A recent publication by Erick Turner, M.D., reveals a common sedative may be less effective than generally believed. He says, “Clinicians are well aware of these safety issues, but there’s been essentially no questioning of their effectiveness.”

Brandon Hayes-Lattin, M.D., guest edits a piece in the American Society for Clinical Oncology Post on overcoming the challenges of treating adolescents and young adults with cancer living in rural communities.

In a story about a small Colorado hospital bucking trends by being adequately prepared to care for children in its emergency department, The Wall Street Journal cites an estimate by Craig Newgard, M.D., that it’s relatively inexpensive — between $24,000 and $145,000 — to prepare an emergency department to take care of children.

Becker’s Hospital Review reports on a Newsweek survey ranking OHSU Hospital as the best in Oregon. The outlet also includes OHSU among the top 14 oncology hospitals, per patients and providers.

OPB-Radio covers a new Hospital Association of Oregon quarterly report reflecting improved finances among Oregon hospitals between April and June of this year. The report cites continued financial pressure for hospitals, citing the proposed merger of OHSU and Legacy Health as an example of major changes.

Amid alarming increases in overdose deaths nationwide among adolescents, The National Desk interviews Laurel Hallock-Koppelman, D.N.P., who says it’s critical to improve access to basic medical care including providing addiction treatment through primary care as opposed to specialized and scarce rehabilitation centers. She says, “Seventy percent of people that have a substance use disorder will go to the emergency room for their primary treatment. … And in primary care, it’s about 10% of people that you see overall will have a substance use disorder.”

Axios Portland notes that Oregon ranks third nationally for young people with substance use disorder with limited access to treatment. Elizabeth Waddell, Ph.D., says, “Hardly any of them are getting treatment in a specialty facility.”

Benzinga covers new study recruiting participants for a study at OHSU and two other institutions studying the effects of cannabis use among oncology patients receiving immunotherapy.

In a New York Post story about a herbal supplement believed to be useful in relieving pain and anxiety, Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., says, “Laboratory studies show that ashwagandha extracts can act on neurotransmitter pathways including those involving serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).” See OHSU story from 2020 about new research center.

In continuing news coverage of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Joe Biden for the invention of optical coherence tomography, David Huang, M.D., Ph.D., says, “Another thing that I want to work on in my research group is to apply OCT in the eye to detect neurological and cardiovascular diseases, including multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s … and using the eye as a window to systemic blood flow, coronary and carotid heart disease.”