Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Can Darwin's Theory Of Evolution Better Help Scientists Battle Ever-Mutating Cancer Cells?
The Wall Street Journal: A New Approach To Cancer Treatment Draws Lessons From Darwin
A nascent approach to cancer treatment is using lessons from Darwin’s theory of evolution. Called adaptive therapy, the treatment stems from the recognition that cancerous cells, just like other forms of life, mutate and evolve in response to a changing environment. Traditional cancer treatment—continuously bombarding cancer cells with drugs—can encourage drug-resistant cells to multiply, eventually creating an untreatable tumor. Adaptive therapy doesn’t try to eradicate the entire cancer. (Abbott, 1/7)
Stat: Progress In Patrick Soon-Shiong’s 2020 ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Is Hard To Find
In 2016, the biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong set himself a deadline: By 2020, he would transform the fight against cancer. With the help of a coalition of big-name companies, researchers, and physicians, Soon-Shiong vowed, he would enroll 20,000 cancer patients in clinical trials and develop an effective vaccine to treat the disease. (Robbins, 1/8)
The Washington Post: China Virus: Specter Of New Illness Emerging From Wuhan Raises Alarms Across Asia
An outbreak of an unidentified and possibly new viral disease in central China is prompting officials across Asia to take heightened precautions ahead of the busy Lunar New Year travel season. Officials in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines said in recent days they will begin setting up quarantine zones or scanning passengers from China for signs of fever or other pneumonialike symptoms that may indicate a new disease possibly linked to a wild animal market in Wuhan. (Shih and Sun, 1/8)
The New York Times: How To Pack A Go Bag For Extended Hospital Stays
When an ambulance came to rush Amy Goyer’s mother to the hospital one night in 2012, there wasn’t time to pack a bag. Ms. Goyer grabbed a few essentials and tailed the emergency vehicle in her car. A previous stroke had left Ms. Goyer’s mother mostly uncommunicative, and her father’s dementia made it hard for him to recall important details. They were both counting on their daughter to field questions from her mother’s doctors. (Witman, 1/7)
The Associated Press: Male Infertility Got No Boost From Zinc, Folic Acid In Study
A rigorous U.S. government-led study found that zinc and folic acid supplements don't boost men’s fertility, despite promotional claims that they do. The mineral and the vitamin are important for sperm production and are found in many common foods. Previous studies on whether over-the-counter supplements might boost sperm health have had conflicting results. (1/7)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Study: More Processed Foods May Make U.S. Obesity More Widespread
A recent study revealed that as more U.S. residents are consuming processed foods, obesity may become more widespread. The findings were published in the journal, “Current Treatment Options in Gastroenterology.” In it, researcher Leigh A. Frame, Ph.D. surveyed food trends and discovered people are putting cheaper, more convenient food first. But that food is also highly processed. (Willis, 1/7)
CNN: Lifestyle Changes May Combat A Dementia That Strikes People In Their 40s And 50s
Frontotemporal dementia strikes early, typically in the 50s, sometimes as young as age 45. Unlike Alzheimer's, it doesn't affect memory, instead attacking the parts of the brain which control thinking, reasoning and emotions. The first symptom is likely a loss of interest in life and the well-being of others. A person might ignore their spouse or children's feelings, get uncharacteristically frustrated and say or do inappropriate things -- such as laugh at a funeral. (LaMotte, 1/8)
The New York Times: How ‘Muscle Confusion’ Might Help Your Workouts
Here are a few questions to consider as you plan your 2020 exercise routines: Are your muscles confused? Should they be? And just how do we confuse our muscles, anyway? These concerns are at the heart of a timely new study of what happens when we add variety to our gym workouts and, in the process, “confuse” our muscles. The study finds that shifting, quicksilver workouts can yield some benefits that more rote regimens do not, but the benefits may not be the ones that most of us would expect. (Reynolds, 1/8)
CNN: Alcohol-Related Deaths Have Doubled In The US And Women Are At An Increased Risk, Study Says
he number of Americans who have died from alcohol-related problems annually more than doubled between 1999 and 2017, a new study found, and that's likely an undercount, the researchers said. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. (Christensen, 1/8)
NPR: 'Boys & Sex' Author Peggy Orenstein Investigates The Secret Lives Of Young Men
Author Peggy Orenstein knows that talking to your son about sex isn't easy: "I know for a lot of parents, you would rather poke yourself in the eye with a fork than speak directly to your son about sex — and probably he would rather poke himself in the eye with a fork as well," she says. But we don't have "the luxury" to continue avoiding this conversation, she says. "If we don't talk to our kids, the media is going to educate them for us, and we are not going to love the result." (Gross, 1/7)
The Washington Post: Man Had Open-Heart Surgery Because Of Popcorn Stuck Between Teeth
An Englishman underwent open-heart surgery, and it all started with a piece of popcorn firmly lodged between his teeth. Adam Martin, a 41-year-old who lives in the fishing village of Coverack, Cornwall, is still recovering from multiple surgeries, after an infection carried through his blood targeted his heart, his wife said. It began when Martin irritated his gums while trying to pry out the husk of a popcorn kernel. (Beachum, 1/7)
CNN: Allergic To Dogs? It May Only Be The Males
Love dogs but find yourself uncontrollably sneezing around some of them? There might be a solution that's easier than allergy shots. Neuter your male pup or opt for a female dog. "Up to 30% of people who are allergic to dogs are actually allergic to one specific protein that's made in the prostate of a dog," said Dr. Lakiea Wright, an allergist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. (LaMotte, 1/7)
