Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Less Than Half Of Schools Across Country Test For Lead, But 37 Percent Of Those That Do Show Elevated Levels
The Associated Press: GAO: Less Than Half Of School Districts Test Water For Lead
A survey of school districts around the country finds that less than half test their water for lead, and among those that do more than a third detected elevated levels of the toxin, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Lead can cause brain damage and learning disabilities in children. (7/17)
CNN: Bill Gates Wants To Jump-Start A Test For Alzheimer's
Besides a cure, what do those afraid of Alzheimer's disease need most? According to entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates, a key need is a "reliable, affordable, and accessible" diagnostic test. To jump-start that research, Gates announced today that he has joined a coalition of philanthropists who are investing $30 million to create a venture fund called Diagnostics Accelerator. "We need a better way of diagnosing Alzheimer's -- like a simple blood test or eye exam -- before we're able to slow the progression of the disease," Gates wrote in a statement announcing the investment. "Imagine a world where diagnosing Alzheimer's disease is as simple as getting your blood tested during your annual physical." (LaMotte, 7/17)
NPR: Test For Chronic Brain Injury Among Athletes And Soldiers Gets Closer
CTE has been part of the national lexicon in the U.S. since the 2015 movie Concussion dramatized the discovery of this degenerative brain disease among football players. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is found among people who've had head injuries. Though not everyone with head trauma develops CTE, the group that's come to be most associated with it is football players, whose brains can be routinely jarred by hard hits. The disease has been linked to depression, dementia and even suicide among those who play the game. (Goldman, 7/17)
Stat: New Challenge Filed To CRISPR Patent Licensed By Editas Medicine
Another key patent on the CRISPR genome editing technology is facing a legal challenge. On Tuesday, St. Louis-based Benson Hill Biosystems, a privately held agriculture biotech company, filed a petition for post-grant review with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, arguing that a CRISPR patent granted to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in 2017 and licensed by Editas Medicine (EDIT) is invalid. (Begley, 7/17)
The New York Times: An Aspirin A Day For Heart Health? It May Depend On Your Weight
A daily dose of baby aspirin is widely recommended for heart disease prevention, but a one-dose-fits-all approach may not work. A new analysis, in The Lancet, looked at data from 10 randomized trials and found that the size of the dose and the weight of the patient have significant effects on outcome. Researchers found that a daily dose of 75 to 100 milligrams of aspirin lowered the risk of cardiovascular events by 23 percent for people weighing less than 154 pounds, but had no effect in those weighing more. In people over 154 pounds, low-dose aspirin increased the risk for a fatal cardiovascular event. (Bakalar, 7/17)
PBS NewsHour: Educators Worry Students Don’t Know Vaping Health Risks
It looks like a flash drive, can be hidden anywhere and doesn't create tell-tale smoke. Across the country, the use of these e-cigarettes are spiking among youth, but parents often aren't even sure what they are and many teens mistakenly believe there are no serious health risks. (Cardoza, 7/17)
The New York Times: To Stretch Or Not To Stretch? Athletes Put It To The Test
Should we stretch before exercise? A thought-provoking new experiment with athletes suggests that the answer could depend on how we feel about stretching and what kind of exercise — and stretching — we intend to do. (Reynolds, 7/18)
The New York Times: Sleep Tied To Teenagers’ All-Around Health
A good night’s sleep may be critical for the metabolic health of teenagers. Researchers studied 829 boys and girls, average age 13, who wore electronic measuring devices that tracked sleep time, sleep quality and physical activity over seven to 10 days. They also recorded five factors associated with cardiovascular risk: waist circumference, blood pressure, HDL or “good” cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance. (Bakalar, 7/17)
The Star Tribune: Doctors Warn About Trampolines: So Why Is There One In Almost Every Backyard?
On her way to the orthopedic clinic, April Jorgenson steeled herself for a lecture. She was bringing in her 5-year-old son, Rusty Golaski, to see if he had broken his arm while jumping on the trampoline in the family’s Hugo backyard. “I thought I’d get some backlash from the doctor when I told him what happened, but he didn’t say a thing,” said Jorgenson, 34. “He just told me not to let Rusty jump while his cast is on.” (Burger, 7/17)
Health News Florida: No Radiation Needed: 3D Tool Creates Maps Of Patients’ Hearts Before Procedures
A new mapping technology is helping doctors determine where to place life-saving catheters in patients with irregular heartbeats without the use of radiation. It’s being used at Florida Hospital. One of these patients is 14-year-old Grayson Abraham who has a heart condition that can cause sudden cardiac death in young athletes. (Prieur, 7/18)
Boston Globe: Study To Examine Prostate Cancer Rate In African-American Men
The National Institutes of Health announced Tuesday that it is launching a nationwide study on aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men. The study will be one of the first to analyze how social stressors such as discrimination, lack of health care access, and segregation interact with genetic changes in African-American men with prostate cancer. (Eppolito, 7/17)
