Author: Healthcare Propulsion Staff

Idiopathic short stature (ISS) describes children whose height is substantially below the expected range for their age and sex without any identifiable medical cause. Recombinant growth hormone (GH) therapy is often used to support growth, but responses vary widely. While some children experience meaningful catch-up growth, others show more limited improvement, making it difficult for clinicians and families to anticipate treatment benefit and set realistic expectations. To address this challenge, researchers led by Professor Jung-woo Chae investigated changes in height percentile over time among children with ISS receiving GH treatment. Made available online in the Value in Health journal on…

Russia’s government played down concerns Monday sparked by media reports that a female scientist in Siberia might have died of exposure to the plague after a lab accident. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the state health watchdog known as Rospotrebnadzor was the “lead agency with expertise in this area,” and he urged Russians to “listen to official information” from its “highly qualified professionals.” The researcher who died has been identified by the Russian reports as Darya Shipilova, 28, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute more than 2,500 miles east of Moscow.  Russian media initially reported that she broke a test…

On the heels of news that the White House would offer rebates to nearly 1 million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans, the Trump administration said Monday that it will pay out $90 rebates to more than 20 million Medicare Part B enrollees. The White House said in a fact sheet that the rebates will be dispensed from the Medicare Improvement Fund, a $2 billion initiative established by Congress to support improvements to traditional Medicare. The fund “has never before been utilized” by the White House to improve the program, per the announcement, since its creation in 2008. Most…

The ancient Egyptians practiced human sacrifice around 5,000 years ago, a period shortly after the country was first unified, a new study finds. In the new study, Roselyn Campbell, an anthropology researcher at Purdue University, re-examined 46 skulls from individuals who were buried near royal tombs that belonged to King Djer, King Djet and Meretneith (a woman who likely ruled Egypt at times), and were built near the ancient sacred city of Abydos. All three rulers lived during the first dynasty, a period that started around 5,000 years ago when Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt were unified into one kingdom.…

Bloodstream infections are a persistent threat to hospitalized patients, and those caused by fungi are particularly dangerous. Candida species are responsible for most invasive fungal infections worldwide and rank among the leading causes of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections overall. Because different fungal species can respond differently to antifungal drugs, doctors strive to correctly identify the fungus responsible for a given infection before initiating treatment. However, conventional diagnosis relies on blood cultures, in which a patient’s blood is incubated until microorganisms grow to detectable levels. This process, together with subsequent identification tests, can take several days to complete. During this waiting period,…

​Donald Trump says he takes aspirin daily, but daily aspirin is not recommended routinely for everyone. Cardiologists explain how it prevents clots, why it can also cause serious bleeding, and who may actually benefit.​President Donald Trump dances at a campaign rally at the Choctaw Event Center, in Durant, Okla. AP/PTI(AP10_02_2026_000001A) Donald Trump recently said he takes aspirin every day, adding that he needs it “psychologically” and believes it “thins” the blood. The comment raises a familiar question: if aspirin can reduce the risk of some heart attacks, why isn’t everyone taking it?The answer is more complicated than a daily pill.…

Skin cancer is a global health challenge, with nearly 1.5 million new cases diagnosed in 2024 according to World Health Organization (WHO) data. In response, the University of Alicante (UA) and the Sant Joan d’Alacant University Hospital have collaborated to launch MEL-IA (MobilE skin Lesion dIAgnosis), an artificial intelligence system designed to automate the classification of skin lesions. Early detection remains vital to improving clinical outcomes for skin cancer. This technology supports healthcare staff in evaluating lesions while seamlessly integrating into the hospital’s existing IT infrastructure. The system incorporates a mobile app to capture images of skin lesions—such as moles…

A sedative developed for cats and dogs is turning up in Scotland’s illicit drug supply. Medetomidine has been found in a fifth of heroin samples in Scotland, and there is no proven antidote if someone overdoses. Often called a new street drug, medetomidine was actually first developed as a sedative more than 50 years ago. It was patented in 1981 and introduced in Europe in 1987 under the name Domitor – a sedative for use in veterinary medicine. Its street name, “rhino tranq”, is misleading. There’s no real evidence it has ever been used to sedate rhinos. (Actual rhino tranquilliser…

In the lead-up to my memoir release in 2025, I was thrilled when my publisher said I could narrate the audiobook. I was less thrilled that the event coincided with the onset of dry mouth, something I’d been experiencing since my recent start on the weight-loss drug Wegovy.Suddenly, this very exciting milestone plagued me with worry. Would audio readers hear the telltale tackiness in my mouth? Would I be able to make it through a paragraph without having to stop and hydrate?I armed myself with jugs of water, mugs of tea, and chewing gum (for the breaks) and got through,…

Philadelphia-based insurer Independence Blue Cross (IBX) has agreed to a $22.5 million settlement to resolve allegations that it failed to withdraw inaccurate diagnosis codes for Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees and obtained higher payouts. The settlement resolves allegations from 2017 to 2021 that the company submitted “inaccurate and untruthful” diagnoses data to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that inflated risk adjustment, according to a Sept. 30 Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.  Moreover, IBX  knowingly failed to withdraw the diagnoses data or reimburse CMS and falsely certified to the agency data was accurate in writing, the government…