Psychiatric News (2/17) reports a study found that “individuals with severe alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) who take alcohol use disorder (AUD) medications have higher survival rates over three years.” The researchers “assessed the survival rates of 1,309 patients (76% male) with severe ALD who were referred to a tertiary medical center for a liver transplant evaluation.” They observed that “individuals who used AUD medications for at least three months had a 6.6% higher one-year survival rate and an 18.5% higher three-year survival rate compared with those who used AUD medications for three months or less.” They also noted that “as medication duration increased, mortality decreased: Just 12.6% of patients with more than six months of AUD medication use died during follow-up, compared with 34.7% of those with no medication use.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “AUD Medications May Improve Survival in Patients With Severe Liver Disease, Psychiatric News, February 17, 2026

AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, writes in STAT (2/17, Subscription Publication), “On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms, highly respected doctors are endorsing a wide variety of medical products — and racking up millions of views in the process.” But “there’s just one problem. The videos aren’t authentic. They’re the work of scammers, who use artificial intelligence to clone the faces and voices of real, credentialed physicians without their knowledge or consent.” He argues, “Unless regulators crack down on these deepfakes, the videos threaten to steer even more patients toward wasteful, potentially dangerous purchases — while further undermining the public’s already faltering trust in medical institutions.” Whyte concludes, “Patients deserve to trust that medical advice comes from a real, qualified professional acting in their best interest. Federal action is necessary to protect both patients and doctors — and prevent new technologies from eroding the time-tested foundations of medical care.”

Related Links:

— “AMA CEO: Deepfake doctors are a threat to public health,”John Whyte , STAT, February 17, 2026

MedPage Today (2/13, George) reported, “A lifetime enriched with intellectually stimulating activities – including reading, writing, or frequently visiting museums – was associated with lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment in late life, longitudinal research showed.” Researchers found that “over nearly 8 years of follow-up, each 1-point increase in lifetime cognitive enrichment correlated with a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia,” while “the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment also was reduced by 33%.” The findings were published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (2/13, George) reported, “A lifetime enriched with intellectually stimulating activities – including reading, writing, or frequently visiting museums – was associated with lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment in late life, longitudinal research showed.” Researchers found that “over nearly 8 years of follow-up, each 1-point increase in lifetime cognitive enrichment correlated with a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia,” while “the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment also was reduced by 33%.” The findings were published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (2/13, Thompson) reported a study found that “depression, sleep problems, ADHD, substance use, suicidal behaviors and conduct problems all were more likely among 11- to 12-year-olds with problematic digital habits.” The researchers “analyzed data from more than 8,000 children participating in an ongoing federally funded study of teenage development.” Study results “showed that problematic mobile phone, social media and video game use is associated with depression, ADHD, conduct problems, suicidal behavior and sleep problems. Tweens addicted to their mobile phones or social media also were more likely to drink, smoke or use weed, researchers found.” The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Tween Screen Addiction Linked To Mental Health Problems, Substance Use,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay , February 13, 2026