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Cancer patients face frightening delays in treatment approvals

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

Lauren Sausser | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMarine Corps veteran Ron Winters clearly recalls his doctor’s sobering assessment of his bladder cancer diagnosis in August 2022.“This is bad,” the 66-year-old Durant, Oklahoma, resident remembered his urologist saying. Winters braced for the fight of his life.Little did he anticipate, however, that he wouldn’t be waging war only against cancer. He also was up against the Department of Veterans Affairs, which Winters blames for dragging its feet and setting up obstacles that have delayed his treatments.Winters didn’t undergo cancer treatment at a VA facility. Instead, he sought care from a specialist through the Veterans Health Administration’s Community Care Program, established in 2018 to enhance veterans’ choices and reduce their wait times. But he said the prior authorization process was a prolonged nightmare.“For them to take weeks — up to months — to provide an authorization is ridiculous,” Winters said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cancer o...

Last-day-of-school vibes as Patriots wait for snow day in season finale

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

FOXBORO — If Bill Belichick’s final practice as head coach of the Patriots truly was Friday, then the day was perfectly unpredictable.As regimented as Belichick is as a leader, the Patriots — this might surprise you — don’t go off much of a regular schedule. Players arrive in the morning and then learn how their day is going to go. Other teams have their schedules mapped out weeks in advance and updated in an app on their phones.Not the Patriots.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Why Bailey Zappe has set ‘really good’ example for other Patriots New England Patriots | Patriots down 1 offensive starter at final practice before season finale New England Patriots | Callahan: If Bill Belichick’s time is over, say thank you before goodbye New England Patriots | Nor’easter set to blast Massachusetts with up to 12 inches of snow, Patriots could have a snow game New England Patriots | ...

‘AGGA’ inventor testifies his dental device was not meant for TMJ or sleep apnea

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

Brett Kelman, Anna Werner, CBS News | KFF Health News (TNS)A Tennessee dentist who has been sued by multiple TMJ and sleep apnea patients over an unproven dental device he invented has said under oath that he never taught dentists to use the device for those ailments — contradicting video footage of him telling dentists how to use it.Steve Galella, the inventor of the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or “AGGA,” has said in court depositions that his device had been used on about 10,000 patients, and that he trained many dentists to use the AGGA in classes around the U.S. and overseas.At least 23 patients, some of whom described being desperate for relief from sleep apnea or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), have sued Galella in recent years claiming that the AGGA damaged their mouths and, in some cases, caused tooth loss. Galella denied wrongdoing in those lawsuits and has settled almost all of them within the past few months.Galella was deposed before he settled the larges...

A potent antibiotic has emerged in the battle against deadly, drug-resistant superbugs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

Corinne Purtill | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesUnder a microscope, this drug-resistant superbug looks as benign as a handful of pebbles. Yet carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, or CRAB, is a nightmare for hospitals worldwide, as it kills roughly half of all patients who acquire it.Identified as a top-priority pathogen by both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRAB is the most common form of a group of bacteria that are resistant to nearly all available antibiotics. Victims are typically hospitalized patients who are already sick with blood infections or pneumonia. In the U.S. alone, the bug sickens thousands and kills hundreds every year.But 2024 is starting with some encouraging news on the global health front: For the first time in half a century, researchers have identified a new antibiotic that appears to effectively kill A. baumannii.The compound, zosurabalpin, attacks bacteria from a novel angle, disrupting the route tha...

Home Showcase: Updated kitchen highlight of Newton home

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

One of the great things about Newton is that you can come pretty close to achieving those secluded-estate-in-the-country vibes while still having your choice of takeout and delivery options. With 45 Oak Hill Street, buyers will find manor-like aesthetics, grounds, and breathing room without giving up the amenities of urban life.Built in 1996 with multiple recent renovations including a particularly exquisite one in the kitchen — more on that later — the property is tucked in back from the street behind a gentle half-moon drive and surrounded by a canopy of mature trees. It’s a heavenly hideaway if by hideaway you’re also looking for a sprawling estate with close to 8,000 square feer on more than half an acre.From the moment you set foot in the foyer with its graceful staircase, you know you’re in for a treat. Beyond the elegant living room with fireplace and lavish dining room with easy access to the kitchen, the main level features a relaxed family room with glass doors that open t...

NRA chief, one of the most powerful figures in US gun policy, says he’s resigning days before trial

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association said Friday he is resigning, just days before the start of a civil trial over allegations he diverted millions of dollars from the powerful gun rights organization to pay for personal travel, security and other perks.Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president and chief executive officer, said his departure is effective Jan. 31. The trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against him, the NRA and others who have served as organization executives is scheduled to start on Monday. LaPierre and ex-NRA President Oliver North are among the witnesses expected to testify. LaPierre, 74, has led the NRA ’s day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as the face and vehement voice of its gun rights agenda. He once warned of “jack-booted government thugs” seizing guns, called for armed guards in every school after a spate of shootings, and conde...

NY seeks $370M in penalties in Trump’s civil fraud trial. His defense says gains weren’t ill-gotten

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

By JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — New York state lawyers increased their request for penalties to over $370 million Friday in Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial, while his defense argued that 10-plus weeks of testimony produced no evidence of fraudulent intentions or ill-gotten gains. Both sides highlighted their takeaways from the trial in court filings ahead of closing arguments, set for Thursday. Trump is expected to attend, though plans could change. It will be the final chance for state and defense lawyers to make their case in a lawsuit that is consequential for the leading Republican presidential hopeful even while he fights four criminal cases in various courts. The New York civil case could end up barring him from doing business in the state where he built his real estate empire, and state Attorney General Letitia James is seeking the $370 million penalty, plus interest — up from a pretrial figure of $250 million, nudged to over $3...

Water main break near Pechanga Arena forces postponement of weekend games

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A water main break has prompted Pechanga Arena to postpone this weekend's games. Friday and Saturday night's American Hockey League games between the Bakersfield Condors and San Diego Gulls, and Sunday's Major Arena Soccer League game between the San Diego Sockers and the Texas Outlaws are officially postponed, according to separate announcements Friday. The games are postponed because a water main break is affecting the event level of the arena, located at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. in San Diego. Carlsbad native makes San Diego debut as pro fighter Friday's Gulls game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m., with Saturday's game scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday's 5 p.m. game between the San Diego Sockers and the Texas Outlaws has also been postponed, the team announced at noon Friday. Information on the all the rescheduled games and tickets will be announced at a later time. This story is developing. Stay with FOX 5 for the latest.

Cher is denied an immediate conservatorship over son’s money, but the issue isn’t done

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Friday declined to immediately put Cher’s son into the legal conservatorship that she is seeking and he is opposing, but the court will take up the issue again within weeks. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui ruled that Cher’s attorneys had not given Elijah Blue Allman and his lawyers the necessary documents to give them sufficient time to make their case, and scheduled another hearing for Jan. 29. Last week, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer and actor filed a petition for control of the finances of Elijah Blue Allman, 47, saying his struggles with addiction and mental health have left him unable to manage his money and potentially put his life in danger by making him able to buy drugs. Allman receives money from a trust left by his late father, musician Gregg Allman. Cher’s attorney Gabrielle Vidal said at Friday’s hearing that a payment from the trust is pending, and the immediate establishment of a conser...

Vatican concludes former Minnesota archbishop acted imprudently but committed no crimes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:34:36 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A lengthy Vatican investigation into misconduct allegations against Archbishop John Nienstedt, the former leader of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, concluded that he took “imprudent” actions but did not violate church law, the archdiocese announced Friday.However, the archdiocese also said Nienstedt remains barred from public ministry following the investigation. Nienstedt was one of the first U.S. bishops known to have been forced from office for botching sex abuse investigations. He stepped down in 2015 after Minnesota prosecutors charged the archdiocese with having failed to protect children from harm by a pedophile priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys. Nienstedt was later accused of his own inappropriate sexual behavior involving adult males and minors.His successor, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, in 2016 forwarded allegations to the Vatican that Nienstedt invited two minors to a hotel room in 2005 during a youth rally in Germany to c...