Focus

The Federal Government Was Funding the Research of Alleged COVID ‘Patient Zero,’ Documents Show

In June, The New York Times ran an exposé detailing the tragedy that we may never know the origins of COVID-19. “For three years, the U.S. government has been tied in knots over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, frustrated that China’s hindrance of investigations and unwillingness to look critically at its own research have obscured what intelligence agencies can learn about whether the...

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Tuberculosis on the rise for first time in decades after COVID-19 interrupted public health interventions and increased inequality

Tuberculosis is a dangerous bacterial infection of the lungs. Moyo Studio/E+ via Getty Images ~~~~~ Before SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spread across the world in 2020, tuberculosis was responsible for more deaths globally than any other infectious disease. But thanks to targeted public health efforts in the U.S. and globally, tuberculosis cases had been steadily falling for...

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What’s It Really Like to Be HHS Secretary? Three Who’ve Done It Spill the Beans

As the nation’s top health official and leader of one of the federal government’s largest departments, the secretary of Health and Human Services makes life-or-death decisions every day that affect millions of Americans. But not all important work is serious. One former HHS secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, recalled a highlight of her tenure: recording a public service message with “Sesame Street.”...

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In the “Wild West” of Outpatient Vascular Care, Doctors Can Reap Huge Payments as Patients Risk Life and Limb

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. In the suburbs of Maryland, Dr. Jeffery Dormu’s presence is hard to miss. He’s a regular on the local TV station, which has featured him and his practice five times over the past five years. And he smiles down from an electronic billboard outside a...

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The neurons that make us feel hangry

Neuroscientists think a cluster of cells in the brain that stimulate appetite could be a target for eating disorder therapies Maybe it starts with a low-energy feeling, or maybe you’re getting a little cranky. You might have a headache or difficulty concentrating. Your brain is sending you a message: You’re hungry. Find food. Studies in mice have pinpointed a cluster of cells called AgRP neurons...

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Many people are tired of grappling with long COVID – here are some evidence-based ways to counter it

About 10% of COVID-19 patients will experience continuing symptoms for 12 weeks or more following diagnosis. Maria Korneeva/Moment via Getty Images ~~~~~~~~~~ A patient of mine, once a marathon runner, now gets tired just walking around the block. She developed COVID-19 during the 2020 Christmas holiday and saw me during the summer of 2021. Previously, her primary care doctor had recommended a...

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