Blood transfusion is one of the cornerstones of modern medicine, used in a spectrum of situations from traumatic injuries to chronic illnesses that impair red blood cell production. About every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet, beneath the surface of this life-saving practice is a largely ignored issue that jeopardizes its efficacy: the quality of stored blood.

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Amidst the usual surge of winter respiratory illnesses, a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sheds light on an emerging and largely undetected threat: the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) to veterinarians.

During the past year, there have been at least 70 confirmed cases of symptomatic H5N1 bird flu in humans in 13 states, with one fatality. (That is in addition to the devastation in poultry and cows: "It has affected more than 165 million chickens, turkeys and other birds across almost all states since the outbreak began in poultry in 2022 and has been detected in more than 970 herds of cattle and dairy cows across 17 states.")

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With the new administration of President Donald Trump and the GOP's control of Congress, the stage is set for seismic shifts in the nation's regulatory agencies. That includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees products responsible for approximately 25 cents of every consumer dollar, encompassing drugs, biologics, medical devices and food. With new leadership appointments and political priorities in play, the trajectory of FDA regulation could veer sharply in the coming months and years.

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It's a familiar complaint: The American health system is failing to deliver in part because of ever-rising drug prices. According to a Department of Health and Human Services survey, Americans pay two to three times more for drugs than people in many other countries.

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The advent of generative artificial intelligence has reshaped the digital landscape, offering innumerable opportunities for improved efficiency, creativity and automation. We are already experiencing many advances in medicine, for example, including improvements ranging from the interpretation of radiological scans to psychotherapy and telehealth triaging.

However, there have been adverse developments such as "deepfakes," which use a form of artificial intelligence called deep learning to make highly realistic images of fake events.

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