Chatbots Crushed Medical Licensing Exam

 . . .  To secure a medical license in the United States, aspiring doctors must successfully navigate three stages of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, with the third and final installment widely regarded as the most challenging. It requires candidates to answer about 60% of the questions correctly and, historically, the average passing score hovered around 75%. . . .  We isolated 50 questions from the 2023 USMLE Step 3 sample test to evaluate the clinical proficiency of five different leading large language models, feeding the same set of questions to each of these platforms — ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Grok and Llama.  . . .  

Here’s how they scored:

• ChatGPT-4o (OpenAI) — 49/50 questions correct (98%)
• Claude 3.5 (Anthropic) — 45/50 (90%)
• Gemini Advanced (Google) — 43/50 (86%)
• Grok (xAI) — 42/50 (84%)
• HuggingChat (Llama) — 33/50 (66%) CNBC.

As wildfires rage, what is the smoke doing to our health and bodies?

Scientists are discovering just how toxic wildfire smoke is to the body – here’s what to know and how to stay safe

 . . .  Wildfire smoke is known to be toxic to the body, but just how toxic is starting to come into focus as new studies emerge. Just this week, a decade-long study involving more than 1 million people in southern California found that exposure to wildfire smoke significantly increases the risk of being diagnosed with dementia by 21%, versus other types of air pollution such as from motor vehicles or factories. TheGuardian. 

Air purifiers: how do they work and who should get one?

Outdoor air quality affects indoors, and many are turning to air purifiers – here’s what to know if you want to buy one

 . . .  The effectiveness of an air purifier depends on factors such as the type of filtration used; the size of the unit relative to the room (most devices are labeled with the size of the space they can effectively clean); and its clean air delivery rate (CADR), a measurement that indicates how much air an air-filtration system can filter per minute. TheGuardian. 

How Our Bodies Can Adapt to Heat

It’s possible to train your body to better handle high temperatures in just a few weeks.

 . . .  The idea behind acclimatization is to train your body to better handle the stress of heat, starting with small doses. You might begin by doing half an hour of light or moderate exercise in the heat for a few days, followed by an hour for the next few days. You gradually build up to more intense activity in greater heat and over longer periods of time. Generally, two weeks of daily exposure to heat while doing a physical activity for 60 to 90 minutes are enough to help the body adapt. NYT.

More US Women Have Tried To Induce Their Own Abortion Since Fall Of Roe: Report

Roughly 7% of w omen of reproductive age in the US have attempted to induce their own abortions outside the formal healthcare system, a new study has found, up from 5% before Roe v Wade fell in 2022. The study, published on Tuesday in the Jama medical journal, determined how many people reported ever “self-managing” their own abortion in 2021 and again in 2023 – a timeline that allowed researchers to examine how Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the supreme court case that overturned Roe, has affected self-managed abortions. People of color and LGBTQ+ people were more likely to report having ever attempted to end their own pregnancies. TheGuardian. 

Florida’s Abortion Protection Amendment Leads Poll

Florida’s ballot initiative to protect abortion is winning and has more support among voters than either Vice President Harris or Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a new poll shows. According to the poll from University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL), 69 percent of respondents said they would vote for Amendment 4, which would prohibit laws from restricting or banning abortion until fetal viability. TheHill.

Biden administration should push for addiction medication in recovery houses, groups say

 . . .  The discrimination that people often face when seeking treatment using methadone or buprenorphine, the groups say, is especially pronounced within recovery housing facilities, which typically offer lodging coupled with counseling and other social services. Many facilities have historically refused to admit people taking addiction medications, effectively treating their use as akin to using heroin or fentanyl. While attitudes have evolved and outright bans on methadone or buprenorphine have become less common, the practice persists. STAT.

Substance use stayed at high levels in 2023, while vaping increased and smoking fell

 . . . Nearly half of survey respondents 12 years and older reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days, and 5.7% reported heavy drinking. Rates of binge drinking were identical to 2022 and 2021: In the past 30 days, 21.7% of Americans had engaged in binge drinking — defined by five drinks in a day for men and four drinks in a day for women. Rates of marijuana and other illicit drug use, including stimulants and opioids, were also roughly the same as the year before. Fentanyl misuse ticked downward from 0.4% of the population to 0.3% — a small change that nonetheless represents roughly 160,000 fewer people misusing the powerful synthetic opioid. STAT.

Even 4,000 Steps a Day Can Have Big Health Benefits

But the more you walk, the better off you’ll be.

 . . .  a habit of walking just under 4,000 steps per day reduced the risk of dying from any cause, including from cardiovascular disease. That translates into a 30- to 45-minute walk, or roughly two miles, although it varies from person to person  . . .  But the more steps you take, the better off you are: Mortality risk decreased by 15 percent with every additional 1,000 steps participants took. NYT.

Pediatricians Warn Against Overuse of Tongue-Tie Surgeries

In a new report, the American Academy of Pediatrics said that breastfeeding problems were rarely caused by infant tongue-ties.

In recent years, more and more women struggling to breastfeed have taken their babies to a dentist to sever the tissue under the tongue. But little evidence supports the use of these “tongue-tie releases” for most babies, according to a report published on Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics  . . .   The tongue procedures, which often cost several hundred dollars, should be done only to the small fraction of infants with severely tethered tongues, the report said. NYT.

F.D.A. Approves Blood Test for Colon Cancer Detection

While not a perfect alternative to colonoscopies, experts hope the test could lead to more people getting screened for colorectal cancers.

 . . .  The test, named Shield, will be available within a week. Guardant will announce its list price at that time, said Matt Burns, a company spokesman. It is approved for people aged 45 and over who are at average risk for colon cancer. The hope is that the blood test, despite its limitation, can encourage more people to be screened for colorectal cancer, the second-most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. As many as 53,000 Americans are expected to die from colorectal cancer this year. . . .  Regular screening can prevent as many as 73 percent of those deaths. NYT.

Do Ultraprocessed Foods Harm Your Brain?

Recent research, including a new study on red meat, has linked these foods to an increased risk of dementia. Experts are trying to understand why.

People who regularly eat processed red meat, like hot dogs, bacon, sausage, salami and bologna, have a greater risk of developing dementia later in life. That was the conclusion of preliminary research presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. NYT.

Some dark chocolates contain heavy metals. Should you be concerned?

In general, the amount of heavy metals in the tested cocoa products “is not alarming” but it’s something consumers should “be aware of,” a new study says.

 . . .  The study’s findings are not a reason to stop eating dark chocolate, Frame said. Some studies suggest flavonoids found in dark chocolate may lower the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. WashingtonPost. 

Suicide rates in children have continued to climb across 15 years, study finds

Data released Tuesday by the National Institute of Mental Health shows the increase is disproportionately high among girls 8 to 12 years old.

The suicide rate for U.S. children 8 to 12 years old has steadily climbed in the past decade and a half, with a disproportionate rise among girls, data released Tuesday by the National Institute of Mental Health shows.  . . .  Boys continue to have a higher suicide rate than girls, but suicide among 8-to-12-year-old girls has disproportionally increased in the past 15 years.WashingtonPost. 

Nearly A Third Of Adolescents Getting Mental Health Treatment, Federal Survey Finds

Close to 1 in 3 adolescents in the U.S. received mental health treatment in 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported Tuesday, which works out to around 8.3 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 getting counseling, medication or another treatment. The result is among the findings now released from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2023. The federal agency’s sweeping annual poll is closely tracked by mental health and addiction experts. CBS.

Study: PTSD among college students jumps, especially during COVID shutdowns

A study finds that PTSD nearly doubled among college students, from 3.4% to 7.5%, from 2017 to 2022. The researchers called the increase “shocking.” 

 . . .  Researchers said some of the increased stress clearly stemmed from the pandemic, when campuses and cities locked down while health officials worked to stop COVID’s spread and learned how to treat the illness. But they noted that other stressors affect college students, too, like campus shootings, global tensions and polarized politics. An estimated 5% of adults in the U.S. experience PTSD in any given year. Over their lifetimes, 8% of women and 4% of men will face the condition. WUSF.

Most Young People Who Die By Suicide In The US Do Not Have Previous Mental Health Diagnoses, Study Suggests

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people in the United States, and new research suggests that the majority of young people who have died by suicide did not have a documented mental health diagnosis in their medical history. CNN.

Copycat weight-loss drugs are major players with consumers

Compounding pharmacies’ big stake in anti-obesity drugs

As many as 1 in 8 American adults has tried one of the GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs, but a surprising number aren’t getting their supplies from pharma giants Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly. Up to 30 percent of the market, by some estimates, is made up of copycat versions from compounding pharmacies. Compounding is legal, though the resulting products sometimes fall into a gray area because they’re copies of drugs under patent and are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. WashingtonPost. 

Ozempic or Wegovy can be a godsend, but their non-medical use is alarming

 . . .  The active ingredient semaglutide suppresses appetite by mimicking the role of a natural hormone called GLP-1, which is produced by the body when we eat. This hormone tells the brain we’ve eaten and makes us feel full. Semaglutide also helps the pancreas produce insulin, which is why it was approved to help manage type 2 diabetes. But Ozempic-type drugs come with potential side effects such as nausea and stomach pain, and may be implicated in gallbladder issues, kidney damage, pancreatitis and thyroid cancer, although research is ongoing  . . .  Another downside is that the drugs need to be taken continuously, otherwise the weight lost through the suppression of appetite may be regained. For example, one study found that once individuals stopped taking semaglutide, they regained two-thirds of their weight within a year. Users are signing up for a weekly injection for the rest of their lives. TheGuardian. 

Eating processed red meat could increase risk of dementia, study finds

US researchers say they have uncovered potential link after tracking 130,000 people over four decades Eating processed red meat could be a significant risk factor for dementia, according to a large study that tracked more than 100,000 people over four decades. Processed red meat has previously been shown to increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Now US researchers say they have uncovered a potential link to dementia. The study also found that replacing processed red meat with healthier foods such as nuts, beans or tofu could help reduce the risk of dementia. TheGuardian. 

Shingles vaccine linked with lower dementia risk, study shows

The research adds to growing recognition that infectious agents may play a role in the development of some types of dementia.

The shingles vaccine, recommended for people 50 and older to fight the painful viral infection, might also decrease the chances of developing dementia, according to data presented at a medical conference Tuesday.  . . .  The GSK research follows two other large studies, which were not funded by the industry, that also show a lower risk for dementia among those who were vaccinated against shingles. WashingtonPost. 

How to know if claims made by health products are real or just hype

Is that at-home DIY medical test actually useful? Here are some strategies that can help you know.

 . . .  Talk to your medical providers. They can help you think through a potential purchase or may know of an easier, less expensive way to get the answers you’re interested in. For example, your doctor could order a test to check your cholesterol levels, rather than have you buy one yourself. Or they may have specific recommendations about home monitoring devices so you’re not left to comparison shop on your own. WashingtonPost. 

CDC to offer seasonal flu shots to farmworkers amid bird flu outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching a $5 million initiative to provide seasonal flu shots this fall to about 200,000 livestock workers in states hardest hit by the bird flu outbreak. Workers on poultry, dairy and pig farms are at greatest risk of being simultaneously exposed to seasonal flu and the H5N1 bird flu that has infected at least 172 dairy herds in 13 states. WashingtonPost. 

Health Officials Report More Colorado Workers Infected With Bird Flu 

The number of bird flu infections among Colorado poultry workers increased to nine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters Tuesday, for a total of 14 cases nationwide from exposure to poultry and dairy cattle since 2022. The cases in Colorado come out of two farms located in Weld County, which is northeast of the Denver metro area. The workers experienced mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis. The CDC assessment of the risk to the public remains low, but poultry workers tasked with culling infected birds are at a heightened risk of infection. RollCall.