Sen. McConnell Hospitalized; WHO Alarms on Salt; Scientists Revive 'Zombie' Virus

Note that some links may require subscriptions.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hospitalized after a fall, his spokesman said. (Washington Post)

Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla, PhD, went all in on Mehmet Oz, MD, maxing out his campaign contributions during the Pennsylvania race for the U.S. Senate. (STAT)

Meanwhile, a data breach at healthcare group DC Health Link has potentially exposed the personal data of hundreds of congressional lawmakers and their staff. (Politico)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed an executive order supporting gender-affirming healthcare. Meanwhile, a bill is awaiting votes to make Minnesota a "trans refuge state." (AP)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has a second bout of COVID-19 after returning from a personal trip to Mexico. (Sacramento Bee)

The FDA clarified that it had loosened a sample requirement in giving Lucira's COVID/flu combination home test emergency use authorization last month.

For emergency treatment of opioid overdose, Amphastar says its naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray now has the FDA's go-ahead.

A look at house staff unions across the country and their impact on physician well-being and patient care. (Wired)

Celebrity conservationist Bindi Irwin put a spotlight on endometriosis in disclosing her own history with the chronic disease. (Washington Post)

In a new report, the World Health Organization says "massive" efforts are needed to reduce global salt intake and to save lives.

The distillation of Jack Daniel's whiskey is attracting and feeding a black fungus now covering parts of Tennessee near where it's manufactured, and local residents are suing. (USA Today)

An emergency physician shares how at a backyard barbecue, a small metal part of a grill brush ended up in a hamburger and subsequently lodged in a small child's throat, causing ear pain. (Fox News)

A Louisiana doctor was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to prescribing oxycodone and hydrocodone outside the scope of medical practice, resulting in a patient's overdose death, says the Department of Justice.

Profile of Olympic gold medalist Claire Thompson, a Canadian hockey player who is currently a medical student at NYU. (The Athletic)

Scientists thawed out and revived a "zombie" virus that spent nearly 50,000 years in the Arctic permafrost. (CNN)

A former charge nurse is suing Pittsburgh's UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital over an alleged incident in which his disability was mistaken for an alcohol or drug impairment. He was reportedly injected with an antipsychotic against his will, and ultimately involuntarily committed and coerced into resigning. (WPXI)

In an update on reports of squamous cell carcinoma in the scar tissue formed around breast implants, the FDA says it has identified 19 such cases, the majority involving swelling and/or pain of the breast as symptoms.

FDA is proposing new rules to crack down on tobacco products contaminated with metal, glass, and plastics.

Comment