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Social media presents a “profound risk” to young brains, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned on Tuesday. In a report, Murthy warned about the risks of social media use for young people and called on policymakers, tech companies, researchers and parents to “urgently take action.” “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents,” Murthy said. The full effect of social media isn’t well understood, he noted. “Adolescents are not just smaller adults,” Murthy told The New York Times. “They’re in a different phase of development, and they’re in a critical phase of brain development.” Among the concerns are that if kids are using social media frequently they may actually be altering their developing brains, specifically in the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. These are important for emotional learning, emotional regulation, impulse control and social behavior. This “could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments,” the report stated. Reaction to the report was enthusiastic. “Today’s children and teens do not know a world without digital technology, but the digital world wasn’t built with children’s healthy mental development in mind. We need an approach to help children both on and offline that meets each child where they are while also working to make the digital spaces they inhabit safer… read on > read on >

(HealthDay News) – Cases of vision loss and deaths are mounting in an investigation into eye drops contaminated with a rare strain of a drug-resistant bacteria. In all, four people have died, with one new death now being reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, a total of 14 people have experienced vision loss, with six new cases reported last week. Infections have now been reported in 81 people living in 18 states. Four cases have involved people who have had to have their eyeballs surgically removed. The cases involve 10 brands of eye drops, most commonly EzriCare Artificial Tears. Global Pharma Healthcare’s Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops were first recalled in February. The drops were distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma. “Patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek medical care immediately,” the CDC said in its latest update. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the bacteria infecting these patients. It’s a strain never before seen in the United States, CNN reported. Among the newly identified patients, many had either recalled using the eyedrops or lived in long-term care facilities in which others were infected with the bacteria. The bacteria can spread to those who haven’t used the drops, the CDC noted. “The bacteria can spread when one patient… read on > read on >

During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the only ways to see a doctor was via video or phone appointment, and it turns out many people with cancer still prefer telemedicine visits over in-person ones. The recent end of the U.S. public health emergency will remove some of the flexibilities that were put in place during the pandemic to allow for wider use of telemedicine, and this may be unfortunate, noted study author Dr. Krupal Patel, an oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. “When implemented right and offered to the right patient, telemedicine visits can be a valuable alternative to in-person appointments,” Patel said. The benefits of telemedicine for people with cancer are substantial, he noted. It allows for greater flexibility with scheduling, reduces costs associated with getting to the doctor’s office or hospital, and saves travel time. For the study, more than 33,300 people with cancer answered survey questions on in-person visits, and almost 6,000 on their telemedicine experiences during and after the height of the pandemic, from April 2020 through June 2021. Almost 76% of cancer patients were highly satisfied with their access to their doctors via televisits, compared with about 63% of those who saw their doctors in person. About 91% of people who saw their doctor virtually were highly satisfied with the response and amount… read on > read on >

While the U.S. Veterans Affairs health system has been criticized for long appointment wait times and limited access to specialists, the quality of care and access to a range of surgical services is as good as or better than at non-VA health centers on several measures, new research reveals. “Surgery involves many steps of care,” said lead study author Dr. Mariah Blegen, a fellow in the department of surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine. “This updated review is important because it tells us that the veterans at the VA are getting good care. Quality improvement, through the VA National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VA NSQIP), has been the focus of the VA for several decades and I think this effort is paying off,” Blegen said in a news release from the American College of Surgeons. The findings were published online May 8 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. VA NSQIP has helped track millions of surgical cases and improve outcomes, including improved rates of postoperative death and infection, according to the researchers. “The database continues to drive statistically reliable research that can help VA hospitals better assess its surgical outcomes and develop quality improvement programs,” said Dr. Clifford Ko, director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care. After the success of VA… read on > read on >

(HealthDay News) – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday issued a six-month extension for people seeking to fill controlled medication prescriptions via telehealth. That ability had been set to expire along with the ending of the pandemic public health emergency on May 11. “These medications, including those used to treat opioid use disorder, are a vital form of care for millions of Americans who have come to rely on safe and effective telemedicine appointments,” Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, chair of the American Medical Association’s Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force, said in a statement. “Patients being treated with these medications often have challenges securing and traveling to in-person appointments. We are grateful the DEA is approaching this issue with the gravity it deserves, and we look forward to reviewing the details of the policy when they become available,” Mukkamala added. Prior to the pandemic, patients had to see a doctor for at least one in-person appointment before being able to access prescriptions for a long list of medications, including stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, benzodiazepines for anxiety, and medications for opioid use disorder, sleep or pain. The DEA had offered proposals on March 1 that would allow prescribers to prescribe one 30-day supply of these controlled medications or the opioid use disorder buprenorphine without an in-person exam. Then an exam would be required… read on > read on >

Artificial intelligence (AI) research and development should stop until its use and technology are properly regulated, an international group of doctors and public health experts said. Certain types of AI pose an “existential threat to humanity,” the experts wrote in the May 9 issue of the journal BMJ Global Health. The group — led by Dr. Frederik Federspiel of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom — included experts from the United States, Australia, Costa Rica and Malaysia. AI has transformative potential for society, including in medicine and public health, but also can be misused and may have several negative impacts, they said. The experts warned that AI’s ability to rapidly clean, organize and analyze massive data sets, which may include personal data and images, make it possible to be used to manipulate behavior and subvert democracy. There are already examples, they noted. AI was used in this way in the 2016 U.S. presidential election; in the 2017 French presidential election; and in elections in Kenya in 2013 and 2017, the experts reported. “When combined with the rapidly improving ability to distort or misrepresent reality with deep fakes, AI-driven information systems may further undermine democracy by causing a general breakdown in trust or by driving social division and conflict, with ensuing public health impacts,” the authors warned. AI-driven surveillance can… read on > read on >

It’s easy for kids to get drawn into Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, and a leading U.S. psychologists’ group warns they need some training in social media literacy beforehand. The American Psychological Association on Tuesday issued 10 science-based recommendations for teen and preteen social media use, the first time it has done so. The APA compares training in social media to getting a driver’s license. Teens can’t just hit the road without learning the rules. “There are some ways that social media can benefit and there are some ways that it might cause harm,” said Mitchell Prinstein, the APA’s chief science officer. The report authors wanted to make sure their approach was balanced, he said. There are certain psychological competencies kids should have before they use social media. These are tailored to strengths and the level of maturity that individual kids possess, the report noted. Parents can help their youngsters develop those competencies, and they can also screen for problematic online behaviors, the report advised. How parents can help Among the skills parents can teach kids is knowing what’s real and what isn’t on these platforms. “We all have a natural tendency to believe what we see, to overgeneralize and assume that what we see is probably representative of a great number of people. We all have a tendency to compare ourselves to others. These are… read on > read on >

About 4.5 million adults in the United States have liver disease. If they’re looking for information about their condition, they’d be wise to look beyond TikTok, new research suggests. About 40% of posts about liver disease on the social media platform are false or misleading, pushing claims about fad diets and detox drinks, according to a researcher from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, in Tucson. “People should always consult their doctor first for guidance on their specific medical condition, but we also know that getting health information and tips from social media is extremely common these days,” said study author Dr. Macklin Loveland, an internal medicine resident. “When the average person sees a post about liver disease on social media, they may have no idea that the claims are entirely inaccurate,” Loveland said in a news release from the American Gastroenterological Association. Loveland found more than 2,200 posts on TikTok using the terms “cirrhosis” and “liver disease” between Oct. 1 and Nov. 25, 2022. He compared the information in the posts against established practice guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. That comparison found that 883 of the posts, nearly 40%, contained misinformation. Claims about herbal products reversing liver disease were the most common inaccuracies. Other falsehoods were that eating certain… read on > read on >

In a world increasingly consumed by social media, much has been made of the amount of time younger generations spend online every day — and the harms that habit can bring. But now a new study of older adults suggests that regular internet use may actually be a boon for older Americans, staving off the long-term risk for dementia. “We studied the association between internet usage and the risk of dementia in the long term among dementia-free adults aged 50 and older,” explained study author Gawon Cho. “We found that regular users experienced approximately half the risk of dementia than non-regular users,” said Cho, a doctoral student in the department of social and behavioral sciences at New York University’s School of Global Public Health, in New York City. “Surprised by the magnitude of the risk difference” her team observed, Cho acknowledged that it’s not entirely clear whether dementia-free patients are simply more likely to surf the web in the first place, or whether surfing the web can actually help keep dementia risk at bay. “We cannot tell which is the chicken and which is the egg at this time,” Cho admitted. Still, she said, the findings do indicate that when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain “internet usage in old age matters.” To examine how internet use might impact dementia risk, the study team… read on > read on >

Half of U.S. parents think social media is bad for their kids’ mental health, a new survey reveals. The finding highlights growing concerns about how these platforms affect children’s and adolescents’ well-being, according to the On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health, which had the Harris Poll conduct the survey. The program encourages parents to help their kids by talking regularly about how using social media makes their children feel. While in the past year some platforms like TikTok have introduced new safety measures and lawmakers have talked about limiting access, that’s not enough, the researchers said. “This is a positive step, but parents can’t trust that this is enough,” said Dr. Ariana Hoet, clinical director of On Our Sleeves and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. “Social media has the ability to increase anxiety and depression in children when used inappropriately, as well as potentially open them up to inappropriate sharing, hurtful language, bullying and more.” The survey questioned more than 2,000 U.S. adults, including more than 700 parents of children younger than 18, in late March and early April. The survey found that the number of adults who said social media has a positive impact on children’s mental health fell to just over one-third. It was 43% in 2022. “Be curious about what your child is doing on social… read on > read on >