Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alzheimer's Can Be Slowed By Healthy Diet, Exercise: Study
The Hill: Diet, Exercise May Slow Decline In Some Alzheimer’s Patients: Study
A healthy diet and consistent exercise may slow decline in some early-stage Alzheimer’s disease patients, according to research published Friday. The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, found that patients in a group who implemented “intensive” lifestyle changes — like eating whole foods, exercising moderately and performing stress management techniques — saw their dementia symptoms stabilize. (Timotija, 6/7)
CIDRAP: Study Ties Prevalence Of Drug-Resistant Organisms To Socioeconomic Conditions
A study in Texas found higher rates of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) organisms in areas with higher levels of economic deprivation, researchers reported today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Using electronic health records from two large healthcare systems in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, a team led by researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center collected select patient bacterial culture results from 2015 to 2020. (Dall, 6/7)
The New York Times: Cancer Researchers Begin Large Long-Term Study Of Black Women
The American Cancer Society has begun an ambitious, far-reaching study focusing on a population that has long been overlooked, despite high rates of cancer and cancer-related deaths: Black women. The initiative, called VOICES of Black Women, is believed to be the first long-term population study of its size to zero in specifically on the factors driving cancer prevalence and deaths among Black women. (Caryn Rabin, 6/7)
The Washington Post: OB/GYNs Routinely Experience Sexual Harassment, Study Suggests
Sexual harassment, bullying and workplace discrimination are commonly encountered by doctors and other clinicians in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, a recent literature review suggests. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, shows that although the field is increasingly female-dominated, medical students, residents, fellows and attending physicians in obstetrics and gynecology regularly experience sexual harassment and gender bias on the job. (Blakemore, 6/9)
Axios: Scientists Get A New Tool To Study A Common Genetic Heart Condition
Disease-specific cells developed by the Allen Institute for Cell Science offer a new window into the world's most common genetic heart condition. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — which affects an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million Americans or 1 in 500 people — involves mutations that can cause heart muscle to thicken and other changes to the heart's mitral valves and cells. (Snyder, 6/9)
In covid-related research news —
Reuters: Pfizer's Paxlovid Fails As 15-Day Treatment For Long COVID, Study Finds
A 15-day course of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid did not relieve symptoms of long COVID, according a study by Stanford University researchers. Currently, there are no proven treatments specifically for long COVID in which a host of symptoms can last for many months after initial coronavirus infection. Scientists and patients had hoped that Pfizer's two-drug oral treatment would ease symptoms of long COVID after anecdotal reports of patients who said Paxlovid helped them. (Erman, 6/7)
CIDRAP: Study Shows No Link Between Stillbirths, COVID-19 Vaccines
A new study from Yale researchers in Obstetrics and Gynecology shows no link between stillbirth and COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, pregnant women who had received COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy were at a decreased risk of preterm birth. The authors say the findings should offer further reassurance that COVID-19 vaccination is safe and useful in pregnancy. (Soucheray, 6/7)
CIDRAP: RSV Research: Nirsevimab 80% Effective Against Hospitalization
Two studies highlight new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) findings, with one estimating that the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab was 80% effective against hospitalization in French pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and the other showing that more hospitalizations occurred during the atypical 2021 and 2022 RSV seasons despite similar disease severity to previous seasons. RSV is the No. 1 cause of the hospitalization of US infants, leading to an estimated annual 58,000 to 80,000 hospitalizations and 100 to 300 deaths in children younger than 5 years old. (Van Beusekom, 6/7)
Also —
Stat: ALS Patient Reclaims Some Autonomy Thanks To Wearable 'Robot'
John Goodson practiced medicine for almost 50 years at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. As a primary care physician, he saw thousands of patients and ailments, so when he struggled to raise the front of his foot in 2021, he felt a knowing dread. (Broderick, 6/10)
Reuters: Olympic Athletes Turn To Diabetes Tech In Pursuit Of Medals
Olympians including Dutch marathon runner Abdi Nageeye are using a new tool they hope will boost their medal chances this summer: tiny monitors that attach to the skin to track blood glucose levels. Continuous glucose monitors or CGMs, were developed for use by diabetes patients but their makers, led by Abbott (ABT.N) and Dexcom (DXCM.O), also spy opportunities in sports and wellness. The Paris Olympics, which start on July 26, are an opportunity to showcase the technology - even though there is as yet no proof it can boost athletic performance. (Burger, 6/10)
CNN: He Was The First Person To Be Diagnosed With A New Sleep Disorder. It Led To A Scientific Breakthrough
Donald Dorff could hear the crowd roaring as he snatched the quarterback’s pitch from the air and sprinted toward the goal line. “There was a 280-pound tackle waiting for me, so I decided to give him my shoulder,” the 67-year-old told National Geographic magazine in 1987. “When I came to, I was on the floor in my bedroom,” Dorff said. “I had smashed into the dresser and knocked everything off it and broke the mirror and just made one heck of a mess. It was 1:30 a.m.” (LaMotte, 6/8)
