View this email in your browser<http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=0a160c44b9&e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a8f7faec14&e=4aad33fd68> Friday, April 7, 2017 [Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking] Follow STAT on Facebook<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c7483e2ca9&e=4aad33fd68> and Twitter<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=abacd5988a&e=4aad33fd68>, and visit us at statnews.com<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=3c664cfcb7&e=4aad33fd68> Happy Friday, newsletter friends! Here's what you need to know to get ahead of the day's health news. If you like this newsletter, tell someone else who might like it too to sign up<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ea54f661ad&e=4aad33fd68>. FDA OKs genetic tests for disease risk The public can soon start shopping for genetic tests designed to estimate the risk of developing 10 different health conditions. The FDA has given the green light<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=4fb27d41cb&e=4aad33fd68> for 23andMe to sell the tests to consumers wanting to know their genetic risk of developing Parkinson's, late-onset Alzheimer's, and celiac disease, among others. The approval has sparked concern about the implications of giving consumers detailed information about their risk of developing dreaded diseases without counseling from a medical professional. The FDA is warning consumers not to use those results to inform treatment decisions or take them as surefire sign that they'll develop a particular disease. The move marks a reversal from a 2013 FDA ruling that banned 23andMe from sharing disease risk data directly with consumers. But after extensive talks with the agency, the company is set to roll out the first four disease reports this month, with the other six soon to follow. The FDA also indicated the new approval will ease the path for 23andMe to get further disease tests approved. Health officials set out on a new study of lead exposure Federal health officials are looking to start a new three-year project to study blood lead levels in both kids and adults in the US. They’ll collect that information from local, state, and territory health departments that keep tabs on lead levels in their communities. The goal: Reduce the rate of potentially dangerous lead exposures while also bumping up the rate of screenings. There’s robust evidence that certain levels of lead exposure are associated with health problems — including developmental delays, abdominal pain, and nervous system damage — in both children and adults. And despite strides in reducing lead exposure in the US in recent decades, it’s still occurring at a level that health officials say is “unacceptable.” A stark picture of health disparities in America The Lancet is out with a new series<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d9deb4d9a2&e=4aad33fd68> of research papers that paint a stark picture of health inequalities in America. The series gets underway with a commentary from Senator Bernie Sanders. “The USA is one of the richest countries in the world, but that reality means very little for most people because so much of that wealth is controlled by a tiny sliver of Americans,” Sanders writes. Here’s a highlight of the research: § There are increasing disparities in life expectancy by income level. The wealthiest 1 percent of Americans now live 10 to 15 years longer than the poorest 1 percent. § One in 10 families struggling to pay medical bills have been forced to declare bankruptcy. The Affordable Care Act has eased the burden of medical bills in the US, though. About 35 percent of adults in the US had problems paying medical bills in 2014, compared to 41 percent before the law was implemented. § Poor and middle-class individuals are continuing to pay a larger share of their income toward health care than the wealthy. That’s deepening inequalities in disposable income, which in turn can influence other factors such as housing and lifestyle choices that contribute to health inequity. § Higher rates of incarceration<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8b2dfe120e&e=4aad33fd68> have translated to slowed progress in reducing infant mortality rates. If incarcerations had remained at the level they were at in the mid-1980s, researchers estimate infant mortality would have fallen nearly 40 percent more than it currently has. Inside STAT<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=0bab24e296&e=4aad33fd68>: Marshallese left behind in health care [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f8609630ae206654824f897b6/images/4b29e8d2-1d0a-406b-acf9-0ccffe91ab0e.jpg]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=01f149a39d&e=4aad33fd68> Dr. Sheldon Riklon works the North Street Clinic located in Fayetteville, Ark. (kenneth m. ruggiano for stat) Thousands of people in Arkansas, many of them working and living in poverty, hail from the far-off Marshall Islands. Through a treaty struck in 1986, the Marshallese are allowed to live and work in the US without visas. Their kids go to local schools, and they pay federal and state taxes just like the rest of their neighbors. But because of a peculiar gap in the US health care system, very few Marshallese are able to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid under the current law. That's left many in a serious lurch. “Most, by the time they see us ... their chronic conditions are way out of control or they have other things that could have been caught by health care maintenance, like cancers," said Dr. Sheldon Riklon, one of two Marshallese doctors in the US. More here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c5a76cd517&e=4aad33fd68> from STAT's Helen Branswell. Lab Chat: The secret ancestry of giant viruses Really, really large viruses — which go by the scientific name “giant viruses” — have puzzled scientists since they were first discovered. Now, researchers searching through sludge have stumbled upon four new types of giant viruses — and it gives scientists a new clue about those behemoths came to be. Here’s what Frederik Schultz of the Joint Genome Institute told me about the finding, published in Science<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=6c3adb62d0&e=4aad33fd68>. Tell me about the new giant viruses you discovered. We found a new group of giant viruses, and they have a large set of genes similar to those found in cellular organisms, among them many potentially involved in the production of proteins. This is a highly unexpected finding as viruses usually can’t synthesize their own proteins, they need a host-like, infected eukaryotic cell to produce their viral proteins. The discovery of such a comprehensive set of these genes reignited the question of the evolutionary origin of these viruses. What does that tell you about the evolution of giant viruses? We focused on around 40 genes that play a role in protein synthesis, and we saw they come from different origins. Our analysis provides strong evidence that these genes were acquired from genetic information of past cellular hosts. A milestone for 'death with dignity' laws The nation’s first “death with dignity” act turns 20 this year — and the anniversary comes as other states continue to grapple with the idea of permitting physician-assisted death. A hotly contested assisted-death law just went into effect in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, joining five states that’ve already passed similar laws. But many other states have laws explicitly banning the practice, and Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has been outspoken about his opposition to physician-assisted death. Now, a new analysis published in JAMA Oncology<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8036b8d20a&e=4aad33fd68> is taking a look back at how the law has been utilized in Oregon since it went into effect in 1997. Between 1997 and 2015, doctors wrote 1,545 prescriptions for lethal medications in Oregon. Of those, 991 patients ultimately used those prescriptions, three-quarters of whom had cancer. What to read around the web today § With healthcare faltering in Gaza, care in Israel is sought after. Reuters<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=503903712e&e=4aad33fd68> § UK's first double hand transplant patient delights in writing letter to thank surgeon. The Guardian <http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=13641e8113&e=4aad33fd68> § The new niche: gluten-free dining halls. New York Times<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=9f4acdf6c2&e=4aad33fd68> More reads from STAT § Tough times for Gut Guy<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=57dc1ca5ee&e=4aad33fd68>? Drug industry braces for an attack on its TV ads. § Congratulations, you're a parasite<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1449b02230&e=4aad33fd68>! § Behind the cancer immunotherapy news: Caution and concern<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b9d0b453ed&e=4aad33fd68>. STAT Plus Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend and see you Monday, [Megan]