This Stem Cell Treatment Was Billed As A Miracle Cure. Then People Started Getting Sick.
Companies are advertising the use of umbilical cord blood, saying the treatment is “as miraculous as the birth of a child itself” and “stimulates regenerative healing.” But the products are not approved by federal regulators and can be dangerous to patients. In other public health news: cancer drugs, genome mapping, flu shots, dialysis, tobacco, and more.
The Washington Post:
‘Miraculous’ Stem Cell Therapy Has Sickened People In Five States
Over the past year, at least 17 people have been hospitalized after being injected with products made from umbilical cord blood, a little-known but fast-growing segment of the booming stem cell industry, according to state and federal health officials and patient reports. Sold as a miracle cure for a variety of intractable conditions, the injections have sickened people in five states, prompting new warnings from health officials about the risks of unproven stem cell treatments. (Wan and McGinley, 2/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Cancer Drugs Aim To Offer Alternatives To Chemo
Michelle Lowry was a healthy baby until a pea-sized lump appeared on her neck when she was two. Within weeks it had swelled into a life-threatening tumor obstructing her breathing and she was hospitalized at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Her right arm and hand stopped working,” recalled her mom, Christina Lowry, who lives in Simi Valley, Calif. “Her face was swollen, her eye was almost swollen shut. The tumor was almost all the way around her neck.” A test showed her tumor was caused by a so-called NTRK fusion, which happens when a gene known as NTRK fuses with another unrelated gene. (Reddy, 2/27)
Bloomberg:
Is The World Ready For A $100 Genome Illumina (ILMN) CEO Asks
For years, the cost to decode a full human genome has been falling much like computer processing costs -- from hundreds of thousands of dollars per person to about $1,000 today. With a $100 genome getting closer, the CEO of the top maker of DNA sequencers thinks the world may not be ready. Illumina Inc.’s first machines, introduced in 2006, could decode a full human genome for about $300,000. A model released in 2014 can do so for about $1,000, and has made DNA sequencing widespread, helping diagnose diseases and find new drugs. The company’s latest machines could one day bring the cost close to $100. (Brown, 2/27)
Stat:
New Study Finds No Link Between Flu Shots And Miscarriages, Allaying Fears
A new study looking at whether women who are pregnant face an increased risk of a miscarriage if they get a flu shot found no link between the vaccine and pregnancy loss. The reassuring finding contradicts an earlier study by the same researchers that raised questions about the safety of getting a flu shot during pregnancy. An overview of the study findings was presented Wednesday at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which guides vaccination policy for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Branswell, 2/27)
Kaiser Health News:
Listening To Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis
Dr. Susan Wong sat down with an 84-year-old patient in the hospital, where he’d been admitted with a flare-up of a serious autoimmune condition and deteriorating kidney function. The older man told her he wanted to go home; he’d had a good life and was ready for its end. He didn’t want aggressive care — including dialysis — having witnessed his wife and son die painfully in intensive care years ago. (Graham, 2/28)
Stat:
Study: Guardant Blood Test Might Replace Biopsies In Some Cancers
Could a blood test help more lung cancer patients get drugs that are targeted to the genetic weaknesses of their tumors? Yes, according to summary results of a 282-patient clinical trial being made available Wednesday. The result is a boon for Guardant Health, the San Francisco-based startup that sells the test, Guardant360, which is a “liquid biopsy” that works by detecting fragments of DNA in the bloodstream. The full study will be presented in full at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in early April. (Herper, 2/27)
The Associated Press:
In Tobacco State, Students Testify About Youngsters' Vaping
Twelve-year-old Hannah Piedad first encountered vaping — an electronic form of smoking — at a New Year's party. It was the smell that got her attention. "I was intrigued because it smelled just like maple syrup," she said. Now the student at Johnson County Middle School in eastern Kentucky has testified before lawmakers in this tobacco state that e-cigarettes have become commonplace at her school despite a state law requiring a person to be at least 18 to buy them. (2/27)
NPR:
'Car Talk' Lives On In Medical Education, Teaching Med Students How To Diagnose
Ray and Tom Magliozzi, better known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers," stopped recording new episodes of NPR's Car Talk in 2012. Tom passed away shortly thereafter, in 2014. But the spirit of the show lives on. And if you visit a doctor's office, you just might benefit from it. As it turns out, Ray and Tom's step-by-step method of diagnosing car trouble can be applied to more than just your broken down old jalopy. A handful of physicians are using the show to teach medical students how to diagnose disease. (Chisholm, 2/27)
The New York Times:
High Blood Pressure In Teens Tied To Kidney Failure In Adulthood
High blood pressure in adolescence is associated with kidney failure in adults, a new study reports. Israeli researchers studied health records of more than 2.6 million healthy 16- to 19-year-old candidates for military service from 1967 to 2013. Almost 8,000 had a diagnosis of hypertension. Over an average follow-up of 20 years, 2,189 developed renal disease requiring dialysis or kidney transplant. (Bakalar, 2/27)
The New York Times:
How To Support A Friend Or Loved One Who Has Been Sexually Abused
It’s an especially difficult time to be a survivor of sexual abuse or assault. On top of the daily struggle to stay safe and healthy, sexual abuse survivors also have to contend with an endlessly triggering news cycle. If you’re not a survivor yourself but you’re close to one — maybe a partner, friend or family member — you may not be able to fully understand what they’re going through, and you may feel confused or lost about how to best support them. Here’s what you need to know, and how you can be supportive. (Marin, 2/27)
