closer look
Health policy experts on the once and future president
As the incoming Trump administration takes shape, STAT is staying on top of all the implications for health policy. Here's what you should check out today:
- Yesterday, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said he's unsure about the future of the agency under the incoming Trump administration and "disappointed" about the election's outcome. "I'm biased, but I feel like the FDA is at peak performance right now and we'll just see what happens as the new team comes in," Califf said. Read more from STAT's Lizzy Lawrence.
- In today's episode of the First Opinion Podcast, Torie Bosch talks with lawyer and health policy expert Carmel Shachar about her experience during the first Trump administration and what she expects to be different this time around. I was particularly intrigued by her thoughts on interstate regulations on abortion and telehealth. Shield laws protecting abortion providers and patients in progressive states haven't really been tested yet, she said. And while telehealth rules were loosened during the pandemic so a provider in one state could often treat someone in another, those exceptions have ended. But "it's not like an eyeball changes when it crosses over [from Massachusetts] into New Hampshire," Shachar said. Take a listen to the conversation.
beverages
News you can use in a beer vs. wine debate
People who drink beer as their only alcoholic beverage of choice have worse diets, exercise less, and are more likely to smoke cigarettes than people who drink wine, liquor, or a combination, according to a new study that will be presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease's Liver Meeting later this week and simultaneously published in the journal Nutrients.
The findings are based on self-reported data from a nationally representative survey of more than 1,900 U.S. adults. Almost 39% of respondents drank beer only, while 22% drank wine only, 18% liquor only, and 21% drank a combination. Beer drinkers were more likely to be male, younger, and low-income — but the association persisted even after adjusting for relevant variables. The authors note that prospective studies could help to understand the connection.
heart health
More people are surviving congenital heart defects
Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities in the heart or nearby blood vessels that develop before birth. Worldwide, they occur in 9 out of every 1,000 live births. About a quarter of these people need surgery or a catheter-based treatment during infancy, after which more than 90% (in developed countries) survive into adulthood. Progress in increasing survival rates has been decades in the making.
But as more people grow older, they may leave the care of pediatric cardiologists only to find doctors whose training has not have included care of adult survivors like them. "They are part of a group of patients that hadn't really existed before," researcher Anitha John told STAT's Liz Cooney. Read more from Liz about the growing number of adult survivors of congenital heart defects and the inadequate care they receive.
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