Cluster Of Autism Cases All Linked To Same Sperm Donor Could Provide Genetic Insight Into Diagnosis
Donor H898 was blond and blue-eyed, 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, and appeared to be smart and accomplished. Now it turns out that many of the kids conceived with his sperm have autism. Experts are intrigued by the genetic clues the cluster of cases could offer. In other public health news: gene-editing, hospital care, maternal mistreatment, lead levels in water, heart attacks in women, and more.
The Washington Post:
The Children Of Donor H898
Danielle Rizzo’s son is screaming. He is planted in the middle of the lobby of his elementary school, clinging to rainbow-colored blocks as she gently explains that she is here — off schedule, in the middle of the day — to take him to a doctor’s appointment. But the first-grader is not listening. “Happy Meal,” he repeats over and over again. “Happy Meal!” His little brother, who is also going to the appointment, is nearby, not moving. Rizzo is relieved that the two of them are not melting down at the same time, which happens all too often, and firmly guides them out the door. (Cha, 9/14)
Stat:
Could Using CRISPR To Edit Embryos Save People Who Are Already Alive?
Amid last year’s backlash against the birth of the world’s first genetically edited babies, some experts preached prudence: Editing the genomes of embryos, they argued, could one day “cure” people of diseases before they’re even born. But there is another, less-discussed potential application of editing an embryo: tweaking its DNA to help save someone who is already alive. (Joseph, 9/16)
The New York Times:
For Older Patients, An ‘Afterworld’ Of Hospital Care
The Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, Conn., had 10 patients in its close observation unit on a recent afternoon. Visitors could hear the steady ping of pulse monitors and the hum of ventilators. The hospital carefully designed these curtained cubicles to include windows, so that patients can distinguish day from night. It also placed soothing artwork — ocean scenes and landscapes — on the ceilings for those who can’t turn over and look outside. (Span, 9/13)
Boston Globe:
Rates Of Maternal Mistreatment In The US Are High Across The Board — Especially For Women Of Color
The culture of obstetrics as it has traditionally been practiced doesn’t help: women on their backs, legs spread, while physicians use tools on their bodies.Given these conditions, it may come as no surprise that a new survey of 2,700 US women published in June found that nearly 1 in 6 pregnant, laboring, and postpartum women experienced mistreatment by medical providers. For women who delivered in a hospital, as opposed to a freestanding birth center or at home, that figure climbed to nearly 1 in 3. (Somerstein, 9/13)
The Associated Press:
Lead Pipes That Tainted Newark's Water Are Found Across US
A drinking water crisis in New Jersey's biggest city is bringing new attention to an old problem: Millions of homes across the U.S. get their water through pipes made of toxic lead, which can leach out and poison children if the water isn't treated with the right mix of chemicals. Replacing those lead pipes is a daunting task for cities and public water systems because of the expense involved — and the difficulty of even finding out where all those pipes are. (Porter and Catalini, 9/13)
Stat:
Lasker Recipient Retracted Some Work — A Sign Of Strength, Not Sloppiness
Axel Ullrich, who directs the department of molecular biology at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, shared a stake in this year’s $250,000 Lasker Award for his work on Herceptin, a treatment for breast cancer. Ullrich’s Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, announced last week, will join a slew of coveted honors in biomedicine that already sit on his mantel, including the King Faisal Prize, the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, the Wolf Prize and others. The Lasker is sometimes a harbinger of an even bigger prize, the Nobel. But Ullrich is in select company for another reason as well — he’s one of several world-class scientists who’ve won major awards, including the Nobel, but also have had to retract some of their work. (Oransky and Marcus, 9/16)
WBUR:
Key Women's Heart Attack Symptoms Not So Different From Men's, AI Study Finds
Men's symptoms tend to center on crushing chest pain, traditional thinking goes — that's long been known as "typical angina" — while women are more likely to have other or additional symptoms: fatigue, nausea, sweating, pain in the arm, shoulder or back -- that's known as "atypical angina." But new Boston-based research used artificial intelligence to analyze how hundreds of patients described their symptoms in their own words, and it challenges that dogma. (Goldberg, 9/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Cures For Hearing Loss May Be Found In New Drugs
Scientists are pursuing the first medicines to treat hearing loss. Today’s principal treatments—hearing aids and electronic devices called cochlear implants—help many people who have suffered damage to their ears caused by aging, noise, genetics or drugs. But neither of those treatments cures or counters the biological causes of hearing loss. By contrast, several experimental new drugs aim to do just that. (Gormley, 9/15)
NPR:
How Hearing Loss Worsens Loneliness Among The Elderly
When Anne Madison could no longer hear her microwave beep, she assumed that her appliance needed repair. In fact, the machine worked well, but her confusion foreshadowed a frustrating struggle: a long and lonely battle with hearing loss. Madison didn't bother going to a doctor after the microwave incident. She knew that hearing aids were so expensive that she could never afford them. So she decided to deal with the hassles of hearing impairment on her own and "just kind of pulled up my socks." (Sharpe, 9/12)
NPR:
Pregnant Women's Risk Of Preeclampsia Drops With Daily Baby Aspirin
Bridget Desmukes was surprised when her OB-GYN recommended low-dose aspirin at her first prenatal appointment this past spring. She knew about daily low-dose aspirin being prescribed to people recovering from a heart attack or stroke. But for pregnant women? In a past pregnancy, Desmukes had developed preeclampsia, a potentially serious complication that involves high blood pressure. A small amount of daily aspirin, it turns out, can significantly cut the risk of developing preeclampsia in pregnancy. (Simmons-Duffin, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Skin Protection May Offer Surprising Benefits For Overall Health
A growing body of research suggests that skin may play a bigger role in fueling chronic disease and age-related illness than previously understood. A recent study in animals found that skin, when attacked, produces enough of an inflammatory substance called cytokines to affect not only the skin but the rest of the body, as well. And body-wide inflammation, when it persists, is thought to contribute to and accelerate chronic conditions such as heart disease and lupus. (Wang, 9/15)
The New York Times:
The Temporary Memory Lapse Of Transient Global Amnesia
Late one morning in June, L.J.’s husband got a distressed call from one of his wife’s colleagues. “You’d better come here right away. Your wife is acting weird,” the colleague said. Ms. J., who had just returned from a doctor visit during which she underwent a minor painful procedure, kept asking her colleague for a password despite being told each time that there was none. (Brody, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Scientists Taught These Adorable Rats To Play Hide And Seek
Ready or not, here they come: Scientists who played hide and seek with rats found that their furry subjects seemed to love the game — and they were remarkably good at it. The unconventional experiment, described in Friday’s edition of the journal Science, sheds light on the sophisticated sense of play in these tiny rodents and the complex mechanisms at work in their brains. It also hints at the evolutionary usefulness of this type of play. (Khan, 9/13)
