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Fatal Christmas Tree; A Whole Lot of Fraud; Chatbots Relieve Seniors' Loneliness

— Health news and commentary from around the Web gathered by Ƶ staff

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

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In observance of the holiday season, Morning Break will not be published December 25-26 and will resume Wednesday December 27.

A woman in Belgium died and two others were injured by a in a market square. (Reuters)

A Florida man was sentenced to over 4 years in prison for illegal distribution of $16 million of , the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

DOJ also said that United Memorial Medical Center in Houston will pay a $2 million fine plus contingent payments for alleged related to outlier excessive costs and double billing for COVID testing.

Continuing a busy week at DOJ, a Florida nurse practitioner was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in a .

Finally, DOJ announced that Ultragenyx agreed to pay $6 million to settle allegations the company to induce claims for its X-linked hypophosphatemia drug burosumab (Crysvita).

The Federal Trade Commission announced that the Rite Aid drugstore chain agreed to a 5-year ban on using to combat shoplifting, settling allegations that the technology incorrectly tagged consumers, especially women and minorities.

A federal judge says that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) about transgender surgeries in children. (AP)

Health data breaches in 2023 . (STAT)

As patients lose their primary care doctors, more are . (NPR)

Early administration of tecovirimat (Tpoxx) by about 6 days in a preclinical model of human infection. (PLOS Biology)

AI-driven can help senior citizens deal with loneliness. (AP)

The New York State Department of Health is investigating allegations that Bellevue Hospital allowed to participate in some bariatric surgeries. (New York Times)

Two CDC studies showed dramatically lower vaccination rates for COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) versus influenza in and among in the general population.

Another CDC study showed between COVID-19 oral therapy such as nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) and SARS-CoV-2 rebound.

More and more teenage girls are for their contraceptive needs. (New York Times)

The World Health Organization has prequalified a second .

Flashes, shimmers, and blind spots: An inside view of . (Washington Post)

A nationwide (ADHD) has driven up prices and forced many people to choose between scrimping on necessities or going without the medication. (USA Today)

Some pharmacies in Mexico are selling methamphetamine Adderall. (Los Angeles Times)

A following a long bout of lung disease that required a . (WJBF)

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    Charles Bankhead is senior editor for oncology and also covers urology, dermatology, and ophthalmology. He joined Ƶ in 2007.