Invisible danger: Most Western Pa. schools don’t test for radon, despite high levels in the state
As a father of four, Tim Briggs considered it common sense that schools would test for radon. As a state lawmaker, he was appalled that every school doesn’t, and he has made it his mission to do something about it. A monthslong Tribune-Review investigation found that most schools in Southwestern...
Covid shots saved at least 330,000 seniors’ lives last year
Covid-19 booster vaccinations can save tens of thousands of lives in the weeks and months ahead, Biden administration officials said, citing new data that shows the impact of previous shots on hospitalizations and deaths among older Americans. Primary immunizations were associated with up to 680,000 fewer covid hospitalizations and between...
Excela goes pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month
A touch of pink is coming to local hospitals and football games for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Excela Frick, Excela Latrobe and Excela Westmoreland Hospitals will be lit up pink throughout October to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer treatments. “All three front facades will be flooded with pink,...
New survey suggests little progress against U.S. teen vaping
NEW YORK — The latest government study on teen vaping suggests there’s been little progress in keeping e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids. The data seems to show more high school students vaping, with 14% saying they had done so recently, according to survey results released Thursday. In last...
3 years after clinical trial, ketamine provides hope for severely depressed
LOS ANGELES — Patients arriving at Dr. Philip O’Carroll’s Newport Beach office for their first ketamine treatment are in pain and often lost. They have visited other doctors, tried other solutions and are ready for what is considered a last resort. They are led to a private room with a...
Nobel Prize for 3 chemists who made molecules ‘click’
STOCKHOLM — Three scientists were jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for developing a way of “snapping molecules together” that can be used to design better medicines, including ones that target diseases such as cancer more precisely. Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless, and...
Breast cancer survivor offers encouragement at Westmoreland Pink Ribbon Walk
Nikki Williams listened to what her body was telling her. That’s what helped her to learn she was suffering from breast cancer and to get the treatment she needed to beat the disease. “I want to be an advocate for women, to make sure they do their self-exams,” said the...
ALS drug wins FDA approval despite questionable data
WASHINGTON — A much-debated drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease won U.S. approval Thursday, a long-sought victory for patients that is likely to renew questions about the scientific rigor behind government reviews of experimental medicines. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals based on results from one...
Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in early results of study
Shares of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer’s disease soared early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai Co. said its potential treatment appeared to slow the fatal disease’s progress in a late-stage study. Eisai announced results late Tuesday from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. The drugmaker said...
Millions of Americans will save on Medicare fees next year
WASHINGTON — For the first time in a decade, Americans will pay less next year on monthly premiums for Medicare’s Part B plan, which covers routine doctors’ visits and other outpatient care. The rare 3% decrease in monthly premiums — a savings of $5.20 for most — comes after millions...
Some cities are passing bans on natural gas appliances to help curb emissions, climate change
Cookin’ with gas? Maybe not for long. According to CBS News, “major cities across the U.S. are passing bans on gas stoves and other appliances that run on natural gas because of their planet-warming emissions.” About 80 local governments — mostly in California — have passed laws requiring or encouraging...
Washington School District alerts families to potential monkeypox case
Washington School District alerted students and families of a potential monkeypox case at Washington Park Primary School. A student suspected of having monkeypox or another similar disease was at the school Monday, Superintendent George Lammay said in a letter to families. “The school immediately sanitized all physical locations that the...
Fall allergies share symptoms with covid; ragweed a leading trigger
A stuffy, runny nose could be a sign that your body is coping with a flu or covid-19 infection, or it could be an overreaction to an allergen. The maturation of pollen-packed plants like ragweed means the fall allergy season has arrived in Western Pennsylvania. “If you have nasal congestion,...
‘Out of control’ STD situation prompts call for changes
NEW YORK — Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts. “It is imperative that we … work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD)...
U.S. warns monkeypox could mutate to resist antiviral drug
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are warning against overuse of the lone drug available to treat monkeypox, saying that even a small mutation in the virus could render the pills ineffective. The Food and Drug Administration updated its guidance this week for Tpoxx, which has been prescribed to tens of...
5 things to know about updated covid-19 booster shots
Two weeks after the federal government signed off on covid-19 booster shots targeting the most dominant strains of the virus, clinics and health care providers in Southwestern Pennsylvania have begun offering the shots to eligible recipients. The newly authorized bivalent vaccines are updated boosters that specifically target the BA.4 and...
Pitt, UPMC officials tap Dr. Freddie Fu recruit to fill ‘irreplaceable’ doctor’s orthopedic roles
The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC ended a yearlong search Monday for a successor for Dr. Freddie Fu, who helped catapult orthopedics at the university and health system to international renown during his tenure, which ran from 1998 until his death in 2021. Officials have tapped Dr. MaCalus V. Hogan...
Americans give health care system failing mark: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — When Emmanuel Obeng-Dankwa is worried about making rent on his New York City apartment, he sometimes holds off on filling his blood pressure medication. “If there’s no money, I prefer to skip the medication to being homeless,” said Obeng-Dankwa, a 58-year-old security guard. He is among a majority...
U.S. counts millionth organ transplant while pushing for more
The U.S. counted its millionth organ transplant on Friday, a milestone that comes at a critical time for Americans still desperately waiting for that chance at survival. It took decades from the first success — a kidney in 1954 — to transplant 1 million organs, and officials can’t reveal if...
Explainer: Is covid-19 winding down? Scientists say no
Is the coronavirus on its way out? You might think so. New, updated booster shots are being rolled out to better protect against the variants circulating now. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped covid-19 quarantine and distancing recommendations. And more people have thrown off their masks...
FTC investigating Amazon’s $3.9B purchase of One Medical
NEW YORK — The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Amazon’s $3.9 billion acquisition of the primary health organization One Medical, a move that could delay the completion of the deal. Both One Medical and Amazon received a request for additional information Friday in connection with an FTC review of the...
U.S. life expectancy plunged again in 2021, down nearly a year
NEW YORK — U.S. life expectancy dropped for the second consecutive year in 2021, falling by nearly a year from 2020, according to a government report being released Wednesday. In the first two years of the covid-19 pandemic, the estimated American lifespan has shortened by nearly three years. The last...
Highmark Health reports $174M in net losses during first half of the year
Pittsburgh-based health care giant Highmark Health on Tuesday reported a net loss of $174 million during the first six months of the year, driven by steep investment losses. Highmark Health reported $12.9 billion in revenue during the first half of the year, up 25% over the same period a year...
Explainer: Lower prescription prices to take time in new law
WASHINGTON — After decades of failed attempts, Democrats passed legislation that aims to rein in the soaring costs of drugs for some in the United States. It will take years for people to realize some of the most significant savings promised in the climate and health care bill that President...
U.S. data reveals racial gaps in monkeypox vaccinations
The Biden administration said Friday there’s sufficient supplies of monkeypox vaccine available now but the shots aren’t getting to some of the people who need them most. About 10% of monkeypox vaccine doses have been given to Black people, even though they account for one-third of U.S. cases, according to...
