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EVERYTHING
Cassidy: Postpone CDC Vaccine Advisory Meeting
What: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said the CDC's vaccine advisory committee meeting should be delayed due to new panelists being biased against vaccines. The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, includes appointees who have been critical of mRNA vaccines and have questioned vaccine safety. Cassidy believes the meeting should be postponed until a more balanced group is appointed and a permanent CDC director is in place.
Key Line: "'Although the appointees to ACIP have scientific credentials, many do not have significant experience studying microbiology, epidemiology or immunology,' Cassidy wrote on X on Monday. 'In particular, some lack experience studying new technologies such as mRNA vaccines, and may even have a preconceived bias against them.'"
Source: CNN
MENSTRUATION
Menstrual Cycles and Alcohol Cravings?
What: Women may have more alcohol cravings during the late follicular phase of their menstrual cycles when estrogen levels are high, according to a small study presented at the Research Society on Alcohol’s annual meeting. The study of 61 women found alcohol cravings were tied to hormonal fluctuations, suggesting potential implications for treatment of alcohol use disorders in women.
Key Line: “'We know that increases in estradiol, the most prominent form of estrogen, can alter dopamine activity in the brain,' Robinson added. 'These changes in dopamine neurotransmission have been found to heighten reward sensitivity, a key mechanism of substance craving and use.'"
Source: HealthDay
ABORTION ACCESS
Crisis Pregnancy Centers Advised to Avoid Ultrasounds for Suspected Ectopic Pregnancies
What: One of the largest networks of "crisis" pregnancy centers in the US told personnel to *avoid* performing ultrasounds for suspected ectopic pregnancies due to legal risks, according to a presentation obtained by NBC News. The warnings came after a lawsuit against a Massachusetts center that misdiagnosed an ectopic pregnancy, leading to a life-threatening emergency for a client.
Key Line: "According to Andrea Swartzendruber, a reproductive health epidemiologist at the University of Georgia College of Public Health who studies crisis pregnancy centers, many centers have advertised free ultrasounds as a way to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy and bring women through their doors. 'They talk about ectopic pregnancies in their advertising and on their websites a lot,' said Swartzendruber. 'They use it to engage and try to motivate people to come in for an ultrasound.'"
Source: NBC News
Republican’s Life-Threatening Pregnancy Collided with Florida’s Laws
What: Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack faced a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy in her home state, due to Florida's six-week abortion ban. Although she was only five weeks pregnant, Cammack said hospital staff refused to give her the abortion medication she needed -- leading her to show hospital staff the text of the law in Florida and even calling the governor's office. Hours later, doctors relented and gave her the medicine.
Key Line: "Cammack doesn’t fault the Florida law for her experience. Instead, she accuses the left of scaring medical professionals with messaging that stressed that they could face criminal charges for violating the law. She said she feels those efforts gave medical staff reason to fear giving drugs even under legal circumstances. ...Abortion-rights advocates say the law created the problems. While Florida regulators say ectopic pregnancies aren’t abortions and are exempt from restrictions, the law doesn’t define ectopic pregnancy, and it isn’t always easy for doctors to tell where an embryo has implanted, said Molly Duane, a senior attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights."
Source: Wall Street Journal
MENOPAUSE
Menopause: Biological and Psychological Transition
What: A review from Nature Reviews Psychology looks at menopause as both a biological and psychological transition -- and one that affects many biological systems, from vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) to sleep disturbances to depression to cognitive symptoms to sexual changes.
Key Line: "Midlife is a critical transition that bridges early adulthood and later adulthood, and is a time in which the hallmarks of later diseases of ageing begin to emerge. Menopause can be accompanied by menopausal symptoms and, often, distress. However, midlife is also a time of generativity, growth and well-being for many women."
Source: Nature
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