Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Latest Target In Series Of Gene-Editing Breakthroughs: Hearing Loss
Los Angeles Times: Gene-Editing Breakthrough Found To Minimize Hearing Loss In Mice Could Help Humans
Scientists are one step closer to using CRISPR-Cas9 to cure some types of hearing loss. In a paper published Wednesday in Nature, researchers describe how they used the CRISPR-Cas9 complex to alter a faulty gene associated with a form of inherited, progressive hearing loss in the tiny ears of newborn mice. (Netburn, 12/20)
NPR: Experiments In Mice Suggest Role For Gene Editing For Deafness
While cautioning that much more research is needed, the scientists said they hope the technique might someday be used to prevent deafness in children born in families with a history of genetic hearing loss. Before that could happen, however, extensive tests would be needed to determine whether the treatment is safe — and whether it would actually work in humans. "We're hopeful that our results will help guide the development of such strategies," says David Liu, a genetic engineer at Broad Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. The results were reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. (Stein, 12/20)
The New York Times: Why Sitting May Be Bad For Your Heart
Sitting quietly for extended periods of time could be hurting your heart, according to a surprising new study. It finds that the more people sit, the greater the likelihood that they will show signs of injury to their heart muscles. We all have heard by now that sitting for hours on end is unhealthy, even if we also occasionally exercise. People who sit for more than about nine or 10 hours each day — a group that includes many of us who work in offices — are prone to developing diabetes, heart disease and other problems, and most of these risks remain relatively high, even if we exercise. (Reynolds, 12/20)
The New York Times: Can A Cup Of Hot Tea A Day Help Preserve Eyesight?
Having a cup of hot tea every day may reduce your risk for blindness. Researchers have found that a daily cup of hot tea reduces the risk for glaucoma, a disease in which a buildup of fluid in the eye can damage the optic nerve and lead to gradual vision loss. (Bakalar, 12/20)
Boston Globe: The Rain, It’s Plain, Has No Effect On Pain
Since antiquity, a belief has persisted that our joints ache more in rainy weather. But after comparing huge databases on doctor’s appointments and daily rainfall totals from weather stations across the United States, a team of Harvard University researchers has found no correlation between the two. (Meyers, 12/20)
Miami Herald: U.S., Cuba Collaborate On Lung Cancer Research
Patients in a clinical trial in Buffalo, N.Y., visit a cancer research institute for monthly doses of a Cuban lung cancer vaccine while scientists in Havana, 1,375 miles away, run their own trials to see if they can make the vaccine even more effective. These are the two bookends of a unique collaboration between researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and scientists at Cuba’s Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) that began in 2011 after a Cuban researcher visiting the United States offered to give a talk about the Havana center’s work. (Whitefield, 12/20)
The New York Times: A Salad A Day May Be Good For Brain Health
Eating leafy greens may help slow mental decline. Researchers studied 960 men and women ages 58 to 99 who completed food frequency questionnaires and had two or more cognitive assessments over an average of almost five years of follow-up. (Bakalar, 12/20)
Los Angeles Times: Kale And Other Leafy Vegetables May Make Your Brain Seem 11 Years Younger
In research that gives new meaning to the expression "salad days," a study published Wednesday finds that older people who ate at least one serving of leafy greens a day had a slower rate of decline on tests of memory and thinking skills than did people who rarely or never ate these vegetables. The study was published in the journal Neurology.After almost five years, regular consumers of such veggies as kale, spinach, collard greens and lettuce enjoyed a mental edge that was the equivalent of 11 years in age. (Healy, 12/20)
Kaiser Health News: The Long Goodbye: Coping With Sadness And Grief Before A Loved One Dies
For years before her death at age 96, Nancy Lundebjerg’s mother underwent a long, slow decline. Arthritis made it hard for Margaret Lundebjerg to get around. After two hip surgeries, she needed a walker when she was out and about. Incontinence was a source of discomfort, as was the need to rely on aides to help her perform daily chores. (Graham, 12/21)
