Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Links Melatonin Use With Heart Failure; Experts Call For More Research
The Washington Post: New Study Links Melatonin And Heart Failure. Don’t Panic, Experts Say
A study that reviewed health records for tens of thousands of adults with chronic insomnia found that people who took prescribed melatonin for more than a year had a higher chance of heart failure over five years compared with people who were identified as nonusers, the American Heart Association announced Monday. The researchers behind the study also reported that people taking melatonin were more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and die of any cause than those who did not use the supplement. (Chiu, 11/3)
On vaping and smoking —
MedPage Today: More Teens Vape Daily, Struggle To Quit
Though the percentage of U.S. teenagers who vape nicotine has declined in recent years, daily vaping among those already doing so increased, as did unsuccessful quit attempts, a cross-sectional study suggested. (Henderson, 11/3)
NBC News: Maldives Becomes The First Country To Impose A Generational Ban On Smoking
The Maldives has become the first country in the world to impose a generational smoking ban, barring anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from ever smoking, purchasing or using tobacco. “The ban applies to all forms of tobacco, and retailers are required to verify age prior to sale,” the health ministry said Saturday as the ban came into effect. The step “makes the Maldives the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide generational tobacco ban,” it added. (Aggarwal, 11/4)
On pig kidney transplants, gun blasts, and vaccines —
AP: First Clinical Trial Transplanting Pig Kidneys Into People Begins
The first clinical trial is getting underway to see if transplanting pig kidneys into people might really save lives. United Therapeutics, a producer of gene-edited pig kidneys, announced Monday that the study’s initial transplant was performed successfully at NYU Langone Health. It’s the latest step in the quest for animal-to-human transplants. A second U.S. company, eGenesis, is preparing to begin its own pig kidney clinical trial in the coming months. (Neergaard, 11/3)
The New York Times: How Gun Blasts From Indoor Shooting May Cause Brain Injuries
The Times tested the blast waves of several popular civilian guns at an indoor range and found that repeated firing could add up to potentially harmful exposure. (Gibbons-Neff, Philipps and White, 11/3)
CIDRAP: COVID Vaccination Cuts Risk Of Long-Term Symptoms In Teens By Over A Third, Data Suggest
The risk of long COVID was 36% lower in adolescents vaccinated within 6 months before their first infection than in their unvaccinated peers, suggests an analysis of US Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) trial data published late last week in Vaccine. The study, led by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers, involved 724 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who were vaccinated against COVID-19 within the previous 6 months and 507 unvaccinated youth matched on sex, symptom onset, and enrollment date. (Van Beusekom, 11/3)
CIDRAP: Trial Data Highlight Sustained Protection From Dengue Vaccine
Data from a phase 3 trial show that Takeda's live-attenuated dengue vaccine provides sustained protection against the mosquito-borne disease, with a favorable safety profile, the Japanese drugmaker said today. (Dall, 11/3)
