Serena Williams' Surgery; Moderna Sued Over COVID Vax; Brighter Nights and Mortality

— Health news and commentary gathered by staff

MedicalToday
Morning Break over illustration of a syringe, Covid virus, and DNA helix over a photo of green vegetation.

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Retired tennis star Serena Williams said she "the size of a small grapefruit" from her neck. (AP)

Time to panic over bird flu? . (STAT)

A San Diego neurosurgeon is of perpetrating a $100 million workers' compensation fraud scheme. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

in the wake of tougher competition and lower reimbursement for prescriptions. (NPR)

The Agriculture Department into its handling of the listeria outbreak associated with Boar's Head deli meats. (AP)

Israel's attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon in that country, the WHO says.

Health officials in Brazil are trying to figure out how six . (Washington Post)

GSK for patent infringement related to GSK's COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines. (Reuters)

to help people quit smoking, according to researchers from the FDA and NIH.

In other FDA news, the agency approved the tumor-treating fields device Optune Lua for , maker Novocure announced.

What's the "healthiest" Halloween candy? .

Yes, it did taste a little too good: Coca-Cola in September because they contained -- sugar. (The Hill)

Long-acting birth control is courtesy of mobile health clinics. (KFF Health News)

The Biden Administration is using the Defense Production Act of a Baxter IV fluid manufacturing plant in North Carolina that was damaged by Hurricane Helene. (CBS News)

Nearly 2 million children -- most of them in Africa -- may die of malnutrition because , according to UNICEF. (New York Times)

A "digital twin" of the heart improves the precision of cardiac surgery, and . (Washington Post)

People exposed to brighter nights and darker days , a study found. (PNAS)

Is social media causing more children ? (Wall Street Journal)

Meanwhile, firstborn and only children are more likely to have anxiety or depression, suggested.

Seniors -- especially those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities -- hospitalized with sepsis in severely stressed hospitals as the hospitals' COVID-19 burden increased, a study found. (JAMA Network Open)

Abortion access in several states by several state supreme court races. (The 19th)