astronauts
Space research for the future — here on Earth and out there
Inspiration4 crew
Researchers from over 100 institutions in more than 25 countries published a huge compendium of space health research yesterday, with studies across Nature Portfolio journals. They used short-term data from the first-ever all-civilian crew, who spent three days in space, as well as longer-term data from astronauts who were in orbit for six months to a year. One of the key takeaways: Women seem to be able to tolerate the stress that space puts on the body better than men, though the researchers don't yet know why.
Some of the papers — like one on chromosome-capping structures called telomeres and how they lengthen in space — validate previous research. But others are more novel, particularly those studying potential countermeasures for space's effects on the body. The researchers plan to share all the data on NASA's GeneLab. "That alone, I think, is going to be a huge bonus for the scientific community," Afshin Beheshti, a principal investigator at NASA Ames who helped lead the project, said in a press briefing.
covid-19
Experts take a swing at defining long Covid
Each long Covid sufferer might define the chameleonic condition differently, with its 200-plus potential symptoms. Just last week, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine delved into long Covid's many manifestations. Now another NASEM panel of experts has tried to define the condition, STAT's chronic disease reporter Isa Cueto tells us.
In a report for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the group offers a consensus definition to be used by clinicians, researchers, public health officials, and governments: Long Covid "is an infection-associated chronic conditions that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least three months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state that affects one or more organ systems," the definition reads. Read more in the full report.
politics
Bernie Sanders readies for battle with Novo Nordisk over GLP-1 prices
Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate health committee, has called a vote to subpoena the chief of Novo Nordisk's U.S. division over the company's pricing of the popular diabetes drug Ozempic and the obesity drug Wegovy, his office announced yesterday. Sanders said that the committee has reached out "time and time again" to schedule a voluntary appearance by the company to no avail. But a Novo spokesperson said the company has responded to every request Sanders has made.
The vote to subpoena or not is scheduled for next week, but STAT's Rachel Cohrs Zhang reports that it may not actually happen: The announcement may primarily act as a tactic to pressure the company to cooperate. Read more from Rachel on what's likely to happen next.
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