Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Can $200 Really Buy You An Accurate Look At Your Genetic Risk For Diseases?
Stat: Before You Send Your Spit To 23andMe, What You Need To Know
The genetic testing company 23andMe received approval this week from regulators to sell genetic reports on an individual’s risk for 10 diseases, most prominently Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Before you send in your saliva sample and $199, here’s what you should know. (Begley, 4/7)
The Washington Post: Diabetes Is Even Deadlier Than We Thought, Study Suggests
Nearly four times as many Americans may die of diabetes as indicated on death certificates, a rate that would bump the disease up from the seventh-leading cause of death to No. 3, according to estimates in a recent study. Researchers and advocates say that more-precise figures are important as they strengthen the argument that more should be done to prevent and treat diabetes, which affects the way sugar is metabolized in the body. (Karidis, 4/7)
Boston Globe: The Tale Of The Flying Gurney: MRI Machines Can Turn Objects Into Projectiles
The MRI scan had gone smoothly, the huge machine searching for clues to Paul Doherty’s excruciating back pain. But the technician who then moved Doherty onto a gurney in the hallway inadvertently wheeled him back into the MRI room, doing what should never be done: bringing a metal object into a space radiating with magnetic power. (Kowalcyzk, 4/8)
The Washington Post: Deep Brain Stimulation May Reduce Severe Tourette’s Syndrome
An experimental technique reduces the tics, or involuntary movements and vocal outbursts, associated with severe Tourette's syndrome in young adults, a study published Friday found. The surgical technique, called thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS), sends electrical impulses to a specific area of the brain that reduces the tics, according to the study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. The finding adds to the growing body of evidence about the safety and effectiveness of deep brain stimulation, which might eventually lead the Food and Drug Administration to approve the treatment for Tourette's syndrome, according to the researchers. (Naqvi, 4/7)
NPR: A Baby Born With 3 Parents' DNA Looks Healthy So Far
Last fall, the New York-based reproductive endocrinologist John Zhang made headlines when he reported the birth of the world's first "three-parent" baby — a healthy boy carrying the blended DNA of the birth mother, her husband and an unrelated female donor. (Neimark, 4/8)
The New York Times: Short Answers To Hard Questions About HPV
This week, the federal government reported that nearly half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 59 are infected with genital human papillomavirus — some strains of which can cause deadly cancer. The report, by the National Center for Health Statistics, notes that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It also said that some high-risk strains infected 25 percent of men and 20 percent of women, and cause about 31,000 cases of cancer each year. (Belluck, 4/7)
The Oregonian: Study: New Treatment Could Help Stroke Patients
At 45, Sharon Thomas collapsed with a massive stroke that left her unable to walk, talk or swallow. Physicians predicted she'd be an invalid for the rest of her life. But today, she's back hefting 30-pound sandbags at work and playing basketball for fun. Thomas is among several dozen people who have responded surprisingly well to a new stroke treatment in a clinical trial at Oregon Health & Science University and about 30 other sites in the United States and Britain. (Terry, 4/6)
The Washington Post: The Awful Sores In Her Mouth Were A Symptom Of Something Very Serious
Elizabeth Starrels sat in the examining chair of a Washington ear, nose and throat specialist in October 2012, weeping in frustration and pain. For the previous four months, Starrels, then 52, had been battling painful mouth sores that were getting worse. Eating had become a near impossibility, and Starrels, who was largely subsisting on smoothies, had lost 20 pounds. (Boodman, 4/8)
NPR: Medical Research Using Animals Often Fails To Produce Drugs That Work In People
Most potential new drugs fail when they're tested in people. These failures are not only a major disappointment – they sharply drive up the cost of developing new drugs. A major reason for these failures is that most new drugs are first tested out in mice, rats or other animals. Often those animal studies show great promise. But mice aren't simply furry little people, so these studies often lead science astray. (Harris, 4/10)
Kaiser Health News: Coming Full Circle, Doulas Cradle The Dying
As Ellen Gutenstein lay in her bed at home, dying from lung cancer that had metastasized in her brain, a heart-wrenching Mother’s Day card arrived from her granddaughter. Neither Ellen’s daughter — nor her husband — felt they could read it to her without breaking down. Fortunately, a volunteer from the local hospice’s doula program was on hand to help the then-77-year-old resident of Ridgewood, N.J., comfortably die at home. She picked up the letter and read it with compassion. (Horovitz, 4/10)
