Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Synthetic Ebola Virus Allowed CDC To See Treatments' Effectiveness, But Why Aren't Actual Samples Being Shared, Researchers Ask
Stat: CDC Made A Synthetic Ebola Virus To Test Treatments. It Worked
Scientists at the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention have created a synthetic version of the Ebola virus circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, part of an effort to determine whether diagnostic tests and experimental treatments being used in the field are effective. The research, conducted in the agency’s most secure laboratories — BSL4 — showed that even though the tests and two of the treatments being used in the field were developed based on earlier variation of Ebola viruses, they continue to be effective against the virus causing the current outbreak, the second largest on record. (Branswell, 7/9)
The Associated Press: In US Baby Is Born From Dead Donor’s Transplanted Womb
The Cleveland Clinic says it has delivered the first baby in North America after a womb transplant from a dead donor. Uterine transplants have enabled more than a dozen women to give birth, usually with wombs donated from a living donor such as a friend or relative. In December, doctors in Brazil reported the world’s first birth using a deceased donor’s womb. These transplants were pioneered by a Swedish doctor who did the first successful one five years ago. (7/9)
The New York Times: How Music Can Rev Up A High-Intensity Workout
Cuing up some Calvin Harris or Macklemore during short, intense workouts might change how we feel about the exercise, according to a useful new study of how listening to jaunty music can encourage us to push ourselves harder. The study also found, though, that other types of distractions, such as podcasts, may not have the same effect. High-intensity interval workouts are quite popular at the moment, touted by trainers, coaches, scientists and this column as a way to exercise effectively without investing much time. (Reynolds, 7/10)
NPR: Beat Bedbugs With Heat And Hotel Vigilance
Summer is a time of travel and fun. But with every bed an exhausted traveler falls into after a day of sightseeing, the chances of bringing home an unwanted bug increase. Bedbugs don't fly or jump or come in from your garden. They crawl very quickly and are great at hiding in your luggage when you travel and hitching a ride into your home — or hotel room. (Quiros, 7/9)
KCUR: ‘Get Your Peanut Dust’: Kansas City Doc Prescribes Tiny Doses Over Months To Treat Peanut Allergies
When Porter Hall of Raymore, Missouri, was a year old, he broke out in hives after eating a spoonful of peanut butter. It led to a scary night in the emergency room and a diagnosis of peanut allergy. But today, Porter, who’s now five, is giving peanuts another shot with the help of Kansas City doctors, who have been giving him tiny doses of peanuts over the course of months. This oral immunotherapy treatment isn’t a cure, but doctors say these tiny exposures may help to reduce or prevent severe reactions – although some critics are warning families to consider the risks. (Smith, 7/10)
KCUR: If You Thought Vaping Was Safe, Kansas Researchers Have Bad News
Many people figure vaping spares their health because it lets them inhale nicotine in aerosols instead of sucking in smoke from burning cigarettes. New research from the University of Kansas casts doubt on that, raising the specter that vaping nicotine may cause some of the same respiratory problems that plague and even kill smokers today. (Llopis-Jepsen, 7/9)
St. Louis Public Radio: Kansas City Activist Says 'I'm Ready To Be More Of Who I Am' About Her Transition
For many in the transgender community, use of their birth name to refer to them after they have transitioned is a no-no, a sign of disrespect. But Merrique Jenson, a transgender woman working in the LGBTQ community, knows she is in a unique situation. She started her transition in October, but she is best known, both in Kansas City and nationally, as Randall Jenson. A recent study estimated that there are approximately 1.4 million transgender adults in America. (Johnson, 7/9)
