Following the Benjamins

Sure, it’s easy to complain that states aren’t spending enough to fight the pandemic, but now it turns out there’s one good reason for the lack of cash: Trump administration officials said they argued to withhold money from states out of fear those states would use the cash for other things.

Much of the lobbying push came from Paul Mango, the former deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. He argued, repeatedly, that states hadn’t demonstrated they needed additional funding because, at least as of last October, they hadn’t spent the $200 million that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent to states in September.

“I’m sure they could use money — that’s not in dispute — what’s in dispute is whether they needed money given all they hadn’t used to actually administer vaccines,” Mango added.

Why hadn’t states spent that cash? According to state health departments, they wanted to first use other, expiring funds, and — presciently — “because they were unsure when new funding would be appropriated by Congress.”

Mark thy calendars: Region meetings are coming!

Mark your calendars for GPhA’s Spring Region Meeting! It’s Tuesday, April 13, 2021, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. for every region — via Zoom, of course, because of These Trying Times. Details to come, so watch your mailbox!

Not all heroes wear capes

In Georgia, one of them is an ex-lawyer programmer — a guy who created a way you can get a text message when Covid-19 vaccinations are available in your area.

https://www.wabe.org/georgia-vaccine-appointment-alert-system-grew-out-of-sing-up-frustration/

Just text vax to 844-554-4024, and answer a couple of questions. No app to download!

At the moment it works for Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Gwinnett, Rockdale, and Newton, counties (the only ones that currently post info online). Until the other counties are online, people there will get a text message with info on how to register with that county.

Trope comes to life

The headline says it all: “Frequent cannabis use by young people linked to decline in IQ”. That’s according to an psychiatric epidemiologist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

The results revealed that there were declines of approximately two IQ points over time in those who use cannabis frequently compared to those who didn’t use cannabis. Further analysis suggested that this decline in IQ points was primarily related to reduction in verbal IQ.

Answers: the South African Covid-19 variant

You’ve got questions about the scariest of the Covid-19 strains — Live Science has answers.

The sky’s not the limit

Things are tough these days, but folks — remember to take a break and take care of your mental health.

For shape-shifters, resistance isn’t futile

We know bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics, but we’re* still working on the how part.

Carnegie Mellon physicists found one trick: Bacteria can change their shape — in one case (after chloramphenicol exposure) “the researchers found that the bacteria dramatically changed their shape by becoming wider and more curved.”

… these physical changes allow the bacteria to attain a higher curvature and lower surface-to-volume ratio, which would allow fewer antibiotic particles to pass through their cellular surfaces as they grow.

* Well, you. Not me. I just write this stuff.

Patients on opioids are having a tough time

Someone who’s taking opioids for chronic pain is going to have trouble finding a primary care physician. University of Michigan researchers did a nationwide “secret shopper” study to see if PCPs would take on a patient who used opioids.

All of the clinics included in the study said they were taking new patients, but when the patient mentioned wanting to receive opioids, 43% of the clinics said they were no longer willing to schedule the appointment.

One “trick” they learned:

Simulated patients who said their doctor or other primary care provider had retired were more likely to be told they could be accepted as new patients.

Ch-ch-ch-chia

Want to live forever, or at least look like you can? The secret (at least according to Purdue researchers) might be … chia seeds. Specifically “a protein-rich chia seed flour that can “provide new options for anti-aging products, nutritional foods and medicine capsules.” Of note, they think peptides can be extracted from the chia seeds “to inhibit enzymes that play a role in the aging of skin.”

Proof of ADHD

Forget a clinical diagnosis — when it comes to ADHD, a University of Buffalo psychologist says there’s a way to determine ADHD with 99 percent accuracy: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2021/01/022.html.

“A patient may be exhibiting behavioral symptoms consistent with ADHD one day, but even days later, might not present those symptoms, or to the same degree. It could just be the difference between a good day and a bad day.

“But the brain connectivity signature of ADHD appears to be more stable. We don’t see the diagnostic flip-flop.”

The Long Read: Cup Half Full edition

“The vaccine news continues to be better than many people realize.”

All five vaccines with public results have eliminated Covid-19 deaths. They have also drastically reduced hospitalizations. “They’re all good trial results,” Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told me. “It’s great news.”

Finally, enjoy

The Forbes list of “The 10 Best Medical Parody Music Videos”.