Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lessons From The Civil War: Long Shadow Cast By Trauma Stretches Far Beyond A Single Generation
Los Angeles Times: What Civil War Soldiers Can Teach Us About How Trauma Is Passed From Generation To Generation
An experience of life-threatening horrors surely scars the person who survives it. It also may have a corrosive effect on the longevity and health of that person’s children and, in some cases, on the well-being of generations beyond. The latest evidence of trauma’s long shadow comes from the families of American Civil War veterans. Focused on the children of Union soldiers who were held in Confederate prisoner of war camps, it offers tantalizing clues about the means by which a legacy of misery is transmitted from parent to child — as well as a way to disrupt that inheritance. (Healy, 10/17)
Stat: How 23andMe Thinks About Genetic Privacy In The Age Of Forensic Genealogy
These days, DNA testing is making headlines in politics and criminal justice — and genetic privacy is increasingly in the spotlight. At 23andMe, the industry’s best-known company, the executive tasked with thinking about safeguarding DNA is global privacy officer Kate Black. STAT recently sat down with Black at 23andMe’s headquarters here in Silicon Valley. Here’s what she had to say about her role, recent news stories, and 23andMe’s policies. (Robbins and Garde, 10/18)
Stat: New England Journal Pulls A Paper, Probes Two Others From Stem Cell Scientist
The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday retracted one paper from the lab of a controversial stem cell researcher and issued an “expression of concern” about two others published in its pages, dating to as long ago as 2001. The journal’s move comes three days after Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital told STAT and Retraction Watch they had recommended that 31 papers from Dr. Piero Anversa be retracted by medical journals. The medical school and the hospital did not name the journals where the work appeared. (Cooney, 10/17)
Bloomberg: Pot ‘Poster Child’ Eyes March Rollout For Alzheimer's Product
As Canada today becomes the second country to fully legalize the recreational use of marijuana, the “poster child of a cannabis bubble” sees big opportunity ahead. ...[India Globalization Capital], which turned heads in 2013 when it added a cannabis pharmaceuticals business to its existing infrastructure legacy, has applications pending for eight patents, with its Hyalolex formulation for Alzheimer’s its leading candidate. Its pharmaceutical products are based on a low-THC formulation, which has been shown to offer benefits like higher energy while slowing the build up of plaque in brains, a key characteristic in Alzheimer’s patients. (Wolf, 10/17)
The New York Times: High Blood Pressure Of Pregnancy Tied To Dementia Later In Life
Having pre-eclampsia — dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy — is linked to an increased risk for dementia later in life, according to a new study. Up to 5 percent of pregnant women develop pre-eclampsia, usually after the 20th week. In addition to hypertension, the condition can include signs of diminished kidney or liver function. (Bakalar, 10/17)
NPR: Why Black Men Are Hesitant To Participate In Prostate Cancer Research
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in the U.S. (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) and one of the most deadly. It's especially deadly for black men, who are more likely to get it and twice as likely as white men to die from it. Yet black men tend to be underrepresented in research for prostate cancer treatment. (Cohen, 10/17)
The New York Times: Omega-3s In Fish Oils Tied To Healthy Aging
Higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, the fats found in fish, are linked to a healthier old age, according to a new study. Researchers tracked 2,622 adults, average age 74 and healthy at the start of the study, from 1992 to 2006, looking to see if they continued to live without chronic diseases and without mental or physical problems. The investigators measured blood levels of four common types of omega-3s: EPA and DHA, found in seafood; ALA, derived from plants; and DPA, which the body produces in small amounts. (Bakalar, 10/17)
MPR: Heard About Herd Immunity? Get A Flu Shot
Flu season has begun in Minnesota with the state health department reporting two hospitalizations for the week ending October 6th. Minnesota health officials hope it will be easier to convince more people to get immunized this year following a spike in influenza cases last year. (Zdechlik, 10/17)
The New York Times: Coffee May Tame The Redness Of Rosacea
Yet another reason to drink coffee: A new study suggests it can be good for the complexion. Researchers studied the effect of coffee drinking on the risk for rosacea, a chronic skin disease that causes facial redness in about 5 percent of the population. (Bakalar, 10/17)
California Healthline: Family Doctors ‘Not Doing Enough’ To Curb STDs
Julie Lopez, 21, has been tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases since she was a teenager. But when Lopez first asked her primary care doctor about screening, he reacted with surprise, she said. “He said people don’t usually ask. But I did,” said Lopez, a college student in Pasadena, Calif. “It’s really important.”Lopez usually goes to Planned Parenthood instead for the tests because “they ask the questions that need to be asked,” she said. (Gorman, 10/17)
San Jose Mercury News: Why Do California Babies Have Syphilis In Numbers Rivaling Those Of Poor Nations?
About two decades ago, congenital syphilis was all but eradicated in California, the most populous state. But in the past six years, the number of cases has jumped from 33 to 283—almost a tenfold increase. It’s the highest number of cases in any state and accounts for the third-highest rate per live birth, behind Louisiana and Nevada. (Gorn, 10/17)
