View this email in your browser<http://mailchi.mp/statnews/7tlze3i2xi?e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=cbb812822a&e=4aad33fd68> Monday, July 17, 2017 [Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking] Follow STAT on Facebook<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8f2e2499ab&e=4aad33fd68> and Twitter<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=943495c2bb&e=4aad33fd68>, and visit us at statnews.com<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d1224cd4b2&e=4aad33fd68> Welcome to the start of the week, folks! And welcome to Morning Rounds, where I get you ahead of the day's news in health and medicine. A fresh look at global food policy The United Nations group that recommends food standards for countries across the globe is meeting in Geneva this week, and they have some big decisions on their plate. Here’s what’s up for a vote: § New recommendations for nutrition labels. The vote comes as a major overhaul of nutrition labels in the U.S. remains in limbo. Last month, the FDA announced it’d indefinitely postpone the implementation of a rule which would require food manufacturers to list added sugars, along with more visible calorie counts and clearer serving sizes. § Revised guidelines on lead in processed fruits and veggies. The FDA has previously turned up evidence of trace amounts of lead in canned fruits and veggies, but has said the levels detected aren’t cause for concern. § A cap on the amount of pesticide residue allowed on food. The group keeps an online database<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=77aba1c8d3&e=4aad33fd68> of the maximum amount of residue from specific pesticides allowed on foods, and are considering new chemicals to add.Countries are supposed to check imported food as it enters the country to make sure it meets those standards. The next step of the Senate health bill has been delayed With Republican Sen. John McCain recovering from surgery, Senate leaders have decided to delay<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b315628c33&e=4aad33fd68> consideration of the heath care bill. McCain, who underwent surgery<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b5dec31e27&e=4aad33fd68> to remove a blood clot from above his eye, is in Arizona recovering. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had planned to move forward with the bill this week by holding a procedural vote that would allow lawmakers to start considering the newest version of the bill, dubbed the Better Care Reconciliation Act. With two GOP senators against the bill and a handful of others on the fence, McConnell was already cutting it close. He can only afford to lose those two votes — which means without McCain there, GOP leaders will have to hold off for now. Climate change could drive dust storms and disease A new model<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=fc195a86ef&e=4aad33fd68> of climate change in the U.S. finds dust storms might pick up in the second half of this century — and bring sweeping changes to public health. Existing climate models suggest that rising greenhouse gases will drive drought and deforestation in parts of the country, creating the perfect conditions for dust storms that kick soil particles up into the atmosphere. So government climate scientists teamed up with researchers at Princeton to create a model of potential dust storms, and found there may be a rise in their prevalence in the southern Great Plains in coming decades. That’s of particular concern for public health, because heavy dust exposure can contribute to serious respiratory disease. It’s just a model, which means, of course, it can change. But the scientists say their predictions should serve as an early warning to find ways now to manage those future risks. Inside STAT<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=4df2f0ff89&e=4aad33fd68>: When a cough isn't just a cough [87396691-e5ca-4560-8a09-e04a5b7a5bdb.png]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2ae94a13b1&e=4aad33fd68> (molly ferguson for stat) Cheryl Daigle first chalked up her cough to the run-of-the-mill illness she'd been battling for about a week in February 2013. But as days turned into weeks, her cough grew worse, until she couldn't catch her breath one day on her 40-mile drive to work. Daigle, now 57, found herself in an emergency room in New Hampshire. She was treated for bronchitis, which didn't help. She spent the next year in and out of ERs. A short course of steroids would help her symptoms, but as soon as she stopped taking them, the cough came back. STAT contributor Dr. Allison Bond digs into her case in our latest medical mystery — read here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b833c641c5&e=4aad33fd68>. Simple tweaks to improve care for dementia patients A small tweak to patient care and an hour a week of social activity can boost quality of life for dementia patients, according to new study results presented at a dementia care conference. Researchers ran a trial of more than 800 people with dementia living in dozens of care homes across the UK. They trained two staffers in every home to talk to residents about their experiences and interests, and also had each resident participate in at least an hour of social activities each week. The combination of more individualized care and social interaction improved the self-reported well-being of residents and reduced agitation in some individuals. The researchers say the program could be a simple, easy way to provide better quality care to dementia patients. Their next step: Get health care facilities to pick up the program. Pediatrics group goes after Medicaid cuts The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling on Congress to ditch plans to cut Medicaid, including its proposal to pull the plug on the program’s expansion. The uninsured rate among kids under 18 has tumbled below 5 percent since the ACA became law in 2010. That’s thanks, in large part, to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The AAP says <http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=445fe1281f&e=4aad33fd68> the current health bill being bandied about in Congress will reverse that progress, driving up the uninsured rate among kids and limiting access to health care during childhood. “The long-term costs to society will be much higher if we don’t provide essential care for our youngest, most vulnerable populations today,” Dr. Fernando Stein, the academy’s president, said in a statement. What to read around the web today § Cleveland Clinic grows healthier while its neighbors stay sick. Politico<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d10b483532&e=4aad33fd68> § How hospitals got richer off Obamacare. Politico<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=328d17d140&e=4aad33fd68> § Trump administration pulls plug on teen pregnancy programs. Reveal<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=4c24f4f343&e=4aad33fd68> More reads from STAT § 5 things to know about the experimental treatment<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=6314be5016&e=4aad33fd68> Charlie Gard might receive. § How much protein is in that Big Mac? Take our nutrition quiz<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=db02cdaee0&e=4aad33fd68>. § The Trump administration says a new plan will cut drug prices. It’s not that simple.<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1adae8c164&e=4aad33fd68> The latest from STAT Plus § Trying a new tack: delivering insulin to the liver<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1fcf9c97ae&e=4aad33fd68> to control type 1 diabetes. § Anthem sues Insys over a ‘creative’ scheme <http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=dc0d032a35&e=4aad33fd68> to win reimbursement for its painkiller. Thanks for reading! More tomorrow, [Megan] [Facebook]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1b29c68aea&e=4aad33fd68> [Twitter]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2b3f76818c&e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=5fbc567143&e=4aad33fd68>