Ob/Gyn Accused of Sex Abuse Found Dead; Massive Medicare Scam; Veggies in the Genes?

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Former University of Southern California ob/gyn George Tyndall, MD — accused of sexually abusing hundreds of patients — was found dead in his Los Angeles home. (New York Times)

During the inauguration of Columbia University’s new president, protesters showed up in support of victims of former Columbia ob/gyn Robert Hadden, MD, who is currently serving a 20-year prison term for sexual abuse. (WABC)

The CDC reported that almost two thirds of COVID-related hospitalizations in 2023 involved people 65 or older, but only a fourth of that age group were up to date on vaccination.

The 3-day strike by 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers enters its third day with no resolution in sight. (AP)

Faculty shortages forced U.S. nursing schools to turn down almost 80,000 applications in 2022. (CNN)

The Arkansas Department of Health identified a locally acquired case of malaria in a state resident.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s top scientist said dengue fever will become a major threat in southern parts of the U.S. this decade. (Reuters)

How weight-loss drugs like semaglutide (Wegovy) could reshape American eating behavior and the food industry. (Axios)

Patients who take GLP-1 agonists for weight-loss have risk of pancreatitis nine times higher as compared with the older combination drug bupropion-naltrexone and a three to four times greater risk of bowel obstruction and gastroparesis. (JAMA)

A Georgia laboratory owner has been sentenced to 27 years in prison and has to forfeit his Ferrari for submitting almost $500 million in false Medicare claims for genetic testing. (CNBC)

High salt levels from drought-driven intrusion of ocean water threatens Louisiana residents’ drinking water. (CNN)

Hawaii has accused a pharmacy benefits manager in the state with illegally driving up prices. (Reuters)

Vegetarianism may be in a person’s genes. (NPR)

The cancer drug shortage has eased a bit but appears unlikely to go away anytime soon. (STAT)

The investigation into interference with the 2020 presidential election has focused new attention on former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s drinking behavior. (New York Times)

Pfizer announced the FDA has granted interchangeability of the company’s adalimumab biosimilar (Abrilada) with Humira for all of the biosimilar’s currently approved indications.

After years of hearing doctors blame her lupus symptoms on her weight, a Florida woman underwent bariatric surgery and lost half of her body weight — only to find her symptoms worse than ever. (People)

The FDA’s vaccine advisory panel endorsed removing an influenza vaccine strain that’s no longer circulating in the U.S. (STAT)

Another 32 deaths have been linked to the foam breakdown problem in Philips’ CPAP and BiPAP devices, bringing the total to 426 since 2021, according to the FDA.

A jury in Nevada ordered Real Water to pay $228 million in damages over cases of liver illness and death in people who drank the company’s bottled water. (USA Today)

In an effort to wipe out polio once and for all, a province in Pakistan passed a bill that could send parents to jail for not getting their children vaccinated against polio and other communicable diseases. (AP)

As many as a third of LGBTQ people report having undergone conversion therapy to discourage their expression of sexuality or gender identity. (PLoS ONE)

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