Rumors on Kate Middleton's Health Swirl; Alcohol Deaths Surge; 1 in 8 Have Obesity

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

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Unfounded rumors about the health of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, are circling online; the palace says she "continues to be doing well." (New York Times)

The Change Healthcare cyberattack outage could last weeks, a UnitedHealth executive suggested. (Reuters)

A Texas prosecutor has been fined for allowing a murder charge for a woman who self-managed her abortion. (AP)

Missouri is suing Planned Parenthood for allegedly taking minors into Kansas for abortions without parental consent. (AP)

And in other abortion news, a Montana judge ruled that three state laws restricting the procedure are unconstitutional. (NPR)

The average annual number of deaths from excessive alcohol use increased approximately 29% from 2016 to 2021, according to a CDC report.

Meanwhile, the agency is alerting that supplies of the discontinued tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine will run out in the coming months; the agency is urging doctors to switch to the broader tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine when possible. (CBS News)

Video telemedicine consultations for acutely ill children receiving care at rural or community emergency departments did not reduce medication errors compared with telephone consultations, a cluster randomized trial showed. (JAMA Network Open)

The rise in mental health-related prescriptions far outpaced overall prescription growth during the pandemic, a USA Today analysis found.

A study in Cell suggested the 2022 mpox outbreak was curbed primarily by behavior change, not vaccination.

FDA inspectors cited record-keeping and quality-control lapses during animal research at Elon Musk's Neuralink, according to a report in Reuters.

Plant-based diets in postmenopausal women were not associated with increased hip fracture risk, new findings from the U.S. Nurses' Health Study revealed. (JAMA Network open)

Mortality from male breast cancer at 20 years is high for those with hormone receptor-positive disease. (JAMA Oncology)

Pale yellow or deep amber? Here's what your urine color says about your health. (CNN)

A biotech hopes its genetically modified pigs can help end the shortage of transplant organs. (NPR)

The American Medical Association and Manatt Health released recommendations to improve care access for pregnant and postpartum people with opioid use disorder.

Two scientists at a high-security infectious disease lab in Canada were fired after reviews found they failed to protect sensitive material and did not acknowledge links with China. (AP)

More than 1 billion people globally, or one in eight, are living with obesity, with the rate among children and teens quadrupling from 1990-2022. (The Lancet)

A U.K. mother said her phone's camera flash made her noticed a "white glow" in her 3-month-old's eye, leading to a retinoblastoma diagnosis. (New York Post)

Guy Alexandre, MD, the Belgian transplant surgeon who challenged the medical definition of death, died at age 89. (New York Times)

A former Michigan football star died at age 33 after a battle with colon cancer. (Detroit Free Press)

Following reports of adverse events, the FDA has published guidance for healthcare workers on the safe use of electrical operating room tables.

Beware of a higher-than-expected risk of device failure with DT MedTech LLC's Hintermann Series H3 Total Ankle Replacement System, the agency said.

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    Genevieve Friedman is the Opinions Editor at MedPage Today. She is also a member of the content strategy team, co-producer of Anamnesis, and runs the interview series, “Medical Mavericks.” Follow