Cause of Missouri Doc's Death; NBA Star's Bell's Palsy; Huge Data Breach at Kaiser

— Health news and commentary gathered by MedPage Today staff

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

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John Forsyth, MD, the Missouri emergency physician whose death last May drew national attention and online speculation, died by suicide, according to Arkansas authorities. (AP)

In other Arkansas news, a woman was arrested for allegedly working as a nurse without a license or degree. (5 News Online)

NBA star Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers confirmed that he's been dealing with a case of Bell's palsy during the playoffs -- "It's been tough," he said. (CBS Sports)

FDA found evidence of the H5N1 virus in 20% of milk samples, with a greater proportion of positive results coming from areas with infected herds of dairy cows. (NBC News)

Ever heard of hoarding disorder? Here's what it is and how to help. (USA Today)

Attorneys general in 17 states filed a lawsuit challenging federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortions. (AP)

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the overuse of antibiotics for hospitalized COVID patients may have exacerbated the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Separately, a WHO report cited "alarming" rates of teen alcohol and e-cigarette use in Europe, Asia, and Canada.

Sensitivity of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 was 47% compared with RT-PCR and 80% compared with viral culture, according to CDC data from November 2022 to May 2023.

NIH RECOVER has made deidentified data from over 14,000 adults with long COVID available to researchers through BioData Catalyst.

An Illinois bill aims to ban insurers from using "step therapy," which requires patients to first use alternative, often cheaper, medications. (Chicago Tribune)

Efforts are underway in some states to roll back mandatory reporting laws meant to protect children that have instead harmed families. (KFF Health News)

Researchers identified 50 new genomic regions associated with kidney cancer risk. (Nature)

A data breach at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan affected 13.4 million people, according to a report filed with the federal government. (Reuters)

Big Pharma fight: GSK has sued Pfizer and BioNTech, alleging the two companies infringed on GSK patents related to mRNA technology. (Reuters)

Returning to a pre-pandemic trend, U.S. births fell last year and reached a record low rate, according to provisional CDC data. (AP)

Former NFL player and ALS patient Steve Gleason typed his nearly 300-page memoir "with his eyes." (New York Times)

The FDA labeled the recall of the Nimbus and Nimbus II infusion pump systems due to multiple device failures as class I, the most serious kind. The issue has been linked to one death and six serious injuries.

Certain food and coffee chains in New York City will soon be required to display warning labels next to menu items with at least 50 grams of added sugar. (New York Post)

Meanwhile, it is now illegal in New York state to sell muscle-building or weight-loss supplements to minors. (AP)

The percentage of adults who slept less than 7 hours per night on average increased with the number of hours worked per week, reaching 48% among those working over 60 hours, the CDC reported.