Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week we have stories on Ukraine, dysentery, avian flu, step counting, and the pardon of Kathleen Folbigg, who was recently cleared of killing her four children.
Detroit Free Press:
Ukrainian Doctors Working In Extreme Conditions Rely On US Peers' Help
When the first missiles flew and the air raid sirens wailed at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dr. Oleksii Vlasov, chief general of the Regional Medical Center of Family Health in Dnipro, acted quickly. For the safety of the patients and the staff, "everything that the team needed all had to go underground: medicine, lights, water filtration, everything," he said. ... What has helped, Vlasov said, is having the support of some of America's leading physicians, who have offered virtual consultations, shipments of supplies and even a mission trip in mid-May. (Jordan Shamus, 6/4)
The Washington Post:
Ancient Toilets Yield Dysentery Discovery For Archaeologists
Iron-Age Jerusalem’s upper crust had access to the ultimate in luxury: latrines with carved stone seats. But newly uncovered archaeological evidence reveals that they couldn’t escape dysentery, a parasite-caused intestinal infection that leads to stomach cramps and painful diarrhea. Analyzing 2,600-year-old feces found at two cesspits used by the Kingdom of Judah’s elite, archaeologists discovered traces of Giardia duodenalis, which causes dysentery, they report in the journal Parasitology. They say it’s the oldest known example of the parasite infecting humans. (Blakemore, 6/3)
The New York Times:
For These Bird Flu Researchers, Work Is A Day At The Very ‘Icky’ Beach
The H5N1 virus poses “a great unknown threat” to birds and humans alike. Understanding and thwarting it begins with excrement collection. (Anthes, 6/5)
The Washington Post:
Forget 10,000 Steps. 7 Surprising Tips For Step Counters.
If you’re struggling to reach 10,000 steps a day, here’s some good news: The latest science suggests fewer daily steps may be the sweet spot for many of us, depending on our age, fitness and health goals. There is nothing magical or evidence-based about 10,000 steps a day. So feel free to let go of that goal. (Reynolds, 6/7)
Research on a rare genetic mutation frees a woman accused of killing her children —
The New York Times:
Citing Doubt, Officials Free Woman Convicted in 4 Children’s Deaths in 2003
Two decades ago, Kathleen Folbigg was convicted of smothering all four of her young children. Australian tabloids called her the country’s worst female serial killer. But Ms. Folbigg, who was serving a 30-year term, insisted she was innocent. And in recent years, a growing number of scientists began to argue that she was telling the truth. Genetic evidence, they said, indicated that the children had very likely died of natural causes. ... in recent years, geneticists have found that Ms. Folbigg and her two daughters had a rare genetic mutation in what is known as the CALM2 gene. In 2020, an international team of scientists published a research paper concluding that the mutation was likely to result in life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Further research found that the two boys had separate rare genetic variations, which in mice have been linked to lethal epileptic seizures. (Zhuang, 6/4)
The Sydney Morning Herald:
Kathleen Folbigg Pardon: How The Science Got Her Out Of Jail
Professor Carola Vinuesa took saliva swabs from Kathleen Folbigg and in 2018 began work to sequence her DNA. The genetic map discovered eventually led to her release. (Cubby, 6/5)
