OpenAI has unveiled a large dataset to help test how well artificial intelligence (AI) models answer health care questions. Experts call it a major step forward, but they also say more work is needed to ensure safety. The dataset — called HealthBench — is OpenAI’s first major independent health care project. It includes 5,000 “realistic… read on > read on >
U.S. health officials are telling travelers aged 60 and older to avoid a chikungunya vaccine while they investigate possible side effects. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the warning late last week. The concern focuses on the Valneva vaccine, known as Ixchiq, the Associated… read on > read on >
Cutting-edge weight-loss drugs like Ozempic/Wegovy can cut alcohol intake dramatically in a short amount of time, a new study says. People taking semaglutide or liraglutide reduced their alcohol consumption by two-thirds within four months, according to results recently published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. These glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone,… read on > read on >
ADHD stimulant meds don’t increase children’s risk of psychosis, a new study says. Analysis of stimulant prescriptions among nearly 8,400 kids with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder found no evidence that the drugs caused psychosis, researchers reported May 12 in the journal Pediatrics. “Previous observational research has suggested that stimulants may play a causal role in the… read on > read on >
Drugs that battle HIV and hepatitis B might be able to help people avoid Alzheimer’s disease, a new study says. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are used to prevent HIV and hepatitis B from replicating and spreading inside a person’s body. Now, a new analysis shows that people taking NRTI pills have as much as… read on > read on >
A first-of-its-kind surgery has gone through a young woman’s eye socket to remove a cancerous tumor wrapped around her spine. Surgeons threaded a thin lighted tube called an endoscope down through the 19-year-old woman’s eye socket to remove a rare, slow-growing bone tumor known as a chordoma, doctors said after the successful procedure. “The tumor… read on > read on >
A new study has found that people taking Eli Lilly’s obesity drug Zepbound lost almost 50% more weight than those using Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. The study — published May 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine — followed 751 people across the U.S. who were overweight or obese and had another weight-related health problem.… read on > read on >
Children have an increased risk of high blood pressure if their moms suffered from health problems during pregnancy, a new study says. Children had higher blood pressure if their moms had obesity, gestational diabetes or high blood pressure while pregnant, researchers reported May 8 in JAMA Network Open. The presence of just one of these… read on > read on >
Women now have a new way to check their risk for cervical cancer — from the comfort of their own home. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Teal Wand, an at-home test that screens for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers, CBS News reported May 9. … read on > read on >
Young women taking the Pill might have an increased risk of asthma attacks, a new study says. Taking the progesterone-only form of the contraceptive pill can increase asthma attacks among women under 35, researchers reported May 7 in ERJ Open Research. There was no similar risk among women taking the combo estrogen/progesterone pill, researchers found.… read on > read on >
