The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said “no” to Akebia Therapeutics’ drug application for vadadustat, a therapy to treat anemia due to chronic kidney disease. Vadadustat is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor designed to mimic the physiologic effect of altitude on oxygen availability. The FDA cited safety concerns as the main reason for it rejecting the application.

The 67-year-old actor known for roles in popular films such as Die Hard and Pulp Fiction as announced that he is retiring because his aphasia is making it too difficult for him to understand speech and memorize lines,. The actor’s diagnosis has brought renewed attention the neurological disorder.

New guidelines recommend that internists treat uncomplicated diverticulitis in an outpatient setting without the use of antibiotics. The new guidelines on diagnosis and management of patients with diverticulitis have been published by the Annals of Internal Medicine. And they are stirring up debate among physicians.

US News and World Report’s annual ranking of the top medical schools is out, and once again Harvard nabbed the top spot. New York University and Columbia University medical schools round out the top three. Did your alma mater make the top 10? The rankings also look at the best medical schools for primary care training.

There’s been a strong response to actor Will Smith’s behavior at this year’s Academy Awards, including in the medical community. In this article, psychiatrist Melissa Hankins analyzes the psychology behind the “slap heard around the world.” And commenting readers disagree vehemently.

A study published in Nature makes the case that even mild COVID-19 can lead to long-term changes in the human brain. Researchers at Oxford University reported that several months after study participants had COVID-19, they had more gray matter loss and tissue abnormalities, mainly in the areas of the brain associated with smell, and more brain size shrinkage than participants who hadn’t been infected with the virus.