Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Self-Check For Dementia Test Works Faster Than Old System: Study
The Hill: Study: Test Detects Signs Of Dementia At Least Six Months Earlier Than Standard Method
A study released Monday concluded that a self-administered test detected signs of potential dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, at least six months ahead of the standard testing method, suggesting the exam may help doctors diagnose patients sooner. The self-administered gerocognitive examination (SAGE) test picked up on signs of cognitive impairment months earlier among patients than the often used mini-mental state examination (MMSE), according to the research published in the journal “Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.” (Coleman, 12/6)
Product recalls are announced —
NPR: Adult Portable Bed Rails Have Been Recalled After 2 People Died
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are recalling nearly half a million adult portable bed rails after the reports of two deaths, one in 2011 and another in 2015. The voluntary recall issued Monday involves four different models of the company's Bed Assist Handle and Bed Assist Rail adult portable bed rails, totaling more than 496,000 units. According to the recall notice posted by CSPC, the two deaths occurred in February 2011 and February 2015. One of the cases involved a 93-year-old woman from California and another involved a 92-year-old man who was living at an assisted living facility in Canada. (Franklin, 12/6)
NPR: Alexander & Hornung Recalls Ham And Pepperoni Products Over Listeria Concerns
A subsidiary of Perdue Premium Meat Company is asking customers to avoid eating certain batches of its fully cooked pork products because of possible listeria contamination. Michigan-based Alexander & Hornung is recalling 234,391 pounds of fully cooked ham and pepperoni products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Sunday. "FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers," it said, urging people to throw the items away or return them to their place of purchase. (Treisman, 12/6)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post: Pregnant People More Likely To Die By Homicide Than Any Other Cause
At the Safe Sisters Circle, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., founder and executive director Alana C. Brown said she has worked with “countless” survivors of intimate partner violence who were abused while pregnant. While providing legal services to survivors in the city’s predominantly Black Ward 7 and 8, Brown said she’s witnessed that sometimes the abuse isn’t only physical; she’s seen survivors miscarry from the stress of emotional abuse. Earlier this year, Brown published an article with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence detailing the specific ways that medical racism, a long legacy of discrimination and reproductive coercion have resulted in Black women facing some of the highest rates of domestic violence and sexual abuse. (Nowell, 12/6)
The Hill: Study Casts Doubt On Idea That Marijuana Improves Sleep
Scientists say using marijuana could harm sleeping habits, according to a new study published Monday. The study, published in the journal BMJ, showed that adults who used marijuana at least 20 times in the last month were 64 percent more likely to sleep less than six hours per night and 76 percent more likely to sleep over nine hours per night. (Beals, 12/6)
