Hopkins Researcher's ICE Detention; Hospital's Freezing Death; Roblox Addiction?

Johns Hopkins University public health researcher Fatima Ameaka, a native of Cameroon, was released after ICE detention. Ameaka's lawyer said a previous Department of Homeland Security claim she had overstayed her visa was "not true." Before being released, Ameaka was transported from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to ICE facilities in Virginia, Louisiana, and Texas. (Washington Post) A recent Senate hearing appearance by Anthony Fauci, MD, revealed the deep ideological divide over the U.S. COVID response, while shedding little light on the very important question of how the pandemic began. While the scientific community favors a natural origin in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from animals to humans, the possibility that the virus escaped from a laboratory hasn't been taken off the table. (Rolling Stone) Cost-cutting measures at an Illinois hospital allegedly led to a 28-year-old patient freezing to death on its roof. The woman had been admitted, disoriented and anemic, for bleeding that was like a period that wouldn't end. While there, she was given medication to treat alcohol withdrawal. Recent staff cuts reportedly left no room sitter available to ensure she didn't wander off, and she was found on the roof nearly 7 hours later. (Mother Jones) Weeks after STAT reported that Eli Lilly gave a single 79-year-old patient special access to the unapproved obesity drug retatrutide, the drugmaker said it would allow other patients to apply for early access to the therapy. The change reportedly came after STAT asked Eli Lilly about requests for expanded access to the medication from several physicians who said they had not received a reply from the company. (STAT) Inflammation misinformation has stretched from wellness podcasts to the highest levels of the federal government. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made bold claims about inflammation that aren't backed by science. At the same time, wellness influencers wax on about managing inflammation, only to turn around and sell products. (Mother Jones) Some kids just aren't able to quit Roblox, as the mechanics of many games on its platform closely resemble those of slot machines and sports-betting apps. Parents may not realize that their kids are being compelled by these psychological tricks. Addiction experts suggested that normalizing certain behaviors early on could lead to serious consequences in the future. (The Atlantic) America needs a bigger plan to control its tick problem. Killing deer is key, but it's unpopular, and hunting can only accomplish so much. Deer vaccines and vasectomies are other strategies. Pesticides are good at killing ticks, but they're also effective at killing friendlier bugs, including pollinators. Ultimately, bringing ticks to heel will require a combination of strategies. (The Atlantic) Syphilis is continuing to spread as researchers battle against federal constraints and a drug shortage. While researchers at the University of California San Diego have spent years building trust in communities of unhoused people who use drugs in the city and across the border, NIH restrictions on foreign research collaborations have hindered their infectious disease monitoring. A shortage of intramuscular penicillin, meanwhile, has lessened the certainty of full treatment for 10% of research participants found to have active syphilis. (STAT)