Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The Confusion Over Antidepressants During Pregnancy Is Harming People

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 3h

The Confusion Over Antidepressants During Pregnancy Is Harming People: Casting doubt on antidepressants & other well-studied drugs, govt health agencies are choosing minimal risk to a fetus over the major risk to the person carrying it - Catherine Birndorf www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

By casting doubt on antidepressants and other well-studied drugs, our government health agencies are choosing minimal risk to a fetus over the major risk to the person carrying it

www.scientificamerican.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 20h

Surrogates’ perspectives on the communication and support processes that enable them as active decision-makers across chronic critical illness - authors include our Renee Boss | CHEST Critical Care www.chestcc.org/article/S294...

Surrogates’ perspectives on the communication and support processes that enable them as active decision-makers across chronic critical illness

Our findings suggest that future interventions should deliver decisional support in CCI through longitudinal, relationship-centered strategies integrating iterative care planning, compassionate and in...

www.chestcc.org

Ethics and Life Sciences Weekly Roundup

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 20h

Ethics and Life Sciences Weekly Roundup | Knowing Enough, Mini-Brains to Power Computers, Chatbots Don't Want to Say Goodbye, Faking Crowds, Editing to Fix Failures, Meaningful Public Participation, Stem Cells In Space, + More mailchi.mp/jhu/sciencee...

Global Bioethics and Global Health in the Context of a New Antidemocratic Era - Journal of Medical Ethics blog

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Global Bioethics and Global Health in the Context of a New Antidemocratic Era - Journal of Medical Ethics blog blogs.bmj.com/medical-ethi...

by Gabriela Arguedas-Ramírez Five years ago, I wrote an editorial arguing that authoritarian and right-wing populism were a threat to global health and bioethics. Early this year, with colleagues from...

blogs.bmj.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

AI Ethics & Governance Weekly Roundup | Subway Ad Debate, Kids Shouldn't Be Friends with ChatGPT, Europe's Digital Sovereignty, VR/AI -> Kindness, AI in Education, Kiss Reality Goodbye, Hated Coalition, LLMs in Clinical Reasoning, Explainability, + More mailchi.mp/3a11e6241e72...

AI Ethics & Governance Roundup

This 4-year-old's heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

This 4-year-old's heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled. | NPR www.npr.org/2025/10/09/n...

A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.

www.npr.org

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

A new poll looks at RFK Jr., Tylenol and vaccines, and finds growing distrust: 59% of Americans disapprove of RFK Jr.'s moves as health secretary | Shots - Health News : NPR www.npr.org/sections/sho...

59% of Americans disapprove of RFK Jr.'s moves as health secretary, a new poll says

A new poll shows trust in federal health policies is plummeting, and what — or who — people believe increasingly depends on their politics.

www.npr.org

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

'Guilty until proven innocent': Inside the fight between doctors and insurance companies over 'downcoding'. Doctors say insurers are automatically downgrading their claims and paying less. Insurers say it’s their duty to prevent overbilling. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

'Guilty until proven innocent': Inside the fight between doctors and insurance companies over 'downcoding'

Doctors say insurers are automatically downgrading their claims and paying less. Insurers say it’s their duty to prevent overbilling.

www.nbcnews.com

Journals and publishers crack down on research from open health data sets

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Two major publishers have begun to automatically reject the vast majority of papers based on public health data sets, following revelations that unscrupulous actors use these data sets to churn out nonsense scientific papers. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

PLOS, Frontiers, and others announce policies trying to stem the tide of suspect research

www.science.org

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Private Equity Tightens Its Grip on Outpatient Surgery — Investment in ambulatory surgery centers needs more oversight, report says www.medpagetoday.com/surgery/gene...

Private Equity Tightens Its Grip on Outpatient Surgery

Investment in ambulatory surgery centers needs more oversight, report says

www.medpagetoday.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

HHS Social Media Takes on Influencer Vibes — Top health officials bring a different approach to government communications. www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...

HHS Social Media Takes on Influencer Vibes

Top health officials bring a different approach to government communications

www.medpagetoday.com

First approved drug for mitochondrial disease could pave way for more treatments

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

First approved drug for mitochondrial disease could pave way for more treatments | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Researchers are testing multiple treatments for the rare genetic conditions

www.science.org

Pharma’s shift away from infectious disease research could spell disaster for the world’s poorest people

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Laurent Fraisse: Pharma’s shift away from infectious disease research could spell disaster for the world’s poorest people. Who will deliver future medical innovations for those who need it most? www.statnews.com/2025/10/09/p... via @statnews.com

The number of “innovation champions” in the pharma industry working on infectious diseases is dropping — and that’s troubling, writes R&D director for Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative.

www.statnews.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Celena Lozano: Parents of children with rare diseases ask: How long until our CRISPR miracle? As a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate and mother of a son with PURA syndrome, I try to manage expectations. www.statnews.com/2025/10/09/c... via @statnews.com

Parents of children with rare diseases ask: How long until our CRISPR miracle?

How to better manage expectations around gene editing drugs for families of children with rare diseases.

www.statnews.com

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

The first human xenogeneic liver transplantation – A landmark event, but what does it mean for hepatology? - ScienceDirect www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The first human xenogeneic liver transplantation – A landmark event, but what does it mean for hepatology?

www.sciencedirect.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 1d

California Will Ban Certain Ultraprocessed Foods in Schools: A new state law creates the first legal definition of the foods, and may prompt changes in other states. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/w...

California Will Ban Certain Ultraprocessed Foods in Schools

www.nytimes.com

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Berman Institute #Bioethics Bulletin - This Week - Cases in Bioethics, Duty to Warn, Hitting a Wall Seeking COVID Vaccines for Kids, Ethics Advisors No Longer Wanted, Gain-Of-Function, Busy ERs, Facing Vaccination Choices, Weaponizing Uncertainty, + More mailchi.mp/jhu/bioethic...

Berman Institute Bioethics Bulletin

Empirical research related to the ethics of pragmatic clinical trials: A scoping review

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Empirical research related to the ethics of pragmatic clinical trials: A scoping review - Kayla R. Mehl, Stephanie R. Morain, Jeremy Sugarman | Learning Health Systems onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Background Pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) offer insights into real-world intervention effectiveness, but they may involve challenging ethical issues. Empirical ethics research may inform deliberat...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 2d

As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority: If the court strikes down Colorado ban, the effects on medical regulation could be wide-ranging. www.statnews.com/2025/10/07/c... via @statnews.com

As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority

At the Supreme Court, a majority of justices seemed poised to rule against a Colorado law banning so-called conversion therapy.

www.statnews.com

Scientists Just Reversed Alzheimer’s in Mice. Could They Do It in Humans?

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Scientists Just Reversed Alzheimer’s in Mice. Could They Do It in Humans? gizmodo.com/scientists-j...

Instead of targeting neurons, the researchers specifically sought to repair a critical part of the brain that keeps disease-inducing toxins out.

gizmodo.com

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Reposted by Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

Alan Regenberg @aregenberg.bsky.social · 2d

AI models that lie, cheat and plot murder: how dangerous are LLMs really? Tests of large language models reveal that they can behave in deceptive and potentially harmful ways. What does this mean for the future? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

AI models that lie, cheat and plot murder: how dangerous are LLMs really?

Tests of large language models reveal that they can behave in deceptive and potentially harmful ways. What does this mean for the future?

www.nature.com

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Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Low quality papers are flooding the cancer literature — can this AI tool help to catch them? A large language model scans abstracts and titles for signs that an article was produced by a 'paper-mill' company. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Low quality papers are flooding the cancer literature — can this AI tool help to catch them?

A large language model scans abstracts and titles for signs that an article was produced by a 'paper-mill' company.

www.nature.com

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 2d

6 US surgeons general: RFK Jr. threatens the health of Americans - We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today. By Jerome Adams, Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Vivek Murthy, Antonia Novello and David Satcher. | Washington Post (Gift Link) wapo.st/3J3MR8F

Opinion | Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr.

We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.

www.washingtonpost.com

Seeking Covid Shots for Their Children, Some Parents Hit a Wall

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 3d

Seeking Covid Shots for Their Children, Some Parents Hit a Wall - Children under 12 need different versions of Covid vaccines, but many pharmacies and pediatricians’ offices aren’t stocking them. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/w...

www.nytimes.com