Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Public Health Roundup: CDC Gets Broader Quarantine Authority; Hormone Blockers Can Help Prostate Cancer Recurrence
NPR: Quarantine Rules Revised To Give CDC More Power To Stop Outbreaks
Federal health officials may be about to get greatly enhanced powers to quarantine people, as part of an ongoing effort to stop outbreaks of dangerous contagious diseases. The new powers are outlined in a set of regulations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published late last month to update the agency's quarantine authority for the first time since the 1940s. (Stein, 2/2)
The New York Times: Hormone Blockers Can Prolong Life If Prostate Cancer Recurs
Men whose prostate cancer comes back after surgery are more likely to survive if, along with the usual radiation, they also take drugs to block male hormones. The finding, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, comes from a long-running study that experts say will help clarify treatment for many patients. (Grady, 2/1)
PBS NewsHour: Why Is Cervical Cancer Killing Many More African-American Women Than We Thought?
A new research analysis suggests the mortality rate of cervical cancer is higher than we thought, especially among African-American women. Miles O’Brien talks with Dr. Jennifer Caudle of the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine about the findings, as well as the racial disparities in health care. (O'Brien, 2/1)
The Washington Post: A Swig Of Hydrogen Peroxide — Promoted By Alternative-Health Devotees — Can Kill You
Hundreds of people have become severely ill and at least five have died after consuming high-concentration hydrogen peroxide that some people take as an additive to their diets, according to a new study. The colorless, caustic liquid quickly releases a bubble of oxygen that can find its way into a blood vessel, blocking blood flow to the heart, the brain, the lungs or other parts of the body, according to the research, which was published this week in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. (Bernstein, 2/1)
Minnesota Public Radio: What We Do And Don't Know About Food Allergies
Food allergies are on the rise, and we still don't know why. MPR News host Marianne Combs spoke with dietitian Kristi Winkel and Dr. David Stukus about what we know, and what we still have to learn, about food allergies and intolerances. (Combs and Erickson, 2/1)
Bloomberg: Will A Test For Brain Trauma Protect NFL Players—Or End The NFL?
Researchers have also begun using Quanterix tests to search for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the neurodegenerative disease that’s been found in the brains of at least 90 dead former NFL players...While the NFL is backing Quanterix, a test for the living could present an existential crisis for the league. Discovering, for instance, that half its linemen show signs of CTE could starve the league of talent or force changes that make it unrecognizable to fans. And football isn’t alone: CTE presents similarly dire questions for hockey, soccer, and ultimate fighting, among other contact sports. (Boudway, 2/1)
NPR: Heading The Ball In Soccer May Increase Concussion Risk
Heading a soccer ball is both a fundamental skill and a dynamic way to score a goal, but research says it could be causing concussions along with player collisions. Players who headed a lot of balls, an average of 125 over two weeks, were three times more vulnerable to concussion than those who headed less than four in that time period, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. These header-happy players reported having concussion symptoms like headache, confusion and even unconsciousness. (Boddy, 2/1)
San Jose Mercury News: UCSF Study Backs Research On Predicting Dementia
A UC San Francisco study that examined a population of older adults for more than a decade showed that poor performance on a simple odor test was linked to increased risk of developing dementia years later. The study of more than 2,400 older black and white adults, directed by Dr. Kristine Yaffe, a UCSF professor of psychiatry, neurology, epidemiology and biostatistics, was published this week in the journal Neurology. Previous research has shown that olfactory function may be an early marker for cognitive impairment, but the evidence had been mostly restricted to the white population. The new study is the first to look at that association in both black and white older adults. Researchers followed the patients for nearly 12 years. (Seipel, 2/1)
NPR: More Than 700 Gene Variants Affect Your Height
When scientists first read out the human genome 15 years ago, there were high hopes that we'd soon understand how traits like height are inherited. It hasn't been easy. A huge effort to find height-related genes so far only explains a fraction of this trait. Now scientists say they've made some more headway. And the effort is not just useful for understanding how genes determine height, but how they're involved in driving many other human traits. (Harris, 2/1)
Kaiser Health News and Reveal: Women Fear Drug They Used To Halt Puberty Led To Health Problems
For years, Sharissa Derricott, 30, had no idea why her body seemed to be failing. At 21, a surgeon replaced her deteriorated jaw joint. She’s been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. Her teeth are shedding enamel and cracking. None of it made sense to her until she discovered a community of women online who describe similar symptoms and have one thing in common: All had taken a drug called Lupron. Thousands of parents chose to inject their daughters with the drug, which was approved to shut down puberty in young girls but also is commonly used off-label to help short kids grow taller. The drug’s pediatric version comes with few warnings about long-term side effects. (Jewett, 2/2)
Wyoming Public Radio: Contest For Biz Students Is All About Umbilical Cord Stumps
Business students are used to thinking about how to sell a new shampoo or a new app for a phone. Last week they were asked to put their strategic brains to another use: Figuring out the best way to convince health workers and new parents in Nigeria to apply a potentially life-saving antiseptic to the baby's umbilical cord stump. (Brink, 2/1)
