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MedPage Today published a roundup on Oct. 18, 2026, of comments its reporters heard about healthcare technology, access to a new flu shot, clinical research and medical practice. The quotes reflect perspectives on several separate topics; the roundup does not report a single study or policy announcement.
MedPage Today published a weekly roundup on Oct. 18 featuring comments from clinicians and researchers on artificial intelligence in healthcare, access to an mRNA flu shot, and findings in several areas of medicine. The piece is a collection of remarks tied to separate topics, not a report of one new study, regulatory decision or clinical guideline.
The roundup opens with Mishal Khan, of the UC Berkeley Labor Center, saying, “Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral,” in a comment on artificial intelligence in healthcare. The brief item does not detail the specific AI system or application she was discussing, or set out findings from a particular evaluation.
Other comments address access and medical practice. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said people seeking the new mRNA flu shot mFlusiva would need to use its website or call around. Plastic surgeon Kelly Killeen criticized the approach shown on the early-2000s makeover program The Swan, calling it demoralizing and saying it was not how plastic surgery should be done.
The roundup also includes researchers’ cautions and interpretations of study findings. Krista Huybrechts said findings on benzodiazepine use early in pregnancy and congenital malformations were reassuring, while stressing that the medicines are not risk-free. Ahmed Zayed said pulmonary vascular resistance should not be read in isolation when considering outcomes after heart transplantation. Other comments concern cancer risk in people with sickle cell disease, long-acting HIV therapy and pediatric obesity screening.
What the Quotes Flag for Patients
The remarks point to issues that can affect how patients encounter healthcare: technology design and access, how evidence is interpreted, and how clinical decisions account for individual differences. Khan’s comment frames AI as neither inherently beneficial nor harmful, but as technology whose effects depend on how it is developed and used. The roundup does not provide enough detail to assess a specific AI tool or its outcomes.
Adalja’s observation highlights a practical access question: a treatment can be available while still requiring patients to find a website or contact providers themselves. Meanwhile, the research-related comments emphasize that reassuring results are not the same as proof of no risk, and that a single measure such as BMI or pulmonary vascular resistance may not capture a person’s full health profile. These are the speakers’ interpretations, not new guidance issued in the roundup.
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Eight Topics in One Roundup
MedPage Today describes the item as quotable comments heard by its reporters. The eight remarks span distinct subjects: AI in healthcare; the mRNA flu shot mFlusiva; cosmetic surgery and reality television; benzodiazepine exposure early in pregnancy; pulmonary vascular resistance after heart transplantation; cancer risk among people with sickle cell disease; advanced HIV disease and long-acting treatment; and screening for pediatric obesity.
The comments refer to underlying studies or discussions, but the supplied roundup does not provide study titles, methods, sample sizes, publication details or full interviews. Readers should treat the quotations as brief summaries of what the named experts said, rather than as a substitute for the underlying evidence. No single conclusion applies across all eight subjects.
““Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.””
— Mishal Khan, PhD, UC Berkeley Labor Center
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Study Details Are Not Included
The roundup does not identify the full evidence behind most comments. It leaves unclear which studies were discussed, how they were conducted, what their results showed, and whether the findings have been reviewed or adopted in clinical practice. The comment on pregnancy medication, for example, describes findings as reassuring but does not give the size or limits of the study.
It is also unclear from the brief item how mFlusiva can be obtained, which locations or providers offer it, or what alternatives are available. The remarks about AI do not specify the technology or describe measured benefits and risks. Those questions cannot be resolved from the roundup alone.
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Consult the Underlying Research
The next step for readers seeking clinical details is to consult the studies and reporting linked to each subject, rather than treating the collection of quotes as a unified medical update. For questions about medication, vaccination or screening, patients can discuss their circumstances with a qualified healthcare professional. MedPage Today’s item itself does not announce a follow-up date or new action by a health agency.
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Key Questions
What did MedPage Today publish?
It published a weekly roundup of quotes from reporters’ conversations and coverage, dated Oct. 18, 2026. The remarks concern several separate healthcare topics.
Did the roundup announce a new AI healthcare finding?
No specific AI study or product result is reported in the supplied item. Mishal Khan’s quote offers a perspective on AI in healthcare, but the roundup does not describe the system or evidence she was discussing.
What did the comment on benzodiazepines say?
Krista Huybrechts said findings from a study of use early in pregnancy and congenital malformations were reassuring, while cautioning that benzodiazepines are not risk-free. The roundup does not provide the study’s methods or numerical results.
Does the article give details on getting mFlusiva?
It quotes Amesh Adalja saying people seeking the shot would need to use its website or call around. The item does not list providers, availability by location or other access details.
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