Health

The first reported person in the world has received a genetically modified pig kidney. A transplant surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital successfully performed the groundbreaking, four-hour procedure on Richard Slayman, a 62-year-old manager at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, on March 16. His doctors report he is doing well and expect him to leave the hospital soon.The surgery was the culmination of years of work transplanting kidneys from a specially bred group of pigs—which had been genetically modified to more closely resemble those of humans—into primates. Encouraged by those results, the team at Mass General Brigham—the health system to which the hospital belongs—was confident it was time to test the pig organs in the first patient.Slayman had received a human kid...

There are more than 400,000 species of plants on Earth and at least half are suitable for human consumption—yet you’ll only find a small portion at the grocery store. That’s part of the reason why Sam Thayer loves foraging. He started collecting wild food from the woods when he was a kid, and he still has cravings for delicacies he can’t buy. “Last year I gathered about 30 gallons of serviceberries”—blueberry-like fruits that grow on trees and shrubs—“and I make fruit leather and eat it as a snack year-round,” says Thayer, a naturalist who lives in Northwest Wisconsin and has authored an array of field guides. “I have about 8 pounds of Wapato, which is a tuber, in my pantry, and I grind it up into hot cereal for breakfast. I love it, and you can’t buy it.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true...

Nothing kills the vibe on a first (or third) date like discovering that the person across from you—who had seemed so full of potential—chews with his mouth open or wears sunglasses indoors or has his ex’s initials tattooed on his bicep.Cue instant repulsion, or what’s called “the ick.” The term, which is used liberally on social-media platforms like TikTok and among reality TV contestants, describes an abrupt feeling of disgust about someone you were previously attracted to, usually during the early stages of dating. “It feels like there’s this random, very sudden turn-off,” says Naomi Bernstein, a clinical psychologist in Dallas who co-hosts the Oversharing podcast. “It’s visceral and automatic, more a reaction in the body than a rational thought.” The entire person—usually a man—becomes ...

In a video released by Kensington Palace, Kate Middleton revealed why she has been out of the public eye for months: she was diagnosed with cancer and has been receiving preventative chemotherapy. She did not say what type of cancer she has or the stage of her disease, but she began receiving preventative chemotherapy in late February, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” the Princess of Wales said in the video. “The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”Wh...

When Katie Coleman was diagnosed at age 29 with a softball-sized tumor on her right kidney and a host of smaller growths in her liver, she was stunned. That astonishment quickly gave way to feelings of hopelessness. “I felt like my entire world was being pulled out from under me,” Coleman, now 32, says. “I went into a very dark spiral.”Though her surgeon removed all the tumors, it wasn’t clear what her long- or even short- term prognosis was. What she found on the internet just freaked her out more. “One night I spiraled so deep I didn’t know whether life was worth living anymore.”Coleman knew she needed help dealing with her depression and anxiety, but she didn’t form a strong connection with any of the therapists she met with. “I never found one who really understood what it was like to ...

The firing of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend after allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball player is shining renewed attention on compulsive gambling.The team fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who has been Ohtani’s constant companion since the star came to the U.S in 2017, on Wednesday after reports about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million.The law firm representing Ohtani said in a statement that he had been the victim of “massive theft.”Mizuhara told ESPN this week that Ohtani knew nothing of his illegal wagers on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. Mizuhara said Ohtani was an innocent victim of his friend’s gambling addiction.What is problem gambling?The Natio...

A new gene therapy for an ultra-rare disease will have a wholesale cost of $4.25 million, making it the world’s most expensive drug. The one-time treatment, Lenmeldy, won U.S. regulatory approval on Monday to correct the underlying cause of a hereditary condition called early-onset metachromatic leukodystrophy, or MLD.MLD is a fatal disease in which infants sometimes start to lose the ability to walk and talk. Orchard Therapeutics said the drug’s price “reflects its clinical, economic and societal value” in a statement Wednesday. Read More: FDA Approves First CRISPR Treatment in U.S.The drug’s cost tops that of CSL Behring LLC’s Hemgenix, a one-time infusion for hemophilia priced at $3.5 million. MLD affects about one in 100,000 live births, and fewer than 40 children a year in the U.S., a...

March 20, 2024 9:54 PM EDTSome dermatologists are recommending that people refrigerate benzoyl peroxide products such as Proactiv and Clearasil after an independent lab found they were contaminated with the potent carcinogen benzene.The American Acne & Rosacea Society said Wednesday that storing benzoyl peroxide creams, gels and washes at refrigerated temperatures could minimize the risk of benzene exposure. “Benzoyl peroxide has been a very important part of the treatment of many patients with acne and also some other skin diseases,” according to the group, which has about 6,000 members.Read More: Why Does My Face Turn Red When I Exercise?The testing lab Valisure filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 5 asking the agency to recall benzoyl peroxide acne tr...

I love running. I will happily jog for hours (and often do, during marathons). But ask me to perform a push-up, and I might cry. I truly detest strength training.Unfortunately for me, it’s extremely good for you—and for runners who want to get faster. So I decided to add in two strength-training sessions per week in preparation for running the Boston Marathon this spring. I wanted exercises designed to improve my pace, but didn’t want to spend money on a personal trainer. Unsure of how to start, I turned to ChatGPT. The chatbot did not give me the workout regimen I was hoping for—and after following its recommendations for nearly a month, I was no closer to liking strength training. But I learned some things along the way that might end up helping me become a better runner.Lesson 1: ChatGP...

After scrapping a plan several months ago to ban people born after 2008 from buying tobacco cigarettes, the New Zealand government on Wednesday announced a total ban on single-use e-cigarettes—also known as disposable vapes—and said it will increase the fines on retailers selling cigarettes and vapes to those under 18, in the country’s latest approach to discourage smoking among youth.“The rapid rise in youth vaping has been a real concern for parents, teachers, and health professionals,” Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said when announcing the changes to New Zealand’s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act. She added that reusable vapes would remain available for adults as they are “a key smoking cessation device” but that too many teenagers use disposable vapes becaus...