The Washington Examiner: Fauci Says No Evidence For Pandemic Guidance On Masking Or Social Distancing
Dr. Anthony Fauci said in congressional testimony that he reviewed no scientific evidence behind the specific recommendations for masking children or maintaining 6-foot social distancing before advocating these policies during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The revelations come from the full transcript, released Friday, of Fauci’s closed-door transcribed interview session in January before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The publication comes days before the former director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is slated to testify in his first public hearing since his retirement in December 2022. (Etzel, 5/31)

The Washington Post: In The Pandemic, We Were Told To Keep 6 Feet Apart. There’s No Science To Support That. 
“It sort of just appeared, that six feet is going to be the distance,” Fauci testified to Congress in a January closed-door hearing, according to a transcribed interview released Friday. Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized the recommendation as “an empiric decision that wasn’t based on data.” Francis S. Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health, also privately testified to Congress in January that he was not aware of evidence behind the social distancing recommendation, according to a transcript released in May. (Diamond, 6/2)

Read the full transcript that was released Friday —

COVID Select Subcommittee Releases Dr. Fauci’s Transcript, Highlights Key Takeaways in New Memo

In related news about the effectiveness of masks —

Maryland Today: N95 Masks Nearly Perfect at Blocking COVID, UMD Study Shows
Any common face mask provides significant protection against the virus that causes COVID-19, but N95 masks are most effective at slashing the amount emitted by infected people, according to a University of Maryland-led study released Wednesday. So-called “duckbill” N95 masks scored highest in the study, which measured the exhaled breath of participants who were tested both masked and unmasked to measure comparative outputs of SARS-CoV-2. The inexpensive masks, which have two head straps and a horizontal seam, captured 98% of exhaled virus, according to the study published in eBioMedicine. (Thompson, 5/31)

The New York Times: Fauci To Face Grilling By Republican Committee On Covid Origins
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the former government scientist both celebrated and despised for his work on Covid, is set to return to Capitol Hill on Monday for a reunion with some of his fiercest antagonists: members of a Republican-led House panel who accuse him of helping to set off the worst pandemic in a century. Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have spent 15 months rooting through emails, Slack messages and research proposals for evidence against Dr. Fauci. In half a million pages of documents and more than 100 hours of closed-door testimony, the panel has so far found nothing linking the 83-year-old immunologist to the beginnings of the Covid outbreak in China. (Mueller and Stolberg, 6/3)

The Washington Post: Fauci’s Legacy Divides Two Doctors Leading Covid Investigation 
As chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic — the only panel in Congress solely devoted to probing a health crisis that left more than 1 million Americans dead — Ohio congressman Brad Wenstrup, a former combat surgeon, has led investigations into the origins of the virus as well as hearings on school shutdowns, vaccine mandates and possible side effects from coronavirus vaccines. He recruited another doctor — California congressman Raul Ruiz, an emergency medicine specialist — to serve as the panel’s top Democrat last year, promising they would be two physicians working together to get answers and accountability. (Diamond, 6/2)

The Hill: What To Know About Anthony Fauci's Fiery Hearing With House GOP
His testimony comes on the heels of two highly contentious hearings before the subcommittee that raised questions over the level of oversight and conduct that went on in his agency. Here’s what to know ahead of what could be a testy hearing. (Choi, 6/2)

Reuters: Texas Top Court Won't Guarantee Right To Abortion In Complicated Pregnancies
Texas' highest court on Friday refused to ensure that doctors in the U.S. state are not prosecuted for abortions they believe are necessary in medically complicated pregnancies, rejecting a lawsuit by 22 patients and physicians. The Texas Supreme Court's decision follows an earlier ruling from the court denying a woman's request for an emergency abortion of a non-viable pregnancy. In both cases, plaintiffs said the medical exception to the state's near-total abortion ban was unclear, and left doctors unwilling to perform medically necessary abortions in the face of severe penalties including potentially life in prison. (Pierson, 6/1)

USA Today: Senate To Vote On Bill That Would Protect Access To Contraception
The Senate will vote on Wednesday on legislation that would protect access to contraception at the national level, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced in a letter to colleagues Sunday. A vote on the bill, which is led by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, is an effort to force Republicans to stake out a position on a hot-button issue during an election year. (Beggin, 6/2)

In other reproductive health news —

NBC News: Male Birth Control Gel Is Safe And Effective, New Trial Findings Show
Every morning for a year and a half, Logan Whitehead, 24, rubbed a clear gel on his shoulders, waited for it to dry, then went about his day as usual. “It was basically like a hand sanitizer solution,” said Whitehead, who lives in Torrance, California. “Smelled like hand sanitizer, looked like hand sanitizer.” The gel wasn’t hand sanitizer, though. It was a hormonal solution meant to block Whitehead’s sperm production. The gel was male birth control. (Hopkins, 6/2)

St. Louis Public Radio: Embryo Rights Push Worries IVF Patients, Doctors In Midwest
For seven years, Jacqueline Brock endured grueling fertility treatments – and all of the emotion that came with it. “I had to stop going to outings with our friends because they’d bring their kids or talk about their kids, and I would just cry,” she said. “I didn't go to a lot of baby showers and things because I couldn't physically handle it.” (Krebs, 6/2)

The Atlantic: A Breakthrough In Preventing Stillbirths
When Mana Parast was a medical resident in 2003, she had an experience that would change the course of her entire career: her first fetal autopsy. The autopsy, which pushed Parast to pursue perinatal and placental pathology, was on a third-trimester stillbirth. “There was nothing wrong with the baby; it was a beautiful baby,” she recalls. We’re not done, she remembers her teacher telling her. Go find the placenta. (Marie Porter, 6/1)

Stat: Physicians Take Medicare Advantage To Task For Rural Patients’ Care Gaps
In January, the Biden administration asked, once again, for ideas on how to improve Medicare Advantage. And it got, once again, a flood of people sharing horror stories about the embattled program when the comment period closed last week. Most of the comments came from doctors, home health and hospice providers, medical device suppliers, and hospitals. Many of the commenters, like the doctors in California, urged CMS to ensure MA plans contract with enough providers so that members don’t have to travel far for care. Others shared the usual concerns: insurers using the prior authorization process to avoid paying bills and underpaying providers. New Biden administration rules around prior authorization and other aspects of MA took effect this year, including the requirement that a prior authorization approval remain valid throughout the full course of an enrollee’s treatment. (Bannow, 6/3)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Pay Bundling Program May Overwhelm Providers: AHA, FAH
Hospital groups say a proposed mandatory Medicare payment bundling program may prove overly burdensome to an industry already working to implement other Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimbursement experiments. Last month, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation requested comments on its Transforming Episode Accountability Model, or TEAM, which would employ episode-based reimbursement for ... procedures at select hospitals for five years starting in 2026. (Early, 5/31)

The Guardian: Delays, Denials, Debt And The Growing Privatization Of Medicare 
Private insurers now cover roughly half of the nation’s 68 million Medicare beneficiaries. Their dominance of this space has grown rapidly over the past two decades – at the expense of patient care, according to healthcare activists and patients, as corporations often deny medical care directed by doctors. (Sainato, 6/3)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ascension Agrees To Investigate 4 Patients' Medical Billing Complaints
The Nelsons' story is among dozens of emails and calls Public Investigator received from Ascension patients after publishing a story about a Milwaukee couple who spent months fighting a medical bill for a checkup. Most involved Medicare users or older adults, and all cited difficulties communicating with Ascension customer service regarding billing errors. (Clark and Fowlkes, 6/3)

In Medicaid updates —

Reuters: Centene CEO Says Its Membership Shifted To Sicker Patients Due To Medicaid Turnover
Health insurer Centene's chief executive said on Friday that turnover in people enrolled in Medicaid plans had led to a shift to sicker patients in its membership, but stood by its 2024 earnings and cost forecasts. Centene CEO Sarah London said that around 30% of Medicaid recipients who lost their membership when re-enrollment started last year had been taken off the list inappropriately. (Niasse, 5/31)

Fierce Healthcare: UnitedHealth Projects Shaky Medicaid Redetermination Aftermath
UnitedHealth is predicting an upcoming “disturbance” among its Medicaid programs as members continue to disenroll after the COVID-19 public health emergency. The company's stock price dropped following CEO Andrew Witty’s remarks at a recent investor conference, with the price still down at the time of publication. Other insurers, like Centene, Molina Healthcare and Elevance Health, have seen their stocks take a dive as well, though Humana’s has since recovered. (Tong, 5/31)

NPR: A Cancer Patient’s Struggle With Georgia Medicaid
Four years ago, Amy Wilson's life and dreams were put in jeopardy when doctors found a cancerous tumor in her brain. She had two choices: forgo chemo and surgery and possibly lose her life or get treatment and figure out how to pay for it later. She ended up having surgery a few weeks before the coronavirus pandemic shut down Georgia and most of the world. Wilson was already on Medicare because of an existing disability, and it covered some of her surgery expenses, but Wilson still struggles to pay for her ongoing care.“My life was good before brain cancer and I miss it,” Wilson said. (Manuel, Martinez, Guevara and Bearne, 6/3)

The New York Times: FDA Reviews MDMA Therapy For PTSD, Citing Health Risks And Study Flaws 
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday raised concerns about the health effects of MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, citing flaws in a company’s studies that could pose major obstacles to approval of a treatment anticipated to help people struggling with the condition. The agency said that bias had seeped into the studies because participants and therapists were readily able to figure out who got MDMA versus a placebo. It also flagged “significant increases” in blood pressure and pulse rates that could “trigger cardiovascular events.” (Jacobs and Jewett, 5/31)

NBC News: Some Drugmakers To Cap Cost Of Asthma Inhalers At $35 A Month
Starting Saturday, the cost of inhalers will fall for many Americans, as new out-of-pocket price caps go into effect for the asthma medications from AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim. Following years of public outcry about the high cost of inhalers, the two drugmakers — along with a third, GlaxoSmithKline —  have committed to capping the out-of-pocket cost at $35 a month. GSK’s cap is expected to take effect by Jan. 1. (Lovelace Jr., Kane and Thompson, 5/31)

On weight loss drugs —

Gizmodo: Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic, Wegovy Might Improve Taste Buds
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular diabetes and obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, can also tweak people’s taste buds for the better, preliminary research suggests. Scientists found that women taking semaglutide improved their taste sensitivity, particularly to sweetness. The findings may illuminate another reason why it and similar drugs can so effectively help people lose weight, the authors say. (Cara, 6/2)

CBS News: For Those Who Wished For "A Magic Fix" For Weight Loss, Ozempic Craze Can Trigger Complicated Feelings
While research has looked at the potential mental health impact of taking semaglutide drugs like Ozempic, less has been discussed on how the increase in these drugs are impacting those who aren't taking them. Heather Young said she's struggled with weight her entire life, telling CBS News that her teen years and early adulthood were filled with trying "one thing after another only to fail again and again and again and just feel so defeated." (Moniuszko, 6/1)

KFF Health News: Journalists Talk Cost Of Weight Loss Drugs And Lack Of Obesity Doctors To Manage Their Use
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (6/1)

CIDRAP: FDA Green-Lights Moderna MRNA RSV Vaccine For Older Adults 
Moderna today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its mRNA vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for people ages 60 and older, bringing the number of approved RSV vaccines to three. The vaccine, called mRESVIA, was granted approval under an FDA breakthrough therapy designation. The vaccine is the second Moderna mRNA vaccine to be cleared by the FDA. In a press release, the company said the vaccine is the only RSV vaccine available in single-dose prefilled syringes, making it easier to administer. (Schnirring, 5/31)

ABC News: Whooping Cough Cases On The Rise, Nearly 3 Times As High As Last Year: CDC
Cases of whooping cough are on the rise across the United States, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. There have been at least 4,864 whooping cough cases reported this year. This is nearly three times higher than the 1,746 cases reported at the same time last year. (Kekatos and March, 5/31)

On bird flu —

AP: Scientists Are Testing MRNA Vaccines To Protect Cows And People Against Bird Flu 
Next month, the U.S. Agriculture Department is to begin testing a vaccine developed by University of Pennsylvania researchers by giving it to calves. The idea: If vaccinating cows protects dairy workers, that could mean fewer chances for the virus to jump into people and mutate in ways that could spur human-to-human spread. (Stobbe and Neergaard, 5/31)

KBIA: MU Researchers Find COVID-19 Can Cause Permanent Eye Damage 
Researchers at the University of Missouri recently published a study showing that COVID-19 can cause long term damage to the eye if left untreated. Dr. Pawan Singh, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, studies ocular infectious diseases. His team recently published “SARS-CoV-2 infects cells lining the blood-retinal barrier and induces a hyperinflammatory immune response in the retina via systemic exposure.” They found that while COVID-19 cannot be contracted through the mucosal membrane of the eye, a COVID infection can cause damage to the eye — things like retinal lesions, microaneurysms in the eye and retinal atrophy. (Smith, 5/29)

SciTechDaily: Scientists Race To Perfect New Oral COVID-19 Treatment Poised To Replace Paxlovid
Researchers at Rutgers believe they are among the lead in developing an oral COVID-19 treatment that could supplement or replace Paxlovid, an antiviral drug that aids in preventing hospitalizations among high-risk patients. Their report, published in the journal Science, shows that an alternative medication, a viral papain-like protease inhibitor, inhibits disease progression in animals, a necessary step before human drug trials. (Rutgers University, 6/2)

On the spread of covid —

CIDRAP: US COVID Markers Show Small Rise In Activity
Most of the rise in wastewater detections was due to a steady rise in the western region, with a very slight increase in the southern region. Test positivity is currently highest in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. (Schnirring, 5/31)

PBS NewsHour: As COVID Precautions Vanish, People With Disabilities Struggle With Safety And Isolation
The pace of COVID fatalities in the U.S. has slowed significantly, with the nation’s death toll standing at more than 1 million people. With precautions like mandatory masking no longer in place, it can seem as if worries about the virus are gone as well. But for many people with disabilities, the threat is still very real. We hear from people in the disability community about their concerns. (Corkery, 6/1)

CIDRAP: Study: Truthful Yet Misleading Facebook Posts Drove COVID Vaccine Reluctance Much More Than Outright Lies Did 
Today in Science, a study shows that unflagged, factual but misleading Facebook posts reduced the intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine 46 times more than did false posts flagged by fact-checkers as misinformation, which the authors say points to the need to consider the reach and impact of content rather than just its veracity. (Van Beusekom, 5/31)

Also —

Reuters: Global Pandemic Treaty To Be Concluded By 2025, WHO Says 
Talks aimed at reaching a global agreement on how to better fight pandemics will be concluded by 2025 or earlier if possible, the World Health Organization said on Saturday. The WHO's 194 member states have been negotiating for two years on an agreement that could increase collaboration before and during pandemics after the acknowledged failures during COVID-19. (6/1)

NBC News: Cancer-Fighting Antibodies Inject Chemo Directly Into Tumor Cells, Upping Effectiveness
By attaching a chemotherapy drug to an antibody, doctors are able to deliver more potent cancer-fighting medicines directly into tumor cells, all while causing fewer side effects. The chemotherapy-antibody combinations, known as antibody drug conjugates, have been described as both heat-seeking missiles and Trojan horses for cancer cells, designed to specifically home in on a patient’s tumor cells and trick them into engulfing the antibodies, along with their deadly payload. (Lovelace Jr., 6/2)

More cancer treatment advancements —

NBC News: Lung Cancer Treatment: Pfizer's Lorbrena Extends Life In Some Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers
Pfizer’s lung cancer drug Lorbrena can extend life for patients with a rare form of the disease for years longer than other drugs, according to new research published Friday. The drug treats a type of non-small cell lung cancer with a genetic mutation called ALK. Non-small cell lung cancers account for about 85% of lung cancer diagnoses, and ALK-positive cancers account for about 4% of those diagnoses — more than 70,000 people every year. (Sullivan and Lovelace Jr., 5/31)

Reuters: Pre-Surgery Treatment With Bristol Myers Combination Therapy Leads To Better Skin Cancer Outcomes 
Treatment with Bristol Myers Squibb's immunotherapies Opdivo and Yervoy prior to surgery for patients whose skin cancer had spread to lymph nodes had better outcomes than those who did not get the drugs before node removal procedures, according to data from a late-stage trial released on Sunday. The study of 423 patients with stage 3 melanoma found that 83.7% of patients who received the immunotherapies before their surgery were alive without the disease worsening after 12-months. (6/2)

FiercePharma: Enhertu Looks To Make History Again In HER2-Ultralow Breast Cancer
After Enhertu pioneered the HER2-low category in breast cancer treatment, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo are now hopeful that the antibody-drug conjugate can reach tumors with an even lower expression of the protein biomarker. In a group of patients with previously treated, HR-positive metastatic breast cancer with low levels of HER2 expression, Enhertu significantly cut the risk of disease progression or death by 37% versus a physician’s choice of chemotherapy, according to results from the DESTINY-Breast06 trial shared Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. (Liu, 6/2)

Other cancer news —

The Washington Post: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Of Texas Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer
Longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she announced on social media Sunday, adding that she expects to be “occasionally absent from Congress” as she undergoes treatment. “My doctors confirmed my diagnosis of pancreatic cancer,” Jackson Lee wrote in a letter shared on X. “I am currently undergoing treatment to battle this disease that impacts tens of thousands of Americans every year.” (Cho, 6/3)

FiercePharma: LGBTQ+ Populations May Face Elevated Cancer Risk: ACS Report
Ahead of Pride Month, the American Cancer Society published a report examining cancer risk in the LGBTQ+ community—concluding with a call to action. (Park, 5/31)

Stat: Palliative Care For Cancer Patients Is Found To Be As Effective Given Virtually As In Person
Comfort can be delivered to patients with advanced cancer virtually just as well as in person, according to a new study presented on Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. That’s welcome news to palliative care experts who have, in many cases, preferred the convenience and efficacy of telehealth sessions for both themselves and their patients since the Covid-19 pandemic forced virtual visits. (Chen, 6/2)

Reuters: Delaware Judge Lets More Than 70,000 Zantac Lawsuits Go Forward
A Delaware judge has allowed more than 70,000 lawsuits over discontinued heartburn drug Zantac to go forward, ruling that expert witnesses can testify in court that the drug may cause cancer. The ruling on Friday by Judge Vivian Medinilla of the Delaware Superior Court in Wilmington is a setback for former Zantac makers GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim, which had argued that the expert witnesses' opinions lacked scientific support. (Pierson, 6/3)

Modern Healthcare: Change Healthcare Hack Notification Requirements Set By HHS
UnitedHealth Group must take responsibility for informing people about privacy breaches resulting from the Change Healthcare cyberattack, the Health and Human Services Department announced Friday. Providers, health insurance companies and other affected entities may direct UnitedHealth Group, which operates Change Healthcare through its Optum subsidiary, to notify their patients, customers and business partners under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. (Berryman, 5/31)

Modern Healthcare: Steward Health Sales Plan Will Be Reviewed: Massachusetts AG
Massachusetts supports Steward Health Care's plans to quickly sell its hospitals in the state, but reserves the right to review those sales, Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a Thursday response to Steward's bankruptcy financing plan. Thursday's court filing asserts Massachusetts' right to ensure a proposed sale meets the state's criteria for operating healthcare facilities, as well as determine how the sale could impact market competition and costs of care. (Hudson, 5/31)

The Boston Globe: Steward Bankruptcy In Court Amid Questions About Who Will Run It
As a bankruptcy court reconvenes Monday to address Steward Health Care’s financing, when its hospitals get sold and who gets the money, three US senators want to bring a new issue into the mix: Who should run the embattled hospital system while it unwinds its operations? The Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, are calling on the US Trustee Program, an arm of the Justice Department, to appoint a special trustee to replace Steward’s management and “claw back” payments they say the company’s top executives “looted” from the hospitals. (Weisman, 6/3)

The Boston Globe: St. Mary’s Home For Children Closing Its Psychiatric Residential Facility By June 7
St. Mary’s Home for Children is temporarily closing its psychiatric residential treatment facility by June 7 and “redeploying qualified staff” six months after the state child advocate reported finding rampant chaos, abuse, and neglect of the children living there. Donna Goulet-Truppi, whose grandchild Trevor endured neglect, had access to sharp objects, and ran away twice over the last year while a resident at St. Mary’s, told the Globe she was “blindsided” by the sudden news Friday. (Milkovits, 5/31)

Colorado Sun: Major Psychiatric Hospital In Grand Junction Will Stay Open — For Now
Just over a month after a western Colorado psychiatric hospital warned it might have to close its doors, its leaders say the facility will remain open, at least for now. Mind Springs Inc., which owns West Springs Hospital, said it signed a new contract with Rocky Mountain Health Plans to help it resolve its financial problems over the next year. (Flowers, 6/3)

Modern Healthcare: Uber Health’s Caitlin Donovan Departs For General Catalyst
Caitlin Donovan, the global head of Uber Health, is leaving the ride-sharing company for venture capital firm General Catalyst, she said Friday on LinkedIn. Donovan has been the global head of Uber Health since April 2021 after arriving from MyOrthos, an orthodontist tech platform company. Uber Health on Friday said the company's head of growth Zachary Clark will be taking over her role. (Perna, 5/31)

Also —

AP: Being A Patient Is Getting Harder In A Strained And Complex US Health Care System
Tamika Davis couldn’t nap on her couch during cancer treatment. She kept worrying one of her toddlers would wander over and pull out the needle delivering chemotherapy. Friends and family watched her kids when they could during her treatment last year for colon cancer. But Davis had gaps with no help because she couldn’t afford child care and didn’t know where to look for assistance. “I did not have the strength nor the energy to try to navigate these things myself,” the San Antonio, Texas, resident said. Patients are not getting enough help dealing with a healthcare system that is growing increasingly complex, according to researchers and other experts in care delivery. (Murphy, 6/2)

KFF Health News: Readers Issue Rx For Clogged ERs And Outrageous Out-Of-Pocket Costs
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (6/3)

Los Angeles Times: Mosquitoes Carrying West Nile Virus Found In L.A. County
Los Angeles County has detected mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus for the first time this year. ... “While the presence of West Nile Virus in our community is not unusual, this early detection serves as a critical reminder for all residents to take preventative actions,” said Steve Vetrone, the director of scientific and technical services at the vector control district, in a prepared statement. (Nelson, 6/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: Berkeley, Albany To Test Parks For Evidence Of Radioactive Waste
Officials in Berkeley and Albany are moving forward with plans to test two popular bayside parks — César Chávez and the Albany Bulb — for evidence of radioactive material possibly dumped decades ago by the former Stauffer Chemical Co. plant in Richmond. ... The planned testing in both cities will include uranium, thorium and the banned pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), on the advice of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, according to reports from both cities. (Johnson, 6/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Sheriff’s Office: Training That Sickened Kids Used ‘Old’ Tear Gas
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office acknowledged Friday that the canisters of tear gas used in a training exercise that sickened nearby children on May 21 were “old,” raising questions about health concerns and safety protocols in a facility less than a half a mile from an elementary school. (Cassidy, 5/31)

The Mercury News: Big Boost For Contra Costa's One-Call Paratransit Plan
Paratransit regulators in Contra Costa County are developing a one-stop, seamless transportation system for seniors and people with disabilities — thanks to a sizable federal grant. The $1 million U.S. Department SMART grant recently awarded to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority will over the next year allow the agency to develop the “One Call, One Click” system. The aim is to bring together 24 accessible transportation services in the county into one database so users only have to make one phone call to schedule a ride. (Bender, 6/1)

KFF Health News: ‘So Much Death’: Lawmakers Weigh Stricter Speed Limits, Safer Roads For Pedestrians
The party was winding down. Its young hosts, María Rivas Cruz and her fiancé, Raymond Olivares, had accompanied friends to their car to bid them farewell. As the couple crossed a four-lane main road back to the home they had just bought, Rivas Cruz and Olivares were struck by a car fleeing an illegal street race. The driver was going 70 in a 40-mph zone. Despite years of pleading, ... residents say the county had done little to address speeding in this unincorporated pocket of southeastern Los Angeles. (Sánchez, 6/3)

NBC News: Scientists Identify A Genetic Disorder That May Cause Intellectual Disability
A newly identified neurodevelopmental disorder may explain tens of thousands of cases of intellectual disability whose cause was previously unknown, according to a new study. The research, published Friday in the journal Nature Medicine, investigates the effects of mutations in the gene RNU4-2, which is found in all animals, plants and fungi. The gene plays an important role in gene splicing — the process of cutting out portions of genetic material and stitching others together. (Bendix, 5/31)

On nutrition and health —

NPR: Forget BMI. Body Composition Scans Are A Better Measure Of Your Health
The scale has never been a friend to Mana Mostatabi. Even back in high school, when she ran a quick 100m on the varsity track team, her BMI – a ratio of weight to height – put her in the overweight category. “My dad always joked that I should be a wrestler,” Mostatabi says due to her build. Many professional athletes flunk BMI tests. Some are considered obese despite their fitness, and many doctors say it isn’t a helpful metric to focus on. (Aubrey, 6/3)

Stat: BMI, Flaws Aside, Is Found To Be Useful Estimate Of Body Fat In Youth
The body mass index has long been slammed as a blunt instrument for evaluating health, even more so with new obesity drugs changing the conversation about weight and well-being. Now a study reasserts BMI’s value as a screening tool in children to detect high levels of body fat, a measure tied to greater risk of cardiovascular disease, early atherosclerosis, and a high BMI in adulthood. BMI is an equation that divides a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared. (Cooney, 6/3)

USA Today: People Face Higher Risk Of Kidney Stones During Summer Months
Warm weather brings days at the beach, sunscreen and ... kidney stones? Researchers say people who don't stay properly hydrated face a higher risk of these painful mineral deposits as temperatures and humidity rise in the summer. On top of that, they noted that in general people whose diet is packed with too much sodium, fat and sugar, could find themselves among the 1 in 10 Americans who will get a kidney stone in their lifetimes. (Alltucker, 6/3)

CBS News: Mediterranean Diet Associated With 23% Reduction In Mortality, Study Finds
The Mediterranean diet has long been regarded as a heart-healthy option, but a new study has found the diet may help lower the risk of death. For the study, published in JAMA Network Open Friday, researchers examined 25,315 women over 25 years, finding a higher adherence to the diet was associated with a 23% reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Decreased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality were also noted. (Moniuszko, 5/31)

In other health and wellness news —

The Washington Post: 1.5 Million Medline Adult Bed Rails Recalled After Two Senior Deaths 
About 1.5 million adult bed rails have been recalled in the United States and Canada after being linked to the suffocation deaths of two elderly people. The bed rails, made by the Illinois-based company Medline Industries, pose a risk of entrapment and asphyxia, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. (McDaniel, 5/31)

USA Today: Cucumbers Recalled In 14 States Over Salmonella Concerns
The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced a recall of cucumbers potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. of Delray, Florida is recalling cucumbers that were shipped to wholesalers and distributors in 14 states from May 17th through May 21st, 2024. (Powel and Hauari, 6/2)

The Atlantic: Why Extreme Syphilis Symptoms Are Showing Up Now
For some, the world suddenly goes blurry. Others describe it as having a dust storm in your eyes, or being shaken up in a snow globe. People might see flashing lights or black spots drifting through their field of vision, or acquire a sudden sensitivity to light, worse than walking into the sunlight after having your eyes dilated. If patients aren’t treated, some will inevitably go blind. Many medical providers never suspect the culprit: syphilis. (Gross, 6/2)

The New York Times: Why The Human Case Of Bird Flu With Respiratory Symptoms Is Concerning 
The third human case of H5N1, reported on Thursday in a farmworker in Michigan who was experiencing respiratory symptoms, tells us that the current bird flu situation is at a dangerous inflection point. (Rick Bright, 6/2)

Scientific American: It Is Too Soon For Clinical Trials On Artificial Wombs 
Artificial wombs are moving from the realm of science fiction to possible trials with severely premature human babies. We are excited about the great potential benefits of this technology; however, with fetal rights now a political front in the abortion debate, we believe that society must address the ethical and legal implications well before those clinical trials begin. (Vardit Ravitsky and Louise King, 5/31)

Stat: Innovation In Antibiotics Is Ailing. 'Brain Drain' May Kill It
In today’s labor market, good help is hard to find. For companies developing antibiotics, it’s becoming nearly impossible. Three years ago, I became CEO of the AMR Action Fund, which is investing approximately $1 billion in biotech companies developing treatments for antimicrobial-resistant infections, a growing global health crisis that now contributes to 4.9 million deaths every year. I have spent most of my career developing antibiotics and investing in biotechnology companies, so I was aware of the scientific and financial headwinds we’d be up against — including workforce challenges. (Henry Skinner, 6/3)

The New York Times: The Pandemic Probably Started In A Lab. These 5 Key Points Explain Why. 
On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci will return to the halls of Congress to testify before the House subcommittee investigating the Covid-19 pandemic. He will most likely be questioned about how the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which he directed until retiring in 2022, supported risky virus work at a Chinese institute whose research may have caused the pandemic. (Alina Chan, 6/2)

Bloomberg: NHS Wait Times Have Gotten Out Of Control 
Anecdotes aren’t data (as the apparently oft-misquoted saying goes), but over the past 14 years the two paint a depressingly similar picture of Britain’s National Health Service. (Therese Raphael, 6/2)