Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Unsure Why More Kids And Teens Are Getting Kidney Stones
NBC News: Kidney Stones Are Rising Among Kids And Teens, Especially Girls
Experts aren’t sure why more children and teens are developing the condition, but they speculate that a combination of factors are to blame, including diets high in ultraprocessed foods, increased use of antibiotics early in life and climate change causing more cases of dehydration. Doctors who spoke to NBC News said they see more kids with kidney stones in the summer than any other season. (Camero, 7/8)
The New York Times: Antibiotic Shortage Could Fuel Rise In Syphilis Rates
A new shortage of a type of penicillin crucial to the fight against syphilis is alarming infectious disease experts, who warn that a protracted scarcity of the drug could worsen the U.S. epidemic of the sexually transmitted infection. The shortage, announced by the drugmaker Pfizer in a letter last month, involves Bicillin L-A, a long-acting injectable antibiotic also known as penicillin G benzathine. The company cited significant increases in demand because of the rising rate of syphilis infections, as well as Bicillin’s recent use as an alternative to amoxicillin, another antibiotic that has periodically been scarce and is prescribed for more general infections like strep throat. (Ryan, 7/7)
Fox News: Resistance Training Can Alleviate Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms, Research Suggests
Resistance training and physical exercise plays a role in alleviating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, researchers suggest. An article published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience said its beneficial effects serve as a "complementary treatment." (Musto, 7/8)
CNN: A Lack Of Sleep Blocks Brain-Boosting Benefits From Exercise, Study Says
One of the most important ways to keep your body healthy is by exercising — it has been shown to help prevent chronic disease, lengthen life, ward off dementia, slow cognitive decline and much more. However, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important — at least when it comes to the benefits of exercise and how well your brain functions as you age. In a new study, researchers discovered people with more frequent, higher-intensity physical activity who slept less than six hours a night on average had faster overall cognitive decline than short sleepers who exercised infrequently. (LaMotte, 7/6)
Becker's Hospital Review: AI Tool Can Predict A Brain Tumor's Profile Instantly: Study
Identifying the genetic characteristics of a glioma tumor is a process that traditionally takes days or weeks, but a study published July 7 in the journal Med revealed an artificial intelligence tool can predict a tumor's profile almost instantly. The tool, the Cryosection Histopathology Assessment and Review Machine, or CHARM, is a machine-learning algorithm that was trained by researchers showing it sample photos collected during brain surgeries and comparing its work with each respective diagnosis, according to a July 7 report from Bloomberg. (7/7)
The New York Times: Drowning Is No. 1 Killer Of Young Children. U.S. Efforts To Fix It Are Lagging.
Yadira Salcedo was born in Mexico to parents who did not know how to swim. As a child, she nearly drowned when she waded too deep in a backyard pool. Now a mother of two in Santa Ana, Calif., Ms. Salcedo is “breaking the cycle,” she said, making sure Ezra, 3, and Ian, 1, never experience such terror. The family has qualified for Red Cross scholarships to a new program that teaches children who might not have other chances to learn how to swim. (Baumgaertner, 7/8)
The New York Times: Substance Abuse Is Climbing Among Seniors
Until a few years ago, even as the opioid epidemic raged, health providers and researchers paid limited attention to drug use by older adults; concerns focused on the younger, working-age victims who were hardest hit. But as baby boomers have turned 65, the age at which they typically qualify for Medicare, substance use disorders among the older population have climbed steeply. “Cohorts have habits around drug and alcohol use that they carry through life,” said Keith Humphreys, a psychologist and addiction researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. (Span, 7/9)
The Washington Post: When An Older Parent Won't Go To The Doctor, Here's What Experts Advise
An article in the Journal of Applied Gerontology in 2020 reported that one-fourth of people 65 and older had avoided medical care, based on a sample of 2,155 participants from the 2008 Health Information National Trends Survey. (Neumann, 7/9)
AP: The FDA Is Being Asked To Look Into PRIME, Logan Paul's Energy Drink, Which Has The Caffeine Of 6 Coke Cans
An influencer-backed energy drink that has earned viral popularity among children is facing scrutiny from lawmakers and health experts over its potentially dangerous levels of caffeine. On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate PRIME, a beverage brand founded by the YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI that has become something of an obsession among the influencers’ legions of young followers. (Offenhartz, 7/9)
