Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lab-Grown Venom Glands Could Open Door To Better, More Modern Way To Treat Snakebites
Stat: Labs Study Mini Brains And Lungs. Next Up: Snake Venom Gland Organoids
The procurement allowed the researchers to grow organoids of the snake venom glands — essentially miniature 3D versions cultivated in lab dishes. And in doing so, they opened the door to potential discoveries that could help human health. That first egg belonged to a Cape coral snake, also known as a Cape coral cobra. With the specimen in hand, Clevers and his team removed the snake from the egg before it hatched, excised tissue samples, and then grew the venom gland organoid, they reported Thursday in Cell. They did the same with eight other species. (Joseph, 1/23)
The New York Times: Depression May Elevate Dementia Risk
People with depression are at increased risk for dementia, researchers report, and the risk may persist for decades. Using the Swedish National Patient Register, scientists identified 119,386 people over 50 with depression and matched them with an equal number of people without that diagnosis. (Bakalar, 1/23)
Stat: 23andMe Laying Off 14% Of Employees Amid Falling Spit Kit Sales
In the latest sign of a slump in consumer genetic testing, 23andMe is laying off 14% of its workforce amid falling sales of its DNA spit kits. The cut of about 100 jobs, which could be the company’s largest downsize yet, will mostly impact 23andMe’s operations teams, CEO Anne Wojcicki told CNBC on Thursday. A company spokesperson, Christine Pai, told STAT in an email: “What I can confirm is that we are restructuring the consumer business, which impacts about 14% of employees. Our therapeutics business is not impacted. We’re also narrowing focus on the core businesses — consumer and therapeutics.” (Brodwin, 1/23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: A Novel Pill To Treat Bleeding From Uterine Fibroids Aims For FDA Approval
For millions of premenopausal women, uterine fibroids turn their monthly periods into virtual hemorrhages. A new drug called elagolix cut blood loss by half over six months in the overwhelming majority of women who participated in two clinical trials published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.(McCullough, 1/22)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: 18 Amish Children Died Of Rare Genetic Mutation, Study Finds
Over more than a decade, an additional 16 children from two extended Amish families would die before researchers pinpointed the culprit: a rare genetic mutation. The details were described this month in a study led by the Mayo Clinic, along with researchers from the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington and other institutions. (Avril, 1/23)
WBUR: Going To Therapy Can Be Hard, Especially For Immigrants — Here's How To Start
Immigrants face unique stressors that may contribute to mental health problems — and are less likely to seek help for them. Here are some of the best ways for immigrant communities to start therapy. (Hodges, 1/23)
The Wall Street Journal: Kotex Decides Women’s Blood Is Red, Not Blue
Blood is no longer blue for Kotex. A new ad campaign for the Kimberly-Clark Corp. brand is using a realistic-looking red fluid, rather than the ubiquitous antiseptic-blue liquid, to represent menstrual blood. Kimberly-Clark’s approach to marketing its U by Kotex products on social media and streaming TV comes as more companies look to tap into a movement to end the squeamishness and stigma around women’s health and grooming needs, from body hair to bladder leaks and menopause, that have been standard in such marketing for decades. (Terlep, 1/23)
Boston Globe: The Danger In Our Salad Bowls: Leafy Green Vegetables Have Become The Leading Cause Of E. Coli Poisoning. And The Federal Government May Not Be Ready For The Next Outbreak.
More than a year after the Thanksgiving outbreak, the E. coli threat is as real as it ever was, and the government still lacks the means, and maybe the will, to take it on, a six-month Globe review finds. There have been four E. coli outbreaks traced to lettuce since September alone, sickening people in more than two dozen states. Since 2017, there are nearly 500 documented victims and six deaths from leafy green vegetables contaminated by E. coli. Because the disease is difficult to document, the actual numbers are likely many times higher. (Haughney, 1/23)
