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You might recall that Theresa mentioned the White House needed to nominate someone by Wednesday to maintain NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya in his acting role at the CDC. However, this did not occur.
Curious about Bhattacharya’s remarks during his first all-hands meeting with CDC staff? More details below.
White House misses deadline to nominate CDC director
The White House has not nominated a new director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, missing the Wednesday deadline. As a result, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya will continue to manage the CDC, but he will not officially be in the acting director position.
This development comes after Bhattacharya informed CDC staff during his first all-hands meeting that a new leader would likely be named by today. During the meeting, he gained approval from staff by expressing support for measles vaccination. He also promised to replace windows damaged by gunfire in August, which had led to a prolonged lockdown. Bhattacharya assured staff that there would be no further job cuts, following a 20% reduction in the workforce over the past year.
However, the meeting was not without its awkward moments. Although there is no video available, reports suggest that Bhattacharya paused for applause at one point, but it was barely forthcoming, reminiscent of Jeb Bush’s 2016 New Hampshire town hall moment. More details from the meeting are available from STAT’s Helen Branswell.
California considers adding seal of approval for foods that are not ultra-processed
California is looking to intensify its efforts against ultra-processed foods. A Democratic assemblymember has proposed a bill to create a seal for manufacturers to indicate their products are not ultra-processed.
The intention is for this voluntary label to assist consumers in making healthier choices at grocery stores and to encourage companies to reformulate products to qualify for the seal. The bill was introduced by the same person behind California’s previous legislation targeting food dyes and additives, as well as last year’s law addressing ultra-processed foods in schools.
But what exactly qualifies as ultra-processed food? And which foods would be affected? Read more from STAT’s Sarah Todd for further insights.
Cardiac scan could improve health failure outcomes
Researchers may have discovered a faster, less invasive method to measure how much oxygen the heart is using, which could significantly aid in treating heart failure. This finding is part of a new study published recently.
Currently, several methods exist to test heart oxygen levels, including electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, stress tests, and chest X-rays. However, an experimental MRI scan that bypasses some of the complexities of these methods has shown promise in tests involving pigs and 22 patients who had experienced heart attacks.
Measuring oxygen levels is essential. STAT’s Elizabeth Cooney discussed with one of the study’s co-authors the implications of this Science Translational Medicine paper for heart disease and the research community’s ability to measure oxygen.
Endometriosis is more than a gynecological disease
New clinical guidelines now recognize that endometriosis has broader impacts on the body, resembling a systemic inflammatory condition rather than just a gynecological issue, notes physician Sarah Berg.
Earlier this month, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released updated clinical guidance that has reshaped the understanding of endometriosis diagnosis. The key change: a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms and examination is now adequate for initiating treatment, without requiring surgical confirmation.
Endometriosis has long been stigmatized, with patient pain often misattributed to other conditions, leading to a diagnostic delay of four to 11 years on average. However, Berg observes a shift in public perception regarding this disease.
Read more for Berg’s perspective on the updated guidelines and the patient who influenced her views.
Is it hormones? Or is it just aging?
The women’s health sector, having profited from products for menopausal women, is now focusing on perimenopause, which has become a popular term. This shift promotes the “myth” that women are governed by their hormones, write Patricia Bencivenga and Adriane Fugh-Berman from PharmedOut, a rational prescribing initiative at Georgetown University Medical Center.
The authors critique a new film, “The M Factor 2: Before the Pause,” which extends the “medicalization” of menopause to women in their 30s, suggesting that hormones will negatively impact their cognitive, physical, and mental health. While hormonal fluctuations are common in the years leading up to menopause, not every symptom should be attributed to perimenopause, which is already difficult to define.
Read more from Bencivenga and Fugh-Berman to understand why they argue that symptoms often linked to perimenopause might simply be due to aging.
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