Former patients reunite as professionals at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Dr. Matt Kocher was setting up an operating room during his anesthesia fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville when nurse Alexis Mamros asked if he had ever received anesthesia. He replied that he had, during his cancer treatment. Curious, Mamros asked for details. Kocher mentioned he remembered another patient...
Teen who ate spicy tortilla chip died of high chile consumption and had a heart defect, autopsy says
BOSTON — A Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, according to autopsy results obtained by The Associated Press. Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city...
Deadly overdoses fell in the U.S. for the 1st time in 5 years, new estimates show
Deaths from drug overdoses fell last year in the United States as fewer people lost their lives to fentanyl and other opioids, marking the first time the death toll had dropped in five years, according to newly released estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal officials said...
Immune therapy drugs show promise in treating esophageal cancer
Gary Hines didn’t want to lose his hair. The Harrison resident, diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2021, worried about looking his best for his son’s wedding. “I was all worked up,” said Hines, 60, retired after 30 years with the Harrison Township Water Authority. “Turns out, I never lost one...
There’s bird flu in U.S. dairy cows. Raw milk drinkers aren’t deterred
Sales of raw milk appear to be on the rise, despite years of warnings about the health risks of drinking the unpasteurized products — and an outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows. Since March 25, when the bird flu virus was confirmed in U.S. cattle for the first time,...
Online dashboard helps track tickborne illnesses
The Pennsylvania Department of Health this week announced a new online dashboard that will provide people with information about tickborne illnesses. The dashboard will show people where ticks are prevalent so they can take appropriate precautions while outdoors, officials said. It also will display the latest tickborne disease activity, tracking...
Westmoreland students explore health care career paths at Independence fair
Tenth grade Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center student Zoey Wilders carefully stuffed gauze into a simulated wound to staunch the bleeding. A few feet away, nurse and emergency room educator Kelly Bedner cheered her on. “You’re saving that life,” Bedner said, ushering more students to try their hand at...
Healthy Athlete program aims to prevent tragedies from happening
Last summer, Bronny James, son of NBA star LeBron James, went into sudden cardiac arrest during a basketball workout at the University of California Los Angeles. He was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and back on the court five months later. But not all situations end up with the...
Some older Americans splurge to keep homes accessible while others struggle to make safety upgrades
NEW YORK — Brenda Edwards considers the four-bedroom, ranch-style house where she has lived for 20 years her forever home. It’s where the 70-year-old retired nurse and her 79-year-old husband want to stay as their mobility becomes more limited. So she hired an interior designer for $20,000 and spent another...
UPMC settles whistleblower case for $38 million
UPMC has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a long-running whistleblower lawsuit filed by former employees that alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act. The parties agreed to settle the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in September but did not finalize the deal until this week, according to...
RFK Jr. says he had a dead worm in his brain. What are these parasites and how common are they?Video
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made various claims about his health over the years, but the most shocking came Wednesday when it was revealed that Kennedy once insisted that a worm died in his brain over a decade ago. Kennedy’s assertion, which was reported by The New York...
‘Oh, Baby!’: Millie’s ice cream flavor celebrates Mother’s Day, women’s health
Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream has unveiled a new flavor just in time for Mother’s Day. Partnering with Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation, a portion of sales from the “Oh, Baby!” flavor will fund women’s health research. This collaboration celebrates motherhood and highlights the need for advancements in women’s healthcare. It...
Yes, allergy season is particularly bad. Here’s why it’s about to get worse — and what you can do to cope
Allergy sufferers need not look past their vehicle’s hood to see why this season is so bad — if their watery eyes let them. Tree pollen allergy season is nearing its peak, but relief might be available at your local pharmacy or grocery aisle. Grass pollen season is right around...
How 5 Black women are impacting Pittsburgh’s wellness scene
Black women in Pittsburgh are making a mark in the wellness community. Their unwavering commitment and innovative approaches are breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of inclusivity and belonging in a realm often perceived as inaccessible to people of color. The five Black women in this story are a...
A gene long thought to just raise the risk for Alzheimer’s may cause some cases
WASHINGTON — For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene. Scientists have long known a gene called APOE4 is one of many things that can increase people’s risk for Alzheimer’s, including simply getting...
Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in ACA’s health care next year
WASHINGTON — Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance next year under a directive the Biden administration released Friday. The move took longer than promised to finalize and fell short of Democratic President Joe Biden’s...
Maternal deaths have fallen to pre-pandemic levels, new U.S. data says
NEW YORK — U.S. deaths of moms around the time of childbirth have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, new government data suggests. About 680 women died last year during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, according to provisional CDC data. That’s down from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021,...
Report: Non-white pedestrians more often end up in the ER for vehicle-related injuries
Pedestrians who are not white ended up in the emergency room for traffic-related injuries at higher rates than white people, according to a new federal report published Thursday. There were more than 137,000 emergency room visits involving a pedestrian injury between January 2021 and December 2023. Asian pedestrians went to...
Halle Berry shouts from the Capitol, ‘I’m in menopause’ as she seeks to end a stigma and win funding
WASHINGTON — Halle Berry is joining a group of bipartisan senators to push for legislation that would put $275 million toward research and education around menopause, the significant hormone shift women go through in middle age. The legislation calls for the federal government to spend more on clinical trials on...
New form of mpox that may spread more easily found in Congo’s biggest outbreak
KINSHASA, Congo — Congo is struggling to contain its biggest mpox outbreak, and scientists say a new form of the disease detected in a mining town might more easily spread among people. Since January, Congo has reported more than 4,500 suspected mpox cases and nearly 300 deaths, numbers that have...
Florida’s 6-week abortion ban takes effect as doctors worry women will lose access to health care
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, went into effect Wednesday, and some doctors are concerned that women in the state will no longer have access to needed health care. Dr. Leah Roberts, a reproductive...
So, you’ve lost weight using Wegovy. Does that mean you can stop taking it?
Millions of Americans who have dropped pounds and boosted their health using popular obesity drugs like Wegovy are facing a new dilemma: What happens if they stop taking them? Many worry that they’ll regain weight and revert to old habits. In studies, people who paused the drugs put back on...
Explainer: What marijuana reclassification means for the U.S.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated...
US challenges ‘bogus’ patents on Ozempic, other drugs in effort to spur competition
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are challenging patents on 20 brand-name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic, in the latest effort by the Biden administration targeting pharmaceutical industry practices that drive up prices. The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sent warning letters to 10 drugmakers, taking issue with patents on...
Mammograms should start at 40 to address rising breast cancer rates at younger ages, panel says
Regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger, at age 40, according to an influential U.S. task force. Women ages 40 to 74 should get screened every other year, the group said. Previously, the task force had said women could choose to start breast cancer screening as young...
