The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 390, no. 14, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Back to the Future in Alabama” by R.A. Charo “The End of B/Yamagata Influenza Transmission — Transitioning from Quadrivalent Vaccines” by A.S. Monto, M. Zambon and J.P. Weir “The Plight of DEI Leaders — Heavy Expectations and Limited Protection” by A. Maybank “Graphic Perspective: unDOCumented — On Becoming an Undocumented Doctor in the United States” by F.O. Marcondes and E. Ling “Money as Medicine — Clinicism, Cash Transfers, and the Political–Economic Determinants of He ..read more

(The Telegraph via MSN) – But while stem cells have long been regarded as one of the great hopes of regenerative medicine, with long-standing applications in leukaemia and ongoing clinical trials in a whole host of diseases from age-related macular degeneration to multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease, they are also highly misunderstood. For while there are very few evidence-based stem cell therapies which are officially approved by governmental authorities, there are numerous private clinics located in countries such as Switzerland, China, Mexico, India and the United States, operati ..read more

(MIT Technology Review) – A month ago, Richard Slayman became the first living person to receive a kidney transplant from a gene-edited pig. Now, a team of researchers from NYU Langone Health reports that Lisa Pisano, a 54-year-old woman from New Jersey, has become the second. Her new kidney has just a single genetic modification—an approach that researchers hope could make scaling up the production of pig organs simpler. (Read More) The post A New Kind of Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Was Just Transplanted Into a Person first appeared on bioethics.com ..read more

(Axios) – The Federal Trade Commission’s vote on Tuesday to ban noncompete agreements could be a big deal for the health care workforce. Why it matters: While the agreements are often thought of as a concern for senior executives and lower-income workers, sizable shares of doctors and nurses face employer restrictions on switching jobs. (Read More) The post New Ban on Noncompetes Could Have Big Impact on Health Care first appeared on bioethics.com ..read more

(Wall Street Journal) – The frenzy to build data centers to serve the exploding demand for artificial intelligence is causing a shortage of the parts, property and power that the sprawling warehouses of supercomputers require.  The lead time to get custom cooling systems is five times longer than a few years ago, data center executives say. Delivery times for backup generators have gone from as little as a month to as long as two years. (Read More) The post Why the AI Industry’s Thirst for New Data Centers Can’t Be Satisfied first appeared on bioethics.com ..read more

(New York Times) – The Justice Department said on Tuesday it would pay $138.7 million to resolve claims by young women and girls, including many top female gymnasts, of sexual abuse by the former U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor Lawrence G. Nassar. The far-reaching settlement, which covers 139 claims, stems from the failure of F.B.I. officials to promptly investigate allegations that would ultimately lead to a horrifying conclusion: Mr. Nassar had sexually assaulted hundreds of women and girls under the guise of examinations and treatment. (Read More) The post Justice Dept. Reaches $138.7 Million ..read more

(People) – Berger and Hardy are one of the nine couples who filed a joint lawsuit on Tuesday, April 23, obtained by PEOPLE, against IVF provider Ovation Fertility in Newport Beach, alleging its clinic destroyed their embryos. The filing claims that a lab embryologist wrongly used hydrogen peroxide (or some other caustic agent) instead of a sterile solution like distilled water in an incubator, causing the embryos to be “killed instantly.” The complaint further alleges that the facility recklessly and wrongfully exposed the embryos to poison, then knowingly implanted “these dead embryos into ..read more

(CNBC) – UnitedHealth Group on Monday said it paid ransom to cyberthreat actors to try and protect patient data, following the February cyberattack on its subsidiary Change Healthcare. The company also confirmed that files containing personal information were compromised in the breach. (Read More) The post UnitedHealth Paid Ransom to Bad Actors, Says Patient Data Was Compromised in Change Healthcare Cyberattack first appeared on bioethics.com ..read more

(STAT News) – Federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector in the last two decades, a new study finds. Why it matters: Unchecked mergers during a period of rapid consolidation represent a significant factor in rising health costs, according to the study in the American Economic Review. (Read More) The post Unchecked Hospital Mergers Increased Health Costs, Study Finds first appeared on bioethics.com ..read more

(Associated Press) – Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart. Lisa Pisano’s combination of heart and kidney failure left her too sick to qualify for a traditional transplant, and out of options. Then doctors at NYU Langone Health devised a novel one-two punch: Implant a mechanical pump to keep her heart beating and days later transplant a kidney from a genetically modified pig. (Read More) The post She Was Too Sick for a Traditional Transplant. So She Received a Pig Kidney ..read more