Surgical Patient’s Face Catches Fire; Drug Prices Up; Slime at Boar’s Head Plant

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An Oregon patient’s face caught fire during surgery, a $900,000 lawsuit alleged. (The Oregonian)

Entrepreneur Chris Klomp is seen as the likely choice to head up Medicare in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration according to The Washington Post, while former Trump health policy aide Abe Sutton is seen as the likely choice to lead CMS’s Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation.

A federal judge blocked the FDA from enforcing a rule requiring cigarette makers to include graphic warning labels depicting smoking’s health risks. (Reuters)

An outbreak of Marburg disease in two districts in Tanzania sickened nine people, eight of whom died, the World Health Organization said.

In the first few days of the new year, drugmakers hiked prices for 575 name-brand drugs. (NPR)

The Federal Trade Commission issued an order preventing a company from collecting and selling geolocation data that reveals consumer visits to healthcare facilities and other places.

The House passed a bill to ban transgender students from participating in girls’ sports. (CBS News)

Federal inspectors documented slime and insects, among other issues, at several Boar’s Head meat processing facilities over the last few years. The company had to shutter one plant last year after a listeria outbreak. (AP)

The Environmental Protection Agency issued rules to reduce exposure to ethylene oxide, a pesticide used on sterilized medical devices or dried herbs and spices that’s known to cause several types of cancer.

What could happen to infectious disease research under a second Trump administration? ProPublica takes a look.

Even moderate drinking carries health risks, a second federal report concluded. (STAT)

Deaths in the U.S. are expected to exceed births by 2033, a Congressional Budget Office report found. (The Hill)

Current large language models showed a disconnect between perceived and actual capabilities in medical reasoning, posing significant risks in clinical settings, researchers said. (Nature Medicine)

New Jersey will increase its stores of medication abortion pills in advance of president-elect Trump taking office, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced. (AP)

Leslie Charleson, who played cardiologist Monica Quartermaine for nearly 50 years on the soap opera “General Hospital,” died at age 79. (NPR)

The cause of death for the late Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz was likely a drug overdose, according to police. (USA Today)

“Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel, 43, opened up on her podcast about her battle with breast cancer. (USA Today)

What can walking speed say about your health? (Yahoo!)

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