Public Health Roundup: Easier Foster Care Guidelines; First Baby Born Via Uterus Transplant From Deceased Donor
As foster systems are strained across the country with an influx of children whose guardians have been effected by the opioid crisis, advocates are hopeful that new guidelines will make it easier to find them homes. Meanwhile, doctors are reporting the first successful birth of a baby that was carried via a uterus transplant from a deceased donor. In other public health news: how much sleep is too much sleep?; medical schools, products that trigger puberty, head-shaping baby helmets, and more.
Stateline:
New Rules Could Open More Homes To Foster Kids
The new proposed regulations, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collected public comment on for several months this summer and fall, don’t include a square-footage requirement or a minimum number of bedrooms — rules that many states have enforced for years. Instead, they talk about “sleeping spaces” that apartment-dwelling foster families might carve out of their living rooms. The suggested standards also propose that states not require foster parents to own a car, as long as they have access to reliable public transportation. That change would make it easier for city residents to become foster parents. (Wiltz, 12/5)
The Associated Press:
1st Baby Born Using Uterus Transplanted From Deceased Donor
Brazilian doctors are reporting the world's first baby born to a woman with a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor. Eleven previous births have used a transplanted womb but from a living donor, usually a relative or friend. Experts said using uteruses from women who have died could make more transplants possible. Ten previous attempts using deceased donors in the Czech Republic, Turkey and the U.S. have failed. (12/4)
Stat:
In A First, A Baby Is Born Via A Uterus Transplant From A Deceased Donor
The whole field of uterus transplantation is in its early days. But researchers said that if transplant teams can reliably use uteruses from deceased donors, it could expand the availability of organs and reduce living donors’ risks during surgery to remove the uterus. “This is really an exciting moment,” said Dr. Rebecca Flyckt, a reproductive endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who was not involved in the research. “It’s proof-of-concept that a deceased donor is really a good model.” (Joseph, 12/4)
CNN:
Sleep: Too Much Is Linked To A Greater Chance Of Disease Or Death
The recommended amount of sleep for adults is six to eight hours a night. Sleeping more than those hours is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular diseases, says a global study published Wednesday in the European Heart Journal. Looking at data from 21 countries, across seven regions, the research team found that people sleeping more than the recommended upper limit of eight hours increased their risk of risk of major cardiovascular events, like stroke or heart failure, as well as death by up to 41%. (Avramova, 12/4)
NPR:
Under Pressure, U.S. Medical Schools Increase Diversity
In 2009, the body that accredits medical schools issued a new requirement: All medical schools must implement policies that help them attract and retain more diverse students. Failure to do so can lead to citations from this body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and can affect their status as accredited institutions. (Gordon, 12/4)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Study: These Common Personal Care Products Can Speed Puberty In Girls
Chemicals commonly found in personal care products could cause girls to reach puberty early, according to a new report. Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley recently conducted a trial, published in the Human Reproductive journal, to determine how early environmental exposures affect childhood development. (Parker, 12/4)
CNN:
Chrissy Teigen Inspires Parents To Share Photos Of Babies With Head-Shaping Helmets
American model Chrissy Teigen sparked a social media trend after sharing on Twitter and Instagram a photo of her son, Miles, with a corrective helmet to treat his flat head syndrome. The 6-month-old was fitted for the helmet to fix his "adorable slightly misshapen head," Teigen posted. Flat head syndrome, or plagiocephaly, is a common problem for babies -- one in every five is affected -- because they spend a lot of time sleeping on their backs, the UK's National Health Service says. (Mezzofiore, 12/4)
The New York Times:
Why The World Needs To Rethink Retirement
The golden years look very different depending on where in the world you are, and, increasingly, which generation you are in. Aging populations and decreasing birthrates are spurring countries across the globe to reassess how retirement works — and what needs to change in order to extend the benefits available today to future retirees. (Robertson, 12/4)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Blood Pressure Pill Recalls: Cancer Concerns, Alternative Meds, More
Within the last few months, many common drugs that contain valsartan, used to treat high blood pressure, have been recalled in the United States due to potential cancer risk. The flagged medications, which include amlodipine/valsartan and amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide combination tablets, contain a potentially dangerous ingredient called N-nitroso-diethylamine (NDEA). (Parker, 12/4)
The New York Times:
What A Hungry Snail Reveals About Your Grocery Store Breakdowns
If you’ve ever gone grocery shopping when you’re super hungry, you may have bought a few foods in strange combinations that you later regretted. “It’s not just one thing that you’re more likely to buy,” said Michael Crossley, a neuroscientist at the University of Sussex in England. “Your entire perception of everything is slightly altered when you undergo hunger.” Dr. Crossley has found that we’re not the only creatures in the animal kingdom that make unusual dietary choices when hungry: Hungry pond snails will also swallow potentially harmful foods they’d normally spit out. (Klein, 12/5)
