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☆ FDA expected to decide on Pfizer RSV vaccine for older adults by May 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide by spring whether to approve Pfizer's vaccine to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in adults ages 60 and older. Pfizer, in a statement Wednesday, said the FDA has accepted its RSV vaccine candidate for review under an expedited process that reduces the approval process by four months. RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes cold like symptoms in most people, but it can result in severe illness in infants and older adults. Between 60,000 and 120,000 older adults are hospitalized with RSV every year and 6,000 to 10,000 older adults die from the virus. Pfizer's vaccine candidate was about 86% effective in preventing severe lower respiratory tract illness, defined as three or more symptoms.

☆ Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock's runoff victory is a testament to how he connected with voters though faith
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

During the Georgia Senate race, Raphael Warnock didn't stray from his deep roots in the church. Warnock effectively engaged with a wide range of voters in a state that can be tough for Democrats. Warnock defeated former University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker to secure a full six-year term in the Senate. Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, campaigns at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Eatonton, Ga., on August 18, 2022. And he acknowledged that while many Americans have faced challenges in recent years, retaining a sense of faith was important.

☆ Drug overdose deaths during pregnancy and postpartum rose sharply in recent years, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Drug overdose deaths reached record levels nationwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, and research published Tuesday suggests an outsized effect on pregnant and recently pregnant people. In 2020, there were about 12 pregnancy-associated overdose deaths for every 100,000 births – a 46% spike in one year and an 81% increase since 2017. The lack of reliable information on pregnancy-associated overdose deaths has made it challenging to delve into how and why trends might be different for this group compared with others, Bruzelius said. Mirroring national trends, the new study found a large increase in pregnancy-associated overdose deaths that involved fentanyl and other synthetic drugs and psychostimulants in recent years. And often the way our health care system deals with them is the focus really changes from the pregnant person to the baby.

☆ Fact Check-Altered screenshot of California politician Randy Voepel sending ‘thoughts and prayers’ attributed to Colorado shooting on Nov. 19
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But social media users are sharing a screenshot of a tweet by Voepel and misleadingly linking it to a shooting in Colorado on Nov. 19. Users online are sharing an image that purports to show Voepel tweeting, “Sending my thoughts and prayers” following the Colorado Springs shooting. Reuters reports on the Nov. 19 Colorado Springs shooting at Club Q and the suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, can be seen (here) and (here). Representatives for Voepel, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Springs PD, FBI Denver Field Office and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. There is no record of Voepel tweeting “Sending my thoughts and prayers” after the shooting in Colorado Springs.

☆ Miss America reflects on her reign, talks about how brother with special needs inspires her activism
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Emma Broyles, the 2022 Miss America, has actually spent a lot of her life on the sidelines — cheering on her older brother at sporting events. Brendan Broyles, 22, who has Down syndrome, is an athlete in the Special Olympics and a major source of inspiration for his sister's activism as Miss America. Emma Broyles is the first Korean American and first Miss Alaska to win the title. “It’s a tremendous privilege to be the first Korean American Miss America. There she worked with a partner group to help provide glasses for students in the community for Alaskan Native Heritage Month.

☆ $5.7 billion Cityblock Health is planning 'aggressive' growth. Its CEO shares how the startup wants to use M&A and more mental-health services to make that happen.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Cityblock Health isn't putting its growth on pause as a recession looms. But Cityblock Health isn't slowing down. The startup's "aggressive" plans for growth include expanding its mental-health and maternal-health services, Ajayi said, adding that the company could also make some acquisitions. Cityblock isn't looking to buy any companies that work with members outside Medicaid and Medicare. While Cityblock can afford to ride out a recession, the startup isn't ignoring the market downturn, Ajayi said.

☆ $5.7 billion Cityblock Health is planning 'aggressive' growth. Its CEO lays out how expanding mental-health services and dealmaking might be in the cards.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Cityblock Health isn't putting its growth on pause as a recession looms. But Cityblock Health isn't slowing down. The startup's plans for growth include expanding its mental-health and maternal-health services, Ajayi said, adding that the company could also make some acquisitions. Cityblock isn't looking to buy any companies that work with members outside Medicaid and Medicare. While Cityblock can afford to ride out a recession, the startup isn't ignoring the market downturn, Ajayi said.

Throughout the town’s setbacks, generations of locals have taken their first and last breaths at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. On Nov. 4, talks with a larger hospital in Jackson that local officials had hoped would take over Greenwood Leflore fell through. Leflore County Supervisor Board President Robert Collins said finances are already strained, but the county can most likely put up about $3.5 million for Greenwood Leflore. Dr. Roderick Givens, who treats cancer patients at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital, is working with other local leaders to keep the facility open. When Greenwood Leflore opened in 1906, it initially operated out of a mansion repurposed as a medical facility.

☆ Sperm counts may be declining globally, review finds, adding to debate over male fertility
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Over the past 50 years, human sperm counts appear to have fallen by more than 50% around the globe, according to an updated review of medical literature. The review, and its conclusions, have sparked a debate among experts in male fertility. Overall, the researchers determined that sperm counts fell by sightly more than 1% per year between 1973 and 2018. Normal sperm counts are considered to be over 40 million per milliliter. In other research, Levine says, he and others have teased out some factors that are associated with lower sperm counts.

☆ John Leguizamo says food is a 'bait and a lure' in 'The Menu' horror-comedy movie
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Arturo Conde | Arturo Conde Is An Editor | A Bilingual Freelance Journalist. He Writes For La Opinión A Coruña | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The new horror-comedy “The Menu,” uses that allure to trap privileged diners at a high-end banquet, the actor John Leguizamo said in an interview with NBC News. “I loved the clever writing, the beautiful poetry about food, and then obviously the beautiful execution of the food,” he said. Beyond these ruling class stereotypes, however, Leguizamo said he’s proud that “The Menu” puts the spotlight on Latino actors in a different way. Outside of the film, food is nurturing and empowering, Leguizamo said. Lately Leguizamo has been busy traveling across the country and doing a deep dive into the culture — including the iconic foods and restaurants — of several U.S. cities as part of his upcoming documentary series, "Leguizamo Does America."

"This is the highest preterm birth rate that we've ever recorded," said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, deputy chief medical and health officer for the March of Dimes. Alabama, with a preterm birth rate of 13.1%, is one of the worst ranked states in the country. Wingate has been charged with improving the state's preterm birth rate by improving maternal and fetal health. All had preterm birth rates of at least 11.5%. Only Vermont, with a preterm birth rate of less than 8.1%, scored an A on the March of Dimes report card.

☆ US home births reached highest level in 30 years in 2021
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

This follows a 22% increase in home births between 2019 and 2020, “corresponding with the initial surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States,” the report says. Home births increased 21% for Black women, 15% for Hispanic women and 10% for White women in 2021. Among the 30 states that reported more births at home, West Virginia had the highest increase: 49% between 2020 and 2021. Despite the rise, home births still remain rare, accounting for 1.26% of all births in the US, according to the report. The pediatrician group generally doesn’t recommend planned home births, but it does recognize a woman’s right to choose one.

☆ SZA announces new album ‘S.O.S.’ slated for December release
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Five years after her breakout debut studio album “Ctrl,” R&B singer SZA is ramping up the rollout for her follow-up effort. The new project is called “S.O.S.” and is set for a December release date, according to a new Billboard interview. Her late grandmother appeared throughout the “Ctrl” album in speaking interludes and outros, often offering wise advise to her granddaughter. SZA is set to return to the “Saturday Night Live” stage on December 3 — her second appearance as a solo artist — with Keke Palmer hosting. In early November, she released a teaser video titled “PSA” featuring a new music, which fans interpreted to be an unofficial announcement that a new album was on its way.

☆ World’s Population Projected to Reach 8 Billion Today
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Joanna Sugden | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Newborn babies inside a ward at the Tambak Maternity hospital in Jakarta in September. The rate of population expansion only continues to grow if fertility rates remain high. The population of the planet is set to hit 8 billion Tuesday, according to projections from the United Nations that forecast the number will grow to 8.5 billion by 2030 as life expectancy rises. Globally, life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an increase of almost nine years since 1990, the U.N.’s population division said. In the least developed nations, life expectancy lagged behind the global average by seven years in 2021, driven by high levels of maternal and child mortality, violence, conflict and the AIDS epidemic.

☆ World population reaches 8 billion people, with India expected to surpass China as most populous nation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Indian passengers stand and hang onto a train as it departs from a station on the outskirts of New Delhi. The world population reached 8 billion people on Tuesday, and India is expected to surpass China as the most populous country in the next year, according to projections from the United Nations. The global population has more than tripled since 1950 as mortality dropped and life expectancy increased, due in large part to better sanitation, access to clean drinking water and the development of vaccines and antibiotics, along with improved nutrition. Life expectancy fell by a year to 71 in 2021, due in large part of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, people born in 2050 are expected to live until age 77 on average.

☆ Rate of babies born preterm in US climbs to 10.5%, March of Dimes report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The US preterm birth rate peaked in 2006 at 12.8%, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. States with the highest and lowest ratesThe new March of Dimes report also highlighted state-by-state differences in the rate of babies born prematurely across the country. The report grades a preterm birth rate less than or equal to 7.7% as an A and a preterm birth rate greater than or equal to 11.5% as an F.The national preterm birth rate of 10.5% is graded as a D+. No state has achieved an A rate, and only one has a state-level preterm birth rate that would be graded as an A-: Vermont, which has the lowest preterm birth rate in the US at 8%. Henderson also said that preterm birth is one of the top causes of infant deaths and disproportionately affects babies born to women of color.

☆ Mayan Lopez and George Lopez use TV show to heal relationship
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Mayan Lopez’s co-star in her new NBC sitcom “ Lopez vs Lopez ” happens to be her real-life dad, George Lopez. As is the Lopez way, art imitates life: George’s previous TV roles in “The George Lopez Show” and “Lopez” were also based on his real life. After divorcing her mother, Ann, in 2012, Mayan Lopez says she felt resentment toward her dad and the two didn’t have much contact until they reconnected during the pandemic. I get to kind of have that (perspective) now.”The genesis of “Lopez vs Lopez” came about when TV producer Debby Wolfe stumbled upon Mayan’s TikTok account. “She was there for ‘The George Lopez Show’ that was based on (dad’s) life.

☆ Women and family health startup Maven raises $90 million for post-Roe v. Wade world
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Maven, the women and family health startup, has raised $90 million in a new fundraising round, and in a tough environment for venture funding. Maven reached unicorn status last August in a $110 million round right before the bottom dropped out of the tech sector. Maven has benefitted from greater focus on women's health, particularly since the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. Global family benefits growth and Medicaid are two areas that Maven is prioritizing with the new funding. The family benefits will build off of the virtual platform that grew during Covid and include new features for Maven Wallet, the company's financial reimbursement platform.

☆ Uganda university drops mandatory pregnancy tests for students after outcry
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A university in Uganda has withdrawn a requirement for female nursing and midwifery students to take a pregnancy test before sitting their exams, after facing a backlash. Female nursing and midwifery students being asked to take a pregnancy test, at their own cost as a pre-condition for sitting exams is peak nonsense!!! !”Dr. Githinji Gitahi, CEO of non-profit Amref Health Africa, responded by tweeting: “What? Because pregnancy has what to do with exams? I wish you all the best in the forthcoming exams,” he continued.

☆ Meet Donald Trump's children with Ivana Trump, Marla Maples, and Melania Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Business Insider | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Donald Trump has five children between two of his former wives and his current wife Melania Trump. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump are children with his first wife, Ivana Trump, who died on July 14. Getty Images/Joe CorriganNow a father of five, Donald Trump Jr. was 12 when Ivana Trump and Donald Trump Sr. divorced. In 2001, a year after he graduated from college, Donald Trump Jr. went to work for his dad for the second time. He told New York magazine that Donald Trump Jr. is like his mentor and Ivanka Trump is like his second mother.

☆ Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood faces off against Republican Scott Gryder in Illinois' 14th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Lauren Underwood is running against Republican Scott Gryder in Illinois' 14th Congressional District. IL-17IL-06IL-13 HouseDemocratic Rep. Lauren Underwood faces off against Republican Scott Gryder in Illinois' 14th Congressional District. Illinois' 14th Congressional District candidatesUnderwood, a two-term Democrat first elected in 2018, is the youngest Black woman to serve in the US House of Representatives. He previously chaired Kendall County's Young Republicans and the Kendall County Republican Central Committee. Voting history for Illinois' 14th Congressional DistrictIllinois' 14th Congressional District sits below the 11th District and extends southwest along Interstate 80 into LaSalle County.

☆ Missouri investigating hospital's denial of an emergency abortion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Missouri’s health department is investigating whether a hospital violated federal health care rules in denying a woman an emergency abortion, an agency spokeswoman confirmed Monday. But because her fetus still had a heartbeat and her condition wasn’t considered a life-threatening medical emergency at that moment, they couldn’t terminate the pregnancy in Missouri, they told her. Farmer criticized Missouri’s abortion ban in a campaign ad for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running against Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Missouri’s abortion ban includes exceptions for medical emergencies, although doctors and hospitals have said they’re unsure exactly what that covers. Additionally, physicians may also be subject to exclusion from the Medicare and State health care programs.”

☆ Effects of Supreme Court abortion ruling: Longer travel time, more requests for pills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Infants born as a result of an unintended pregnancy, meanwhile, face a higher risk of low birth weight or preterm birth. Ashana's article asserts that every hour of delayed care increases a patient’s risk of adverse outcomes or death. But in some cases, abortion restrictions require waiting until a person is hemorrhaging or develops sepsis before performing a lifesaving abortion. Hassan said medication abortion presents "a lot of opportunity to be able to expand into places that are geographically difficult for people to access abortion." "There are a lot of things within the health care system environment that could change, including the way we think about where abortion care can be accessed," Hassan said.

☆ RSV vaccine trial shows promising results, Pfizer says; company will seek FDA approval this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Pfizer’s vaccine candidate is administered to pregnant women who then make antibodies that cross the placenta and protect the baby after birth. In March, the FDA designated Pfizer’s RSV vaccine a breakthrough therapy, a status that speeds its review. Pfizer’s vaccine contains the virus’ F-protein, the site that it uses to attach to human cells. Pfizer’s RSV vaccine is bivalent, containing F-proteins from both the A and B subgroups of the RSV virus, which are the two most commonly circulating strains. “Further analysis to better understand safety data from these trials is ongoing,” spokesperson Alison Hunt said in a statement to CNN.

☆ Pfizer raises 2022 earnings guidance, beats third-quarter expectations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Pfizer on Tuesday raised its 2022 earnings guidance after booking a strong third quarter that beat Wall Street expectations. Pfizer raised its full year sales guidance for its Covid-19 vaccine to $34 billion this year, up $2 billion from the company's previous expectations. The company sold $4.4 billion of its Covid vaccine worldwide in the quarter, a decrease of 66% compared to the third-quarter of 2021. Pfizer's antiviral treatment Paxlovid also had a strong quarter, generating $7.5 billion in sales worldwide though mostly in the U.S. Pfizer booked net income of $8.6 billion for the third quarter, a 6% increase over the same quarter last year.

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