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Friday, July 7, 2017
[Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking]
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Happy, happy Friday! I'm here to get you ahead of the latest in health and medicine. If you're a fan of this newsletter, tell a friend who might like it too to sign up<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=657a91c71c&e=4aad33fd68>.
The doctor expected to be named CDC director
President Trump is expected to name Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, an obstetrician-gynecologist who serves as Georgia's public health commissioner, as the next leader of the CDC. Fitzgerald has worked as a practicing physician for about 30 years and has run twice as a Republican candidate for Congress. She has publicly supported vaccines, which will hearten those in public health circles who've been concerned about the president's position on immunizations. She doesn't, however, appear to have a record of conducting scientific research — a critical task of the CDC. More here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=407bcf93e5&e=4aad33fd68>.
Scientists find C. diff bacteria hiding in sandboxes
A new study<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c142dacbe5&e=4aad33fd68> might give you second thoughts about the sandbox at your neighborhood playground (or at least make you steer clear of the sandboxes in Spain). Researchers found an abundance of the bacteria Clostridium difficile in the sand of public playgrounds in Madrid. C. difficile infections can cause diarrhea, other digestive problems, and in some cases, severe colon inflammation. The scientists found genetically different strains of the bacteria, too, including some that were resistant to several antibiotics. The authors say that could pose a real health risk to children exposed to the bacteria while playing. They say their findings should push researchers and local health officials to survey the environment for other potential threats.
Two conspicuously named supplements recalled
Supplement maker Hardcore Formulation is recalling every bottle of two body-building supplements after the FDA found they contain derivatives of anabolic steroids. The company wasn't subtle about hiding the ingredients: The products, which contained the unapproved drugs methylstenbolone and dymethazine, were named Ultra-Sten and D-Zine. They’ve been sold online and in stores nationwide since August 2014. Health officials say consuming those chemicals could lead to liver damage, an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and in men, infertility.
Inside STAT<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=909bb200e6&e=4aad33fd68>: Homeless patients find respite in writing
[87396691-e5ca-4560-8a09-e04a5b7a5bdb.png]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8d16b0de27&e=4aad33fd68>
Justin devlin works on a piece of writing. (KAYANA SZYMCZAK FOR STAT)
In Justin Devlin’s stories, his constant pain is the villain he can sentence to a lifetime behind bars. Writing “takes me away from the physical pain and the emotional pain. It gives me an escape,” said Devlin, who has a progressive genetic condition that limits his mobility. Devlin puts his ideas to paper as part of the creative writing group at the Barbara McInnis House. It’s a medical respite facility that provides care for homeless people who are too sick to live in a shelter, but not sick enough to stay in an expensive hospital bed. Every Monday night volunteers sit with residents who want to write, a way of giving people with serious health problems and nowhere to go a sense of normalcy. I’ve got the story here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=539766008a&e=4aad33fd68>.
Lab Chat: Tracing back a tumor's family tree
Scientists have long suspected that carcinoma — a form of cancer that shows up in the lining of organs like the colon — starts by spreading to lymph nodes, then metastasizes in other organs. But new research tracing back the family tree of a tumor finds that, in some cases, that doesn't hold true. Here’s what study author Kamila Naxerova of Harvard told me about the findings, published in Science<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2e895df3e6&e=4aad33fd68>.
How did you trace a tumor's spread?
People can think of it as building a family tree. If you send a DNA sample to 23andMe, they will be able to figure — based on how similar your DNA is to other people’s DNA — how far removed you are from someone. Two people who are very closely related will have similar DNA. We look at the DNA of patient tumor samples: lymph node, distant, and primary.
What did you find?
You can think of this primary tumor as this very old beast that has been growing for years — as cells live and divide, different parts of the primary tumor can come to have very different genetic profiles. In some cases, we found the distant metastasis is genetically related to one part of the primary tumor, and the lymph node came from another part of the primary tumor. That means we can conclude those two spread independently of one another.
Health leaders talk global goals at G20 summit
The G20 summit gets underway today, and the meeting marks the first time that health has received its own dedicated track at the gathering of global leaders. The health ministers of the G20 countries met in May to talk about their priorities for global health, which included improving emergency preparedness and battling antibiotic resistance. Now, they’re bringing those goals to this weekend’s discussions with state officials, leaders of World Health Organization, and other international aid groups.
What to read around the web today
§ The Medicaid threat that isn't getting much attention. ProPublica<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=f3334ccd55&e=4aad33fd68>
§ Rare-disease drugmakers join in the worry about the GOP health care overhaul. Bloomberg<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=9eb16a9ed9&e=4aad33fd68>
§ Gabapentin, a drug for nerve pain, is a new target of abuse. Kaiser Health News<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=6fda8f8ec7&e=4aad33fd68>
More reads from STAT
§ New York hospital offers to admit Charlie Gard<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ac073dabc4&e=4aad33fd68>, baby at center of life-and-death legal fight.
§ New data show gonorrhea increasingly resistant<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a24e788ca2&e=4aad33fd68> to antibiotics.
The latest from STAT Plus
§ A proposal would limit prices on meds<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=20c04c06b0&e=4aad33fd68> developed with Defense Department dollars.
§ Risk information harder to find<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=f4e93b2d86&e=4aad33fd68> in drug ads on smartphones.
Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend,
[Megan]
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