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The CDC released data Thursday that shows teen use of at least one tobacco product — such as cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches and hookahs — fell to the lowest level since the survey started in 1999. Also, young Instagram users are being warned about sextortion.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
A study this year from the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, intended to inform dietary guidelines for 2025-30, is causing outrage among a group of lawmakers, led by the co-chairs of the Congressional Wine Caucus.
“My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered," Archbishop José H. Gomez said. News from around the nation also includes psychiatric hospital changes in Maryland, meningococcal disease in Texas, and more.
Researchers found that a quick blast of chemotherapy ahead of standard treatment not only improves survival chances but also reduces the chance of the cancer returning.
Novartis, which made more than $6 billion in revenue from the drug last year, says it will appeal the ruling. In other news: A study shows that people with HIV can safely receive donated kidneys from deceased donors who also had HIV.
CIDRAP reports that federal health officials know of 90 cases of Oropouche virus from five states, mostly from Florida, although none of the cases is known to have been sexually transmitted. Plus: Novavax's trial of its covid-flu shot stalls after one of the participants reported nerve damage.
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.
A Senate investigation found the three largest Medicare Advantage insurers have been increasingly denying seniors claims since adopting AI and algorithms to help streamline the approval process, reaching a nearly 1 in 4 denial rate since 2022.
Over 1,500 physicians from the Committee to Protect Health Care PAC, which has endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president, are calling on Republican Donald Trump to release a concrete health care policy plan before the election. Separately, some Republican operatives aren't happy with doctors who are urging their patients to vote.
In the legal filing, made in Texas, the states lay out their case for bringing back restrictions on the medication used in abortions, arguing that easing those restrictions “undermine state abortion laws and frustrate state law enforcement.”
Provisional data from the CDC indicates a 15% drop from the prior 12-month period. Separately, accidental overdoses of fentanyl in San Francisco dropped to a four-year low in September.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the social media company Meta must face lawsuits brought against it by U.S. states, claiming the company's addictive algorithms contribute to mental health problems in teens. Meanwhile, California's Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, mandates menstrual health education for middle and high school students.
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.
Researchers found that 1.4% of adolescents on weight loss medications had a suicide attempt or ideation, compared with 2.3% of children who weren’t taking the medicines. Separately, anxiety is found to be more likely in firstborn and only children.
The Boston Globe reports on findings from researchers at Mass General Brigham who examined "reservoirs" of the covid virus that hide inside people after their acute infections have ended. Also in the news: the KP.3.1.1 variant, more dengue cases in Los Angeles County, an enoki mushroom recall, and more.
The retailer joins CVS and Rite-Aid in closing stores and making other changes as it shores up its business model after a shift in customer habits.
In a study published Tuesday, researchers found that AI algorithms used to predict the decline of patients are largely untested and don't always perform as well as expected. Included in this study was Epic Systems' algorithm, used widely during the covid pandemic, which did not fare well.
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