Medical Treatments

U.S. Attorney William McSwain and colleagues announced a civil lawsuit Wednesday in Philadelphia against the nonprofit Safehouse. "We have a responsibility to step in," McSwain says, though he adds, "We're not bringing a criminal case right now."

U.S. Prosecutors Sue To Stop Nation's First Supervised Injection Site For Opioids

3:47pm February 06, 2019

by Bobby Allyn

The U.S. government is intervening to stop the creation of a medical facility in Philadelphia where people could inject heroin without risk of overdose. Canada and Europe already have such sites.

Physicians have been taught to look for signs of hopelessness, sadness and lack of motivation to help them diagnose depression. But anger as a depression symptom is less noticed or addressed.

If You're Often Angry Or Irritable, You May Be Depressed

10:47am February 04, 2019

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Physicians have been taught to look for signs of hopelessness, sadness and lack of motivation to help them diagnose depression. But anger as a depression symptom is less often noticed or addressed.

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The Joliet Treatment Center, southwest of Chicago, is one of four facilities now providing mental health care to some of Illinois' sickest inmates. It's a start, say mental health advocates, but many more inmates in Illinois and across the U.S. still awai

Most Inmates With Mental Illness Still Wait For Decent Care

2:42pm February 03, 2019

by Christine Herman

Nearly three years after the state of Illinois agreed in a court settlement to revamp mental health care in prisons and provide better treatment, a judge says the care remains "grossly insufficient."

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar delivers remarks to reporters while participating in a roundtable about health care prices at the White House on Jan. 23.

Health & Safety

Trump Administration Wants To Cut Drug Prices By Eliminating Middlemen's Rebates

5:22pm February 01, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

Pharmacy benefit managers are the focus of proposed regulations that could reduce drug costs for seniors and cut profits for middlemen. It could set a precedent for the broader market.

Families that lost loved ones to the opioid crisis protested outside Suffolk Superior Court in Boston as lawyers for Purdue Pharma entered the courthouse for a status update in the Massachusetts attorney general's suit against the company on Jan. 25.

Lawsuit Details How The Sackler Family Allegedly Built An OxyContin Fortune

1:50pm February 01, 2019

The Massachusetts attorney general alleges that the family behind Purdue Pharma knew that OxyContin was causing overdoses, yet continued to cash in. New documents in the case were released Thursday.

Dieter Egli, a developmental biologist at Columbia University, and Katherine Palmerola examine a newly fertilized egg injected with a CRISPR editing tool.

New U.S. Experiments Aim To Create Gene-Edited Human Embryos

1:18pm February 01, 2019

by Rob Stein

Despite outrage over gene editing in China that affected the birth of twins, research is underway in the U.S. to assess the safety and effectiveness of CRISPR tools to edit genes in human embryos.

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After scientists screened over 8,000 genes in fruit flies, only one, which hadn't been described before, triggered sleepiness.

Sick And Tired? Scientists Find Protein That Puts Flies To Sleep And Fights Infection

2:13pm January 31, 2019

by Jonathan Lambert

In the search for what triggers sleep, researchers stumbled upon a link between sleep and the immune system. A single fly gene gets turned on in sick flies, inducing sleep and an immune response.

Frank Lettiere's eyebrows and eye lashes froze after his walk along Lake Michigan's Chicago shoreline Wednesday. Frostbite warnings were issued for parts of the U.S. Midwest, as outside temperatures plunged.

Medical Effects Of Extreme Cold: Why It Hurts And How To Stay Safe

11:34pm January 30, 2019

by Patti Neighmond

Frostbite can nip ears in just a few minutes in the sort of temperatures many Americans are facing this week. Pull that hat down and curb the drinking; alcohol can impair your judgment of temperature.

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A British study found that people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were more successful than those who tried nicotine patches and gum.

Health & Safety

Study Found Vaping Beat Traditional Smoking-Cessation Options

5:26pm January 30, 2019

by Richard Harris

People who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking have milder cravings. The act of vaping provides pleasure, which may contribute to its success as a tobacco-quitting aid, researchers say.

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Anthem Blue Cross of California, one of the state's largest health insurers, is battling Sutter Health over how much it should pay the company's 24 hospitals and 5,000 doctors in Northern California to care for tens of thousands of patients.

Patients Suffer As Insurers And Big Health Systems Spar For Market Share

12:46pm January 30, 2019

by Barbara Feder Ostrov

As hospital chains and insurers across the U.S squeeze one another, hoping to increase their market share, many patients are suddenly finding their preferred doctors and hospitals are out of network.