Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Teens, Young Adults Turning To AI Chatbots For Mental Health Support
CNN: Nearly 20% Of Young People Use AI Chatbots For Mental Health Help
When today’s teenagers and young adults are struggling emotionally, some are turning not only to friends, family members and therapists but also to artificial intelligence. Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults have used AI chatbots for advice or help when they felt upset, nervous or anxious, according to a new study published June 1 in JAMA Pediatrics. (Hetter, 6/11)
CIDRAP: People Who Received Flu Shots 40% Less Likely To Test Positive For Influenza, New Data Show
A new study finds that flu shots were associated with moderate protection against the virus during the 2024-25 flu season. People vaccinated against influenza that season were 40% less likely to test positive for flu than unvaccinated people, according to a study of more than 1.1 million Californians. (Szabo, 6/11)
MedPage Today: Chemo-Free Treatment Effective In Kids With Aggressive Blood Cancer
A chemotherapy-free regimen was safe and effective in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), according to results from a prospective study. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate among all 114 patients in the study was 99.1%, reported Franco Locatelli, MD, PhD, of IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome, during a session at the European Hematology Association annual congress in Stockholm. (Bassett, 6/11)
MedPage Today: Trial: Vitamin K Supplement Curbs Coronary Atherosclerosis
Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) supplementation modestly slowed the progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) for patients in the placebo-controlled VitaK-CAC trial. (Lou, 6/11)
Studies in lifestyle and wellness —
Fox News: Specific Gut Microbe May Help Maintain Weight Loss Goals, Study Reveals
A specific gut microbe could help with long-term weight loss goals. New research published in the journal Nature Medicine tested whether a pasteurized (not live) gut bacterium called Akkermansia muciniphila MucT could help people keep weight off after losing it. (Stabile, 6/11)
The Washington Post: The Midlife Habits That Could Make Or Break Your Brain Health Long-Term
Neuroscientist Miia Kivipelto’s life’s work has been about preventing dementia. Now, at 52, she has begun thinking more about her own vulnerability. “Midlife is the time,” said Kivipelto, a neuroscientist who recently joined the Yale School of Nursing as the inaugural director of its Center for Aging Well in New Haven, Connecticut. “It’s the last best chance to lower risk.” (Eunjung Cha, 6/11)
MedPage Today: Is Microdosing Accutane Safe? Dermatologist Weighs In
While isotretinoin (Accutane) is an incredibly effective acne medication, the intense side effects lead some patients to microdose the medication off-label. Isotretinoin is a very concentrated form of vitamin A that shrinks the sebaceous glands, reducing oil production, and is most often prescribed for acne, explained Raman Madan, MD, a dermatologist with Northwell Health in Glen Cove, New York, in an interview with MedPage Today in which a press person was also present. (Robertson, 6/11)
Also —
The New York Times: The Researcher Who Didn’t Want To Know
On my second visit with Nancy Wexler at her Manhattan apartment, she had a gift for me. It was a copy of her newly published memoir, “My Life, My Science: Pursuing a Cure for Huntington’s Disease.” It had been signed with a stamp of her signature — she isn’t able to sign it herself. Nor could she rise from her brown faux-leather recliner to greet me — she can’t get up unassisted. Speaking requires effort. She can manage at most a few badly slurred words or phrases or, with great difficulty, a short sentence. (Kolata, 6/11)
