Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Using Stem Cells To Reverse Death: Cruel Quackery Or A Glimmer Of Hope For The Hopeless?
Stat: A Controversial Trial To Bring The Dead Back To Life Plans A Restart
For any given medical problem, it seems, there’s a research team trying to use stem cells to find a solution. In clinical trials to treat everything from diabetes to macular degeneration to ALS, researchers are injecting the cells in efforts to cure patients. But in one study expected to launch later this year, scientists hope to use stem cells in a new, highly controversial way — to reverse death. The idea of the trial, run by Philadelphia-based Bioquark, is to inject stem cells into the spinal cords of people who have been declared clinically brain-dead. The subjects will also receive an injected protein blend, electrical nerve stimulation, and laser therapy directed at the brain. (Sheridan, 6/1)
NPR: Using Music And Rhythm To Develop Grammar
Reyna Gordon was an aspiring opera singer fresh out of college when she began contemplating the questions that would eventually define her career. "I moved to Italy when I finished my bachelor of music, and I started to take more linguistic classes and to think about language in the brain, and music in the brain," she says. "What was happening in our brains when we were listening to music, when we were singing? What was happening in my brain when I was singing?" (Siegel and Hsu, 6/1)
USA Today: Researchers: Strokes Striking More Young People
Gary Vanderwall didn’t win the lottery, but friends acted like he hit a million-to-one shot. “They thought it was a crazy one-off thing that happened,” the 35-year-old said after he told them he’d had a stroke. “Everybody was amazed. They said there’s no way.” The episode happened on Memorial Day last year, and Vanderwall was in the hospital for two months. He returned to work in January. He said he still walks with a slight limp. (Singer, 6/1)
The New York Times: New Electrical Brain Stimulation Technique Shows Promise In Mice
Pulses of electricity delivered to the brain can help patients with Parkinson’s disease, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and possibly other conditions. But the available methods all have shortcomings: They either involve the risks of surgery, from implanting electrodes deep within the brain, or they stimulate from the skull’s surface, limiting the ability to target electricity to the right brain areas. (Belluck, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Authorities Holding Off Deployment Of Experimental Ebola Vaccine In Congo
International health authorities and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are holding off on deploying an experimental Ebola vaccine to the site of the country’s latest outbreak of the virus, indicating that it may now not be needed. In a statement Thursday, medical-aid organization Doctors Without Borders said that preparations are under way for vaccination in Congo, but suggested that it will be used only if a new Ebola case arises. (McKay and Bariyo, 6/1)
Politico Pro: States Prepare For Zika Funding To Expire
With federal dollars for the Zika response soon drying up, states facing the greatest risk from the virus are preparing contingency plans if Congress doesn't provide new money. Gulf states like Florida and Texas that had locally transmitted cases of Zika last year are already on high alert as mosquito season approaches. They're exhausting what’s left of last year’s $1.1 billion emergency funding from Washington and dipping into state and local funds to guard against potential outbreaks this summer. (Ehley and Griffiths, 6/1)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: The Latest Trend In Dementia Dining: Healthy Finger Food
It’s not easy to get good food into people with advanced dementia. Their appetites decrease, and weight loss is a big issue. Some have trouble using a knife and fork. Some eat a few bites, then wander around. Many have some trouble chewing or swallowing. Facilities that cater to the elderly have often solved these problems by serving unappealing pureed food or food that can be picked up — chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and sweet potato fries — but may be short on nutrition. (Burling, 6/1)
Stat: Just Don't Do It: Compression Tights Fail To Curb Runners' Muscle Fatigue
Jetting off for a jog in snug-fitting compression tights won’t help a runner go farther or faster, according to a new study that’s not doing any favors for its sponsor, Nike. The sports gear giant — which offers compression tights in every color of the rainbow — funded the study, which was conducted by sports medicine researchers at Ohio State University. It was meant to test a long-standing theory that compression tights tamp down on muscle vibrations during exercise and, in turn, reduce fatigue. (Thielking, 6/1)
