US FDA investigates third death after treatment with Sarepta's gene therapy Elevidys
The death occurred on June 7, the agency said.
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The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
States sue Trump, saying he is intimidating hospitals over gender-affirming care for youth
Seventeen Democratic officials accused President Donald Trump 's administration of unlawfully intimidating health care providers into stopping gender-affirming care for transgender youth in a lawsuit filed Friday. The complaint comes after a month in which at least eight major hospitals and hospital systems — all in states where the care is allowed under state law — announced they were stopping or restricting the care. The latest announcement came Thursday from UI Health in Chicago. Trump's administration announced in July that it was sending subpoenas to providers and focusing on investigating them for fraud. It later boasted in a news release that hospitals are halting treatments. The Democratic officials say Trump's policies are an attempt to impose a nationwide ban on the treatment for people under 19 — and that's unlawful because there's no federal statute that bans providing the care to minors. The suit was filed by attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia, plus the governor of Pennsylvania, in U.S. District Court in Boston. 'The federal government is running a cruel and targeted harassment campaign against providers who offer lawful, lifesaving care to children,' New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Trump and others who oppose the care say that it makes permanent changes that people who receive it could come to regret — and maintain that it's being driven by questionable science. Since 2021, 28 states with Republican-controlled legislatures have adopted policies to ban or restrict gender-affirming care for minors. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states have a right to enforce those laws. For families with transgender children, the state laws and medical center policy changes have sparked urgent scrambles for treatment. The medical centers are responding to political and legal pressure The Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the biggest public provider of gender-affirming care for children in teens in the U.S., closed in July. At least seven other major hospitals and health systems have made similar announcements, including Children's National in Washington D.C., UChicago Medicine and Yale New Haven Health. Kaiser Permanente, which operates in California and several other states, said it would pause gender-affirming surgeries for those under 19 as of the end of August, but would continue hormone therapy. Connecticut Children's Medical Center cited 'an increasingly complex and evolving landscape" for winding down care. Other hospitals, including Penn State, had already made similar decisions since Trump returned to office in January. Alex Sheldon, executive director of GLMA, an organization that advocates for health care equity for LGBTQ+ people, said the health systems have pulled back the services for legal reasons, not medical ones. 'Not once has a hospital said they are ending care because it is not medically sound,' Sheldon said. Trump's administration has targeted the care in multiple ways Trump devoted a lot of attention to transgender people in his campaign last year as part of a growing pushback from conservatives as transgender people have gained visibility and acceptance on some fronts. Trump criticized gender-affirming care, transgender women in women's sports, and transgender women's use of women's facilities such as restrooms. On his inauguration day in January, Trump signed an executive order defining the sexes as only male and female for government purposes, setting the tone for a cascade of actions that affect transgender people. About a week later, Trump called to stop using federal money, including from Medicaid, for gender-affirming care for those under 19. About half of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of transgender issues, an AP-NORC poll found. But the American Medical Association says that gender is on a spectrum, and the group opposes policies that restrict access to gender-affirming health care. Gender-affirming care includes a range of medical and mental health services to support a person's gender identity, including when it's different from the sex they were assigned at birth. It includes counseling and treatment with medications that block puberty, and hormone therapy to produce physical changes, as well as surgery, which is rare for minors. In March, a judge paused enforcement of the ban on government spending for care. The court ruling didn't stop other federal government action In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed government investigators to focus on providers who continue to offer gender-affirming care for transgender youth. 'Under my leadership, the Department of Justice will bring these practices to an end," she wrote. In May, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a report discouraging medical interventions for transgender youth and instead focusing solely on talk therapy. The report questions adolescents' capacity to consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility. The administration has not said who wrote the report, which has been deeply criticized by LGBTQ+ advocates. In June, a Justice Department memo called for prioritizing civil investigations of those who provide the treatment. In July, Justice Department announced it had sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in gender-affirming care for youth, saying they were part of investigations of health care fraud, false statements and other possible wrongdoing. And in a statement last week, the White House celebrated decisions to end gender-affirming care, which it called a 'barbaric, pseudoscientific practice' Families worry about accessing care Kristen Salvatore's 15-year-old child started hormone therapy late last year at Penn State Health. Salvatore said in an interview with The Associated Press before the lawsuit was announced that it was a major factor in reduced signs of anxiety and depression. Last month, the family received official notice from the health system that it would no longer offer the hormones for patients under 19 after July 31, though talk therapy can continue. Salvatore has been struggling to find a place that's not hours away from their Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, home that would provide the hormones and accept Medicaid coverage. 'I'm walking around blind with no guidance, and whatever breadcrumbs I was given are to a dead-end alleyway,' she said. The family has enough testosterone stockpiled to last until January. But if they can't find a new provider by then, Salvatore's child could risk detransitioning, she said.
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The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Doctor warns of hand symptom that can reveal advanced lung cancer
A Brooklyn doctor warns that a modest transformation in fingernails could indicate lung cancer. Dr. Davood Johari, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, told the New York Post that 5 percent to 15 percent of lung cancer patients develop nail clubbing, which typically appears in later stages of the disease, often too late for effective intervention. 'Fingertips appear wider and rounder than normal, with the nails curving downwards, resembling an upside-down spoon,' Johari said as August 1 marks World Lung Cancer Day. 'The nail bed, the area under the nail, feels spongy and softer,' he added. 'The fingertip might be red or feel warmer than usual.' The exact cause of nail clubbing and the connection to lung cancer isn't fully known, but it may result from hormone-like substances produced by tumors that widen blood vessels in the fingers, increasing blood flow and causing fluid buildup under the nails. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, with about 226,650 new U.S. diagnoses expected this year, leading to nearly 125,000 deaths. Johari urges that anyone who notices persistent changes in nail color, shape, or thickness lasting more than two weeks, even without other symptoms to seek medical attention. People with other lung cancer symptoms including a persistent cough, voice changes, unexplained weight loss or fatigue, ongoing shoulder pain that worsens at night, vision issues, or drooping eyelids, should also consult a doctor, he said. Lung cancer evaluations usually start with a medical history review, physical exam and imaging, with a biopsy required for a definitive diagnosis. Nail clubbing can also indicate other serious conditions like chronic lung infections, heart defects, gastrointestinal diseases and autoimmune disorders. Johari said that other nail changes such as dark streaks, persistent bruises, nail lifting or bleeding, may also signal various forms of cancer and shouldn't be ignored. 'Many nail changes are harmless and may be related to aging, injury and trauma or everyday activities like using nail polish,' Johari told the outlet. 'However, any changes in nail color, nail shape or thickness, which are persistent and last for more than a couple of weeks, should be checked by a physician.' While smoking is the most well-known cause of lung cancer, several other risk factors can also lead to the disease. One major cause is radon exposure, a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US, particularly among non-smokers, according to the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. High, unsafe levels of radon are commonly found in rock, soil and groundwater. Testing homes for radon and understanding local regulations are key to reducing exposure, and fortunately, high radon levels can often be lowered through effective mitigation. Age is another factor, with two-thirds of lung cancer cases diagnosed in individuals over 65 years old, and most occurring in those over 45, per the source. A family or personal history of lung cancer also increases risk. Additional environmental and occupational exposures, such as to arsenic, asbestos, cadmium, chromium, uranium and certain petroleum products, can contribute to lung cancer development. Air pollution, prior radiation therapy to the chest or breast and a history of lung diseases such as tuberculosis further elevate the risk.
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Meet Thaddeus: The baby born 31 years after his embryo was frozen
Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born in Ohio on 26 July from an embryo frozen for 31 years, potentially setting a new world record as the "oldest baby". His parents, Lindsey and Tim Pierce, adopted the embryo after trying to conceive for seven years. The embryo was created via IVF in 1994 by Linda Archerd, who had stored it for years before donating it through the Snowflakes programme. Ms Archerd maintained involvement in the donation process, selecting an adoptive family based on specific criteria, as the child would be a biological sibling to her adult daughter. The previous record for the "oldest" baby was held by twins born in 2022 from embryos frozen in 1992.
