Not Every Veteran Comes Home With PTSD. Can The Ones Who Don’t Teach Us Enough To Help The Ones Who Do?

The New York Times: I’m A Veteran Without PTSD. I Used To Think Something Was Wrong With Me.
A few years ago, my husband, Chris, who survived four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, was killed by an avalanche in Colorado. I am an Army veteran who was deployed to combat zones twice, in 2005 and 2008, without any serious lingering psychological ramifications. But I thought my husband’s death, that New Year’s Eve day, would be the final trigger for post-traumatic stress disorder; it would be what sent me over the edge. The next few months were filled with sleeplessness and drinking, but also exercising and thoughtful introspection as I scoured self-help books and sought therapy. I never had trouble getting out of bed in the morning, and I continued to make it to work on time. I was sad yet functional. (Thomas, 5/30)

Stat: The Surgeon Had A Dilemma Only A Nazi Medical Text Could Resolve 
Scholars and physicians have long debated the use of Nazi medical data, in particular from experiments on hypothermia and phosgene gas (data collected by exposing Jewish prisoners to freezing and poisoning). The U.S. military even redesigned Army flak jackets based on Nazi data so downed airmen had a better chance of surviving the cold, said Dr. Michael Grodin of Boston University School of Public Health, an expert on Nazi medicine and co-author of the Surgery paper. (Begley, 5/30)

The New York Times: An Experimental Ebola Cure May Also Protect Against Nipah Virus
An experimental drug has protected monkeys against infection with Nipah virus, a lethal disease and emerging pandemic threat for which there is no approved vaccine or cure, scientists reported on Wednesday. The antiviral drug, remdesivir, is also being tested against the Ebola virus in the outbreak now underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The only current treatment for Nipah virus infection is a monoclonal antibody that is still experimental; it was tested during an outbreak in India last year. (McNeil, 5/29)

The New York Times: Your Surgeon’s Childhood Hobbies May Affect Your Health
Could you tie a series of square knots around the neck of a teaspoon without, even slightly, moving the teaspoon? How about using tweezers to extract a grape from inside a roll of toilet paper, without piercing the grape’s skin or touching the sides of the roll? Aspiring surgeons should have the dexterity to accomplish such tasks. But increasingly, they don’t. (Murphy, 5/30)

The Associated Press: Tracking Microbes People Carry May Predict Future Health
We share our bodies with trillions of microbes that are critical to staying healthy, but now scientists are getting a much-needed close look at how those bugs can get out of whack and spur disease. One lesson: A single test to see what gut bacteria you harbor won't tell much. Research published Wednesday found repeat testing spotted the microbial zoo changing in ways that eventually may help doctors determine who's at risk of preterm birth, inflammatory bowel disease, even diabetes. (5/29)

Stat: NIH-Backed Research Examines The Microbiome's Link To Diabetes And More
For the last seven years, Michael Snyder has meticulously tracked his microbiome, monitoring how much glucose and how many proteins from immune cells were in his blood and which bacteria were living in his nose and gut — as he became diabetic, got his diabetes under control, and then lost that control. And now, that research on his own gut — and similar tracking for more than 100 other participants in a major study he led as part of the NIH-backed Human Microbiome Project — is being made public this week in Nature and Nature Medicine, along with two other major microbiome analyses. (Sheridan, 5/29)

NPR: Teasing And Bullying Kids About Their Weight Is Linked To Increased Weight Gain
School can be tough on kids who have overweight or obesity. They're often cruelly teased and bullied. And this type of bullying may lead to long-term consequences, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatric Obesity. The study, conducted by researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., found that making fun of kids for their weight is linked to increased weight gain well into adulthood — and the more teasing that kids and teens experience, the more weight they may gain. (Neilson, 5/30)

The Associated Press: Girl Believed To Be Tiniest Newborn Weighed As Much As Apple
When she was born, the baby girl weighed about the same as an apple. A San Diego hospital on Wednesday revealed the birth of the girl and said she is believed to be the world's tiniest surviving micro-preemie, who weighed just 8.6 ounces when she was born in December. (5/29)

WBUR: Safe Or Scary? The Shifting Reputation Of Glyphosate, AKA Roundup
In three civil cases so far, U.S. juries have ordered Roundup's inventor, Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, to pay enormous damages to cancer survivors. Thousands more lawsuits have been filed.For this chemical, and for Monsanto, it's a stunning change in fortunes. (Charles, 5/30)

Kaiser Health News: A Doctor Speaks Out About Ageism In Medicine
Society gives short shrift to older age. This distinct phase of life doesn’t get the same attention that’s devoted to childhood. And the special characteristics of people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond are poorly understood. Medicine reflects this narrow-mindedness. In medical school, physicians learn that people in the prime of life are “normal” and scant time is spent studying aging. In practice, doctors too often fail to appreciate older adults’ unique needs or to tailor treatments appropriately. (Graham, 5/30)

NPR: 10,000 Steps Per Day? Fitness Trackers Push It, But How Many Do You Really Need?
There's nothing magical about the number 10,000.In fact, the idea of walking at least 10,000 steps a day for health goes back decades to a marketing campaign launched in Japan to promote a pedometer. And, in subsequent years, it was adopted in the U.S. as a goal to promote good health. It's often the default setting on fitness trackers, but what's it really based on? (Aubrey, 5/29)

Kaiser Health News: The Unexpected Perk Of My Group Pregnancy Care: New Friends
I had always imagined going through pregnancy surrounded by family and friends. But when I found out I was pregnant, my husband, Alex, and I had just moved from San Francisco to Chicago. I knew almost no one. I ended up finding a community where I least expected it: at a medical office. (Gold, 5/30)