Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Studies: Risks Of Any Alcohol Use, Benefits Of Short Exercise Bursts
CNN: Drinking Any Amount Of Alcohol Causes Damage To The Brain, Study Finds
There is no such thing as a "safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study. In an observational study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers from the University of Oxford studied the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans. The researchers noted that drinking had an effect on the brain's gray matter -- regions in the brain that make up "important bits where information is processed," according to lead author Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at Oxford. (Woodyatt, 5/20)
Today: Study Finds Longevity Benefits Of 'Short Spurts' Of Exercise
The more steps you take each day, whether they are in short spurts or all at once, may lead to a longer life, a new study suggests. While walking in bouts of 10 minutes or more appear to have the most impact on life expectancy, shorter strolls, if there are a lot of them, can also contribute, researchers reported Thursday at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health Conference. “This is just one study, but it suggests that there is a lot of flexibility in the way people can accumulate physical activity throughout the day," the study’s lead author, Chris Moore, told Today. (Carroll, 5/20)
Stat: In New Study, Stem Cells Self-Organize Into A Mini Model Of A Beating Heart
Researchers have worked for years to create organoids — miniature cellular structures that recapitulate features of larger organs — for nearly every organ in the body, in the hope that these tissue samples can serve as models in which to study everything from how diseases develop to which drugs could potentially work to combat a host of conditions. In a new study published Thursday in Cell (and previously posted to the preprint server bioRxiv), researchers describe a new mini model of the heart, one they call a cardioid. In a departure from other efforts to recreate heart muscles and function in a dish, this latest attempt did not use external scaffolding around which heart cells organized themselves. (Chakradhar, 5/20)
Stat: As Mallinckrodt Sells Rare Disease Drug, Parents Worry About Access
As it looks to emerge from bankruptcy, Mallinckrodt (MNK) has sold an experimental medicine that until recently was being tested to treat a fatal genetic disorder. But the company has said it will work with the buyer to ensure it remains available to children, an unexpected twist in the latest controversy over access to a rare disease drug. (Silverman, 5/20)
AP: Old Records Shed New Light On Smallpox Outbreaks In 1700s
A highly contagious disease originating far from America’s shores triggers deadly outbreaks that spread rapidly, infecting the masses. Shots are available, but a divided public agonizes over getting jabbed. Sound familiar? Newly digitized records — including a minister’s diary scanned and posted online by Boston’s Congregational Library and Archives — are shedding fresh light on devastating outbreaks of smallpox that hit the city in the 1700s. And three centuries later, the parallels with the coronavirus pandemic are uncanny. (Kole, 5/21)
