Â鶹ŮÓÅ

The State Department issued a terse statement last week saying, "an awareness day is not a strategy." The result is that on December 1, the United States is not commemorating World AIDS Day. It's the first time the U.S. has not participated since the World Health Organization created this day in 1988 to remember the millions of people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses and recommit to fighting the epidemic that still claims the lives of more than half a million people each year. By contrast, last year former President Joe Biden held a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House with the AIDS Memorial Quilt — with coffin-shaped patches each honoring someone who had died of AIDS-related causes — spread out on the grass. (Emanuel, 12/1)

Seven people with HIV were able to control the virus without medication for several months — and in one case for more than a year — after undergoing complex immune therapy at UCSF, results that scientists say could be a critical step in eradicating an infection that’s killed tens of millions globally. A paper published Monday in the journal Nature outlined the aggressive treatment protocol, which included delivering a vaccine, antibodies and other immune-boosting therapies over a period of months before taking people off of daily antiretroviral medication. Ten volunteers participated in the study. (Allday, 12/1)

Patients who received a focused ultrasound treatment to aid drug delivery increased their odds of surviving the deadliest form of brain cancer by nearly 40%, according to a study led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers. (Hille, 12/1)

Corticosteroids may cut short-term mortality in patients with severe pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but evidence backing a long-term mortality benefit remains murky, according to a meta-analysis of randomized trials. (Rudd, 12/1)

Flu activity remains low but is increasing nationwide, particularly among children and young adults, new CDC data shows. Outpatient visits and hospitalizations for flu have risen in recent weeks, according to the CDC’s latest FluView update published Dec. 1. In the week ending Nov. 22, the U.S. reported 3,264 flu-related hospitalizations, marking a 39% increase from the week prior. (Bean, 12/1)

A record low 54 major league players were given permission to use medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, down from 61 last year and 119 in 2013. The total was revealed Monday in the annual report of Thomas M. Martin, the independent program administrator of the drug program for Major League Baseball and the players’ association. The most-used medications to treat ADHD are Adderall, Ritalin and Vyvanse. (12/1)