Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Surgeons Are Finding Plastic Particles Lodged In Patients' Arteries
Reuters: Plastic Lodged In Arteries May Be Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Disease And Death
Minuscule pieces of plastic lodged in the fatty deposits that line human arteries may be linked with higher risks for heart disease, strokes, and death, Italian researchers reported on Wednesday. Among 304 patients who underwent procedures to clear a major artery in the neck, 58% were found to have microscopic and nanoscopic “jagged-edged” pieces of plastic in the plaque lining the blood vessel, including polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride containing chlorine, Dr. Raffaele Marfella at the University of Campania in Naples and colleagues reported. (Lapid, 3/6)
ABC News: 4 Children Surpass A Year Of HIV Remission After Treatment Pause: Study
Four children born with HIV were able to live virus-free for more than a year after their HIV medication was paused, according to results of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The results of the P1115 study were announced on Wednesday at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), in Denver, Colorado. The study explored the effects of early intensive antiretroviral therapy on achieving HIV remission in babies who acquired the virus before birth. (Salzman, 3/6)
NBC News: After Decades Of Failures, Researchers Have Renewed Hopes For An Effective HIV Vaccine
The world needs an HIV vaccine if it ever hopes to beat a virus that still infects over 1 million people a year and contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Despite 20 years of failures in major HIV vaccine trials — four this decade alone — researchers say recent scientific advances have likely, hopefully, put them on the right track to develop a highly effective vaccine against the insidious virus. But probably not until the 2030s. (Ryan, 3/6)
The Washington Post: For Longevity, Women Need Only Half As Much Exercise As Men, Study Finds
It’s well-established that exercise can help you live a longer and healthier life. Now, a new study suggests that women may require less exercise to get similar longevity benefits as men. The finding is striking because physical activity guidelines for American adults are the same for men and women. But partially because of differences in size, muscle mass and lean body mass, it appears that women can make big gains in longevity while doing about half the exercise men need to do to get the same benefit. (Soong, 3/6)
KFF Health News: When It Comes To Ketamine, Meta’s Posting Policy Is No Party To Decipher
People keep talking about ketamine. The drug has become a favorite of celebrities, billionaires, and ordinary patients, many of whom view it as a potential miracle drug for depression and other mental health conditions. Whether on Facebook or Instagram, patients and clinics alike are giddy about the possibilities. But it is a drug that can be abused and can be deadly. Thus, ketamine is the latest challenge for Meta, the social media platforms’ parent company, which for years has struggled to moderate posts and ads touting health-related products like weight loss supplements and dodgy covid-19 cures. (Tahir, 3/7)
