Hospital Admissions Skyrocket, Worst Since 2009 Season
This year’s outbreak is so far most severe for adults ages 65 and older, who are being admitted at the highest rates seen this early in the season since at least 2009, according to CDC data. Small children are also being hit harder than other age groups, with hospitalization rates climbing to 28.4 per 100,000 children ages 4 and under. (Muller and John Milton, 12/2)

Axios: Worst Flu Outbreak In More Than A Decade Spikes Hospitalizations
Public health experts say that masking and other pandemic precautions largely kept influenza at bay over the past two years and disrupted its seasonal spread. But the return to pre-pandemic life has left us "immunologically naïve" and more susceptible to infections. (Bettelheim, 12/5)

Across the U.S., flu and RSV are wreaking havoc on hospitals —

Anchorage Daily News: Hospital Pediatric Units Around Alaska Are Packed As Flu, RSV Make Rounds
“All the hospitals are full of sick, wheezing kids,” said Dr. Matt Hirschfeld, a pediatrician at Alaska Native Medical Center who sits in on daily, statewide hospital calls focused on pediatric care capacity. (Berman, 12/4)

Los Angeles Times: California Reporting Very High Flu Levels, Among Worst In U.S. 
The California Department of Public Health classifies all of Southern California as having high flu levels, while Central and Northern California are rated moderate. Flu is the reason for nearly 4% of hospitalizations each week at Kaiser’s Northern California facilities, the highest in any of the prior four flu seasons. (Lin II, 12/3)

AP: New Mexico Issues Public Health Order Amid RSV Case Surge
New Mexico health officials are mandating hospitals revert to a “hub-and-spoke” model to ensure patients get the care they need amid an alarming rise in respiratory infections among children. The New Mexico Department of Health announced the public health emergency order Thursday as hospitals continue to be stretched thin by pediatric cases of respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. It calls for hospitals to work cooperatively to manage their resources and transport patients to where they can get the most appropriate level of care. (12/2)

: Oklahoma Seeing High Rates Of Flu Positivity, RSV Cases Slowing
The state had relatively mild flu seasons for the last few years, likely due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions. But with safety measures like masking now tossed to the wayside, the flu and other respiratory viruses kept at bay are circulating once again. (Branham, 12/3)

AP: Indiana Governor Out Of Hospital After Pneumonia Treatment 
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has returned home after being hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia, his office said Saturday. The 54-year-old Holcomb was diagnosed with pneumonia after going to a doctor on Thursday believing he was ill with the flu, according to his press secretary, Erin Murphy. (12/3)

The Washington Post: Covid Hospitalizations Rising Post-Thanksgiving After An Autumn Lull 
A post-Thanksgiving uptick in covid-19 patients at U.S. hospitals is arriving even as health systems contend with waves of feverish, coughing people stricken with RSV and influenza infections. Covid hospitalizations last week reached their highest level in three months, with more than 35,000 patients being treated, according to Washington Post data tracking. National hospitalizations had stagnated throughout fall but started rising in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. All but a few states reported per capita increases in the past week. (Nirappil and Dupree, 12/4)

News4Jax.com: COVID-19 Cases Spike Across Florida After Thanksgiving Holiday
Some Northeast Florida counties have seen a spike in COVID-19 cases following the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Florida Department of Health. Across Florida, FDOH reported 18,761 new cases this week, which is unlikely to include people who test themselves at home. St. Johns and Nassau counties have the two highest positivity rates in the state. (Parker, 12/3)

Tulsa World: COVID-19: Thanksgiving Week Data Reflects Infection Spike
Data from Thanksgiving week reflect a substantial spike in the state’s COVID-19 infection activity. New weekly cases were up by more than 600, which pushed the seven-day new case average up by 90. Active cases were up by more than 800, and the three-day hospitalization average in the Tulsa region was up by 17. (Bishop-Baldwin, 12/5)

NBC Chicago: After Thanksgiving, Illinois Sees Highest Single-Day COVID Case Total Since Summer
Amid concerns that a spike in COVID cases could occur after the Thanksgiving holiday, Illinois officials reported their highest single-day total since the summer. According to metrics from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state reported 5,724 cases of the virus on Wednesday, the highest number of cases reported in a single day since Aug. 11. (11/30)

The Boston Globe: The Level Of Coronavirus Detected In Mass. Waste Water Just Shot Up
Officials say waste water data from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority can be an early warning signal, detecting changes in the number of COVID-19 infections before people get tested and the results officially reported. (Mohammed, 12/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Bay Area Wastewater Samples Show Big Surge Is Under Way
Surveys of coronavirus levels in Bay Area wastewater suggest another COVID-19 surge is not only under way but may top last summer’s omicron BA.5 wave in the number of people infected. (Vaziri and Kawahara, 12/2)

CIDRAP: 42% Of US Adults Likely Have Had COVID, But Almost Half Of Them Say They Didn't
Serologic testing of US adults finds that nearly 42% have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies indicating previous infection, but about 44% of them said they never had COVID-19, according to a study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Van Beusekom, 12/2)

In other research —

CIDRAP: 11% Of COVID-19 Survivors Have Residual Lung Damage, Study Finds
A new study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reveals about an 11% incidence of residual lung damage—known as interstitial lung disease—after COVID-19 hospitalization. Interstitial lung disease is a broad category of lung damage and disease defined by fibrotic scarring. The damage is often irreversible. (12/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Virus Can Live On Certain Groceries “For Several Days,” Report Finds
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can live on some groceries for days, according to new laboratory tests by the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency. The research, conducted at the University of Southampton, was commissioned by the FSA as a follow-up to a 2020 study measuring the risk of surface transmission. (Vaziri and Kawahara, 12/2)

On covid variants —

Reuters: Drop In COVID Alertness Could Create Deadly New Variant, WHO Says
Lapses in strategies to tackle COVID-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new variant to emerge, as parts of China witness a rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday. The comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mark a change in tone just months after he said that the world has never been in a better position to end the pandemic. (Satija, 12/2)

Bloomberg: Omicron Covid Strain Likely Developed In West Africa, Study Shows
Omicron, the current dominant coronavirus strain, likely originated in West Africa even though it was first identified in the south of the continent, according to a study led by South Africa’s Stellenbosch University and Charite -Universitatsmedizin Berlin. (Sguazzin, 12/2)

On long covid —

CIDRAP: Almost Half Of COVID Patients Globally Had Symptoms At 4 Months
A meta-analysis led by University of Leicester researchers in the United Kingdom shows that nearly half of COVID-19 survivors around the world still had symptoms an average of 4 months later, regardless of whether they had been hospitalized. (12/2)

North Carolina Health News: A Glimmer Of Hope At UNC Clinic Re: Long COVID
Tony Marks in Pinehurst and Brooke Keaton in Charlotte both lived orderly, productive lives two years ago. That was clearly reflected in their steady jobs and close family ties. However, their experiences with the long-term effects of infection with the COVID-19 virus have touched and in many cases devastated nearly every other aspect of each of their days. (Goldsmith, 12/5)

On covid funding —

The Wall Street Journal: Billions In Covid Aid Went To Hospitals That Didn’t Need It
When Covid-19 struck, the U.S. government gave hospitals tens of billions of dollars to help them cope with the strains of the pandemic.Many of the hospitals didn’t need it.The aid enriched some well-off systems, while failing to meet the needs of many that were struggling, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal financial-disclosure reports. (Evans, Whyte and McGinty, 12/4)

Politico: Defense Bill Could Roll Back Covid Vaccine Policy, Top Dem Says
Final defense legislation set to be unveiled next week could undo the Pentagon’s policy of kicking out troops for not taking the Covid vaccine, the Democratic chair of the House Armed Services Committee said Saturday. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said a rollback of the policy is on the table for a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, but hasn’t been decided yet. (O'Brien and Bender, 12/3)

AP: Keep COVID Military Vaccine Mandate, Defense Chief Says 
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he wants to keep the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place to protect the health of the troops, as Republican governors and lawmakers press to rescind it. This past week more than 20 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the administration remove the mandate, saying it has hurt the U.S. National Guard’s ability to recruit troops. Those troops are activated by governors to respond to natural disasters or unrest. (Copp, 12/4)

More on the vaccine rollout —

The Times Of Israel: Side Effects Of COVID Vaccines Often 'Psychosomatic': Israeli Peer-Reviewed Study 
New Israeli research suggests that side effects from COVID vaccines are frequently psychosomatic — a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. The more hesitant people are about taking the vaccine, the more likely they are to feel side effects, according to a peer-reviewed study that was published on Monday. (Jeffay, 12/5)

CNBC: Study: Exercise May Increase The Effectiveness Of Covid-19 Vaccines
Having the most protection from severe outcomes following Covid-19 infection is largely attributed to vaccination. But, the shot’s effectiveness may be enhanced by physical activity, a new study found. Elevated levels of physical activity appeared to be associated with higher effectiveness from the primary series of the Covid-19 vaccination, according to new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. (Onque, 12/4)

NBC News: Why So Few People Over 65 Gotten New Covid Booster Shots, Despite Their Risk
Around 85% of Covid deaths in the last four weeks were among people ages 65 and up, according to an NBC News analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But just 31% of that group has gotten updated booster shots. (Bendix, 12/2)

Reuters: Judge Blocks Indiana Abortion Ban On Religious Freedom Grounds
A second Indiana judge on Friday blocked the state from enforcing its law banning most abortions after Jewish, Muslim and other non-Christian women challenged it in a lawsuit. Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch issued a preliminary injunction against the Republican-backed law, which prohibits abortions with limited exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities or a serious health risk to the mother. The plaintiffs have argued that the measure infringes on religious freedom protected by another state law. (12/2)

AP: Indiana Judge Won't Block Probe Over 10-Year-Old's Abortion
Indiana’s Republican attorney general can keep investigating an Indianapolis doctor who spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio, a judge ruled Friday. An attempt to block a probe by Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office was rejected by Marion County Judge Heather Welch. (Davies, 12/2)

In other abortion news —

The Boston Globe: Antiabortion Forces Push Local Bans In States With Legal Access
When the City Commission in Clovis, N.M., scheduled a discussion of a proposal aimed at restricting abortion access within the community, attendance at the meeting was expected to be so high the mayor announced he’d give city residents preference to get in the room. So the out-of-state antiabortion activist whose organization was backing the ordinance, Mark Lee Dickson, didn’t take any chances. A Texas resident, Dickson leased a property for a few days, he told the Globe, so he could say that he was a resident when he spoke at the meeting. (Villa Huerta, 12/3)

Politico: Some Republicans Say The Midterms Were A Mandate For Further Abortion Restrictions
Many GOP lawmakers who sailed to victory in states with anti-abortion laws balk at the idea that Democrats’ focus on abortion rights is evidence the left’s message resonated with voters. Instead, they’re taking their electoral victories as a mandate to pass additional abortion restrictions. “South Carolina had a huge red tidal wave in this election. We flipped eight seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives … We all ran on pro-life,” said South Carolina Republican Rep. John McCravy, who spearheaded efforts this summer to prohibit abortion in most cases starting at conception. “If anything, we need to ramp our efforts up.” (Messerly, 12/3)

The New Yorker: An Anti-Abortion Activist’s Quest To End The Rape Exception
Rebecca Kiessling has made a career as an attorney and a pro-life activist by leveraging her experience as a child of rape who narrowly “survived” abortion. Her main targets are rape exceptions, the legal provisions that allow pregnant victims special access to the procedure. “I believe I am the living embodiment of what is at stake,” she has said. (Orbey, 12/5)

Wyoming Public Radio: Inside The Only Clinic Providing Abortions As Wyoming's Trigger Ban Goes To The State Supreme Court
Phones rang and patients filed through the waiting room at the Women’s Health & Family Care Clinic in Jackson on Nov. 30. It was a typical Wednesday at the clinic, the only place that administers abortions in Wyoming. (Merzbach, 12/2)

In other reproductive health news —

NPR: Male Birth Control Research Is Starting To Make Progress
"We would like to create a menu of options for men similar to what women have available to them," says Stephanie Page, a researcher and endocrinologist at the University of Washington. (Barber and Muraskin, 12/4)

C-HIT.ORG: After Stillbirth, Undocumented Woman Organizes Partnership To Help Others Find Better Care
When Laura Garcia was pregnant with her third child, a boy she named Matias, she had symptoms that made her uneasy. Her nails turned purple, her feet were swollen and she was vomiting. Undocumented and uninsured, she sought care in a community clinic. “They told me it’s normal,” said Garcia of Norwalk. (Jones, 12/4)

CNN: Pain Relief From Marijuana May Come From Believing It Helps, Study Says
Some people suffering pain from cancer and other chronic diseases turn to marijuana to ease their suffering, but much of that relief may come from simply believing weed will help, a new study found. (LaMotte, 12/2)

On marijuana and cannabis use among children —

ABC News: Poison Center Reports For Child Marijuana Use Rose 245% In Last 20 Years: Study
Between 2000 and 2020, reports to poison centers for child and teen marijuana use increased by 245%, according to a new study from the Oregon Health and Science University. (Manickam, 12/5)

Los Angeles Times: 7 Van Nuys Pupils Released From Hospital Amid Investigation
Seven Van Nuys Middle School students who were taken to hospitals Thursday after reporting “medical complaints” have been discharged and are listed as stable, but authorities have yet to determine what sparked the medical emergency. ... LAFD Capt. Erik Scott said Thursday it was possible the Van Nuys students ingested marijuana-infused products, or “edibles,” but the incident remains under investigation. (Hernandez, 12/2)

On the drug-abuse crisis in America —

The Washington Post: Drugs Killed 8 Friends, One By One, In A Tragedy Seen Across The U.S.
Oct. 2, 2013, was not the day the drug epidemic reached Greenville. But beginning with Jackson’s death that day, a group of at least 16 young men and women who grew up together in this small eastern North Carolina city would succumb to overdoses of opioids and other drugs over nine years. More of their peers became addicted or overdosed but managed to survive. (Bernstein and Smith, 12/2)

The Wall Street Journal: A Military Wife’s Descent Into Meth Addiction—And Her Agonizing Journey Back 
Lauren St. Pierre had the adorable toddler, the successful husband and a new house by the Army base where he worked. Surgeries bestowed the hourglass figure she had always wanted. On a summer day in 2010, Lauren discovered something she wanted more. (Phillips, 12/3)

Iowa Public Radio: Addiction Treatment Proponents Urge Rural Clinicians To Pitch In By Prescribing Medication 
Andrea Storjohann is glad to see that she’s becoming less of a rarity in rural America. The nurse practitioner prescribes medication to dozens of patients trying to recover from addiction to heroin or opioid painkillers. (Leys, 12/2)

KHN: Journalists Discuss Medicaid Rules, Opioid Settlement Funds, And The Public Health Workforce
KHN correspondent Sam Whitehead discussed Georgia’s push for Medicaid work requirements on WABE’s “All Things Considered” on Nov. 28. ... KHN correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed how states are distributing opioid settlement funds on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Nov. 24. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed how public health workers have lost their jobs as CDC Foundation contracts dry up on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Nov. 23. (12/3)

NPR: Mpox, Once Named Monkeypox, Won't Be Renewed As Public Health Emergency In 2023
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would not renew mpox, the virus formerly known as monkeypox, as a public health emergency after January 31, 2023, following a drop in cases. (Ahn, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Biden Administration Poised To Lift Monkeypox Emergency Declaration
“Given the low number of cases today, HHS does not expect that it needs to renew the emergency declaration when it ends on January 31, 2023,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “But we won’t take our foot off the gas — we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine.” (Nirappil, 12/2)

In other mpox updates —

USA Today: Is Monkeypox Still In The US? Cases Drop Amid Vaccine. What's Next?
"The outbreak has been contained, but it's not 'mission accomplished' because the virus is still here," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. (Weintraub, 12/3)

News-Medical.net: Researchers Develop A Polyvalent Lipid Nanoparticle MRNA Vaccine Against Monkeypox Virus
In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* server, researchers developed a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology-based vaccine candidate against the monkeypox virus (MPXV) and evaluated its immunogenicity in animal models. (Mathur, 12/5)

Stat: Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Hit Hospitals After Pandemic Delay
Carlos David Castro Rojas was a healthy 27-year-old engineering student when he fell off a ladder hanging Christmas lights in 2017, breaking his leg and injuring his knee. What was supposed to be a relatively routine surgery at a Baylor Scott & White Health hospital in Dallas ultimately ended with Rojas sustaining a severe brain injury. (Bannow, 12/5)

In other legal news —

AP: Ex-Children's Hospital Doctor Charged With Sex Crimes 
A former medical director of a Virginia hospital that serves vulnerable children has been charged with four felony sex crimes in connection with abuse that authorities say happened at the facility years ago. A grand jury indicted Dr. Daniel N. Davidow of Richmond, a former longtime employee of the Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents, last month, court records show. The records were unsealed Thursday, a local prosecutor announced Friday. (Rankin, 12/2)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Man Arrested For Threatening Boston Doctor
A Texas man was arrested Friday on a federal charge that he left a threatening voicemail message for one Boston doctor who provides care to transgender people, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts. The man, Matthew Jordan Lindner, 38, of the Hill Country town of Comfort, was charged with one count of transmitting interstate threats. Comfort is in Kendall County, about 50 miles northwest of San Antonio. (Martinez, 12/3)

The Boston Globe: Boston Children’s Faced Months Of Death Threats And Hate Mail. Here’s How Staff Members Are Coping
On a Wednesday morning last month, Boston Police swept into Boston Children’s Hospital to investigate the fourth bomb threat at the institution in just four months. They evacuated a building and cordoned off the area, blocking staff from reaching offices and operating rooms. About an hour later, BPD gave the all clear, and life inside the sprawling campus on Longwood Avenue resumed. (Bartlett, 12/3)

More from the health care industry —

Stat: UnitedHealth Is Keeping More Profits, As Your Doctor
Next year, UnitedHealth Group — one of the largest health care companies on the planet — expects to make a lot more money in a relatively simple way: by funneling more of the insurance premiums it collects from workers and taxpayers toward itself. (Herman, 12/5)

The Daily Yonder: Traveling Oral Surgeon Meets Small-Town People Where They Live
When Cesar Martinez started feeling the pain in his mouth, he knew his battle to get his wisdom teeth taken care of would be a tough one. Martinez lives in Newburgh, New York, a city of 29,000 residents about 40 miles north of New York City. Getting to a surgeon who participated in Martinez’ insurance plan meant a 45-minute or longer trip into the city, plus an undetermined amount of time waiting for an appointment. (Carey, 12/3)

Stat: Thirty Madison Quietly Plans Expansion Into Sleep Care With River
In the fight to command the growing market for telehealth, Thirty Madison is staking out new terrain. Over the last year and a half, the 5-year-old digital health startup has been quietly planning to expand into sleep care with a new brand called River. (Palmer, 12/5)

KHN: Assisted Living Facilities Pressed To Address Growing Needs Of Older, Sicker Residents
Assisted living communities too often fail to meet the needs of older adults and should focus more on residents’ medical and mental health concerns, according to a recent report by a diverse panel of experts. It’s a clarion call for change inspired by the altered profile of the population that assisted living now serves. (Graham, 12/5)

The New York Times: How Has The Rising Cost Of Long-Term Health Care Affected You?
Many older Americans in need of long-term care are struggling to afford assisted living facilities, home health aides or nursing homes. Inflation is making these services even more expensive than before. Reporters from The New York Times and Kaiser Health News want to hear from people who are under financial strain because of long-term care. ave you or your relatives run out of money for long-term care? How are you coping financially and ensuring you or your loved ones get the necessary care? (Abelson, 12/2)

KHN: Much Of The CDC Is Working Remotely. That Could Make Changing The Agency Difficult. 
Earlier this year, top leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began a monumental task: turning the sprawling, labyrinthine organization known for its highly specialized, academically focused scientific research into a sleek, flexible public health response agency primed to serve the American public. It’s an attempt to keep the CDC from repeating the mistakes it made while responding to covid-19. But agency veterans, outside public health officials, and workplace organization experts said the current workplace structure could be a major barrier to that goal. Like directors before her, agency head Dr. Rochelle Walensky spends a considerable amount of time away from the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta. The agency has also embraced a workplace flexibility program that has allowed most of its scientists to stay remote. (Whitehead, 12/5)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Tries Out Remote System To Help Fill Prescriptions 
CVS has equipped roughly 8,000 of its more than 9,000 U.S. drugstores with technology that allows pharmacists to review and enter prescription information remotely while still meeting patient-privacy requirements. About 400 of CVS’s 30,000 pharmacists are currently helping prepare prescriptions either at central locations, from their homes or in stores other than where medications will be dispensed, the company said. (Terlep, 12/4)

In other corporate news —

Stat: AAM's Dan Leonard, President Of Generic Drug Lobby, Ousted 
The generic drug industry’s lobbying group, the Association for Accessible Medicines, fired its president Dan Leonard Friday, according to five sources familiar with the decision. David Gaugh will move from his position as executive vice president of sciences and regulatory affairs to be the interim head of AAM, three sources said. (Wilkerson, 12/2)

Reuters: Albertsons Dodges Class Action Over 'Rapid Release' Acetaminophen Claims
Grocery store operator Albertsons Companies Inc has won dismissal of a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of misleading consumers by selling "rapid release" acetaminophen tablets that allegedly dissolved more slowly than its standard version of the over-the-counter pain reliever. (Pierson, 12/2)

More from the pharmaceutical industry —

Reuters: Amgen Says Experimental Obesity Drug Has Promising Durability 
Amgen Inc's experimental obesity drug demonstrated promising durability trends in an early trial, paving the way for a larger mid-stage study early next year, company officials said ahead of a data presentation on Saturday. The small Phase I trial found that patients maintained their weight loss for 70 days after receiving the highest tested dose of the injected drug, currently known as AMG133. (Beasley, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Why You Can’t Find Wegovy, The Weight-Loss Drug 
Novo Nordisk A/S flubbed the launch of its buzzy new weight-loss drug Wegovy, missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and squandering a head start before a rival could begin selling a competing product. (Loftus and Roland, 12/4)

Bloomberg: Nestle’s Vitamins Push Tested By Cost-Of-Living Squeeze
Over the past year, however, with the pandemic easing and a cost-of-living crisis squeezing household budgets, the vitamin business has fallen on harder times. In the US, supplement sales fell 3.3% by units in the year through October, following three consecutive years of growth, according to data provider NielsenIQ. (Afanasieva, 12/4)

In research news —

Stat: Image Altering, Alleged In Stanford Leader's Work, Hardly Rare
In 2004, Mike Rossner and Kenneth Yamada, two top editors at the Journal of Cell Biology, wrote an editorial alerting readers to what they saw as an emerging problem in science: Thanks to Photoshop, researchers could prettify the images in their manuscripts in ways that might cross the line into deception in an effort to clear the bar of peer review. (Marcus and Oransky, 12/2)

The Boston Globe: A New Advance In The Quest To Build Proteins From Scratch Using AI
A Somerville startup and an academic lab in Seattle say they have developed a way to use artificial intelligence to design proteins that don’t exist in nature. Proteins help people move, digest food, and fight infections — to name a few of their numerous functions. They’re also the basis of a nearly $300 billion drug industry for treating cancer, immune diseases, and other conditions. Most of these therapies are only slightly altered versions of natural proteins. And for some scientists, nature is too limiting. (Cross, 12/2)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surge In Georgia
Sexually transmitted diseases — particularly gonorrhea and syphilis — have climbed sharply in Georgia to their highest level in at least a decade, according to government data. Public health officials point to myriad possible reasons, including declining condom use, as they try to address the problem. (Kempner, 12/5)

Columbus Dispatch: Fourth Site Exposed To Measles Announced By Columbus Public Health
Columbus Public Health indicated Saturday that it is investigating a confirmed case of measles in a person who visited a Northland store Thursday, the fourth such public exposure announced as cases continue to spread throughout the area. (Behrens, 12/4)

AP: NY State Health Commissioner Resigning To Return To Harvard 
New York’s state health commissioner will resign Jan. 1 after 13 months in the job to return to Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Mary Bassett said in a statement Friday that she was “leaving now so the next commissioner can have the chance to lead this great department for a full 4-year term under the leadership of Gov. Hochul.” (12/3)

The New York Times: How Hospitals Respond When Mentally Ill People Come In From The Streets
The most famous homeless person in New York in 1987 went by the name Billie Boggs. For a time, she lived on the sidewalk at 65th Street and Second Avenue, where she lay on an air vent for warmth and screamed racial epithets at passers-by. She was observed barefoot in winter and sometimes twirled an umbrella to keep people at a distance. Ms. Boggs, whose real name was Joyce Brown, was taken to Bellevue after Mayor Ed Koch announced a plan to clear the sidewalks of homeless people with severe mental illness. Her initial treatment involved a shot of Haldol, an antipsychotic drug. When she demanded to be released, she emerged as a test case exploring the limits of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations. (Goldstein, 12/2)

Dallas Morning News: UT Dallas Researchers Are Using Virtual Reality To Help Amputees With Phantom Limb Pain
Every morning and night for one month, Dean Peterson donned virtual reality goggles to help him fall asleep. Once a heavy sleeper, he hadn’t slept well since he had his lower left leg amputated in 2005. The carpenter and former Navy combat medic tossed and turned in bed, kept awake by pain where his lower leg was supposed to be. The sensation, known as phantom limb pain, was manageable with the distractions of the day, but the stillness of the night made it hard to ignore. (Wolf, 12/4)

American Homefront Project: For Disabled Kids Of Military Parents, Frequent Moves Can Lead To Schooling, Health Care Gaps 
On weekdays, Lawanda Jenkins wakes up well before dawn. The wife of an Army soldier, Jenkins spends hours helping her 8-year-old daughter Victoria Thomas get ready for school. It’s an exacting morning routine that’s often interrupted by health scares. (Frame, 12/2)

On race and health —

Fox News: Warnings About Skin-Whitening Creams After Woman Suffers Vision Loss Likely Linked To Excess Mercury: Report
Health experts recommend being wary of skin-whitening creams after a Minnesota woman apparently developed peripheral visual loss that may be permanent — likely from exposure of excess levels of mercury in her beauty creams, according to a report. (Sudhakar, 12/2)

Stat: Researchers Need A Better Way To Measure Skin Tone
There’s a growing consensus among physicians and government regulators that pulse oximeters measure oxygen levels less accurately in patients with darker skin and need to be fixed. There’s another problem, however, that needs to be fixed first. Much of the work and research to understand the devices’ shortcomings and devise solutions is focused on race. But the issue with pulse oximeters is not one of race — it’s very clearly one of skin tone. (McFarling, 12/5)

USA Today: Dermatologists Call Out Gap In Medical Training For Patients Of Color
Dermatologist Dr. Jenna Lester remembers being a medical student and rarely seeing Black and brown skin tones in textbooks. Professors would describe how a medical condition would look different on dark skin. “But they didn't have a photo of it," she said. (Hassanein, 12/5)

NBC News: Neurologists Say Accelerated Brain Aging In Black People Can Be Countered By Lifestyle Changes
Black physicians are fascinated but not surprised by recent data that suggests Black people’s brains are likely to age faster than those of other races due to stressors such as racism. However, doctors said lifestyle changes and preventative care could help slow some of the decline. (Bunn, 12/2)

In other health and wellness news —

The New York Times: Who Will Care For ‘Kinless’ Seniors?
Lynne Ingersoll and her cat, Jesse, spent a quiet Thanksgiving Day together in her small bungalow in Blue Island, Ill. A retired librarian, Ms. Ingersoll never married or had children. At 77, she has outlived her parents, three partners, her two closest friends, five dogs and eight cats. When her sister died three years ago, Ms. Ingersoll joined the ranks of older Americans considered “kinless”: without partners or spouses, children or siblings. Covid-19 has largely suspended her occasional get-togethers with friends, too. Now, she said, “my social life consists of doctors and store clerks — that’s a joke, but it’s pretty much true.” (Span, 12/3)

NBC News: Behind The BBL Hype: Why One Influencer Regrets Her ‘Brazilian Butt Lift’
Rachel Velasco remembers walking into the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles last year “screaming and covered in blood” at 3 a.m. Then 23 years old, she said she was in “indescribable agony” at the site of a surgery performed on her just hours earlier. (Tenbarge, 12/2)

Stat: Study: AI Tool To Predict Kidney Damage Less Accurate For Women
The study was a page-turner: Researchers at Google showed that an artificial intelligence system could predict acute kidney injury, a common killer of hospitalized patients, up to 48 hours in advance. The results were so promising that the Department of Veterans Affairs, which supplied de-identified patient data to help build the AI, said in 2019 that it would immediately start work to bring it to the bedside. But a new study shows how treacherous that journey can be. (Ross, 12/5)

Chicago Tribune: Lies About Abortion Have Dictated Health Policy 
During the last 50 years, lies and intentional misinformation have dictated abortion health policy in the U.S. Abortion has been demonized and characterized by utter falsities; it has gone under the radar for far too long. (Tamara Kay And Susan Ostermann, 12/5)

The Colorado Sun: Coloradans Seeking IVF Need Help Getting Health Care Coverage
The American health care system has long been broken, a sentiment I was reminded of when a dear friend shared her struggles securing health insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization in Colorado. (Trish Zornio, 12/5)

The New York Times: The Chronic Illness Debate Is More Mainstream — But Still Mysterious 
One effect of the coronavirus pandemic has been to normalize a debate about mysterious chronic illnesses that previously hovered at the fringes of American public discourse. (Ross Douthat, 12/2)

The New York Times: What Euthanasia Has Done To Canada
In recent years, Canada has established some of the world’s most permissive euthanasia laws, allowing adults to seek either physician-assisted suicide or direct euthanasia for many different forms of serious suffering, not just terminal disease. (Ross Douthat, 12/4)

Stat: Digital Approaches Can Improve Youths' Mental Health Care 
In the face of a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health, urgent measures are needed to help those in need. Many struggling youths and teens do not receive age-appropriate, timely, and affordable mental health care today. (Greg Yap and Derek Xiao, 12/5)

The Star Tribune: Above Average Is Still Failing On Boosters
Seniors are among those most vulnerable to becoming severely ill or dying from COVID, a trend that has accelerated since 2020. "Today, nearly 9 in 10 COVID deaths are in people 65 or older — the highest rate ever," according to a Washington Post analysis published this week. (12/3)

Stat: Congress: Boost Funding For Nutrition Research And Coordination
You are what you eat. Every year, new scientific discoveries make clear that food is critical to health. In recent years, nutrition research trials have shown that a Mediterranean diet reduces cardiovascular disease; ultra-processed foods increase weight gain; omega-3 fatty acids improve IQ in preterm babies; cocoa prevents heart attacks; and vitamin D supplements do — well, almost nothing. (Bill Frist and Dariush Mozaffarian, 12/2)