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10516 | Breast cancer risk outlasts hormones | "This story was about the elevated cancer risks associated with the use of hormone replacement therapy by women after menopause. But while highlighing an increased cancer risk, the story never explained that there was no difference in overall risk of dying from all causes for the different groups of women. So while the... | mixture | "There was no discussion of the costs involved with hormone replacement therapy although, with a story about risks of HRT, it is somewhat understandable that a discussion of costs was not vital. Although the story mentioned in passing the benefit of hormone replacement therapy for relief of menopausal symptoms, it fail... | |
37546 | When stocking up for coronavirus-related social distancing, avoid WIC-approved supermarket items, because they may run out and leave families dependent on WIC with no ability to purchase food. | WIC-Approved Items and Coronavirus #SocialDistancing | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | On March 16 2020, the Facebook page “Vote Common Good” shared a screenshot of a tweet about social distancing, WIC-approved items, and conscientious coronavirus stock-up shopping:Labeled “a practical way to show kindness,” the post involved a March 15 2020 tweet by @SuitUpMaine:When stocking up for #SocialDistancing, i... |
17313 | Seventy-five percent of the young adults in this country are not mentally or physically fit to serve. | Bing West said 75 percent of young adults in the United States were physically or mentally unfit to serve in the military. The Defense Department and a non-governmental organization have both done research that support his claim. We find the statement True. (Comment on this ruling on providencejournal.com. If you have... | true | Rhode Island, Military, Bing West, | "Bing West, Marine veteran of Vietnam and an expert on counterinsurgency warfare, was discussing military preparedness with host Gene Valicenti last week on WPRO-AM. They were talking about Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s proposed defense budget, which includes, among other spending cuts, trimming the Army from its cur... |
24171 | "Several times, Obama ""has apologized for what he deems to be American arrogance, dismissiveness, and derision; for dictating solutions, for acting unilaterally ... ." | "In reviewing Romney's book, we couldn't help but notice that Romney's diagnosis of the problems America faces are very similar to the themes Obama often repeats: The U.S. needs to educate its children better to remain competitive in the global marketplace. We spend too much money on health care. The fiscal future is u... | false | National, Foreign Policy, Patriotism, Terrorism, Mitt Romney, | "Mitt Romney's new book is called No Apology. The first chapter makes it clear who he thinks is apologizing: President Barack Obama. ""Never before in American history has its president gone before so many foreign audiences to apologize for so many American misdeeds, both real and imagined,"" Romney writes. ""It is his... |
6354 | Maine plans to expand syringe exchange program. | Maine plans to launch a $1.5 expansion of syringe exchanges to combat the surge in hepatitis C cases in the state. | true | Health, General News, Hepatitis, Portland, Maine | The Maine Center for Disease Control says the state has had 51 acute cases in 2019 and is running a rate nearly three times the national average. Director of the Maine CDC, Dr. Nirav Shah, says the cases of hepatitis C in Maine is “an unfortunate outcropping of the substance use crisis.” Executive director of the Healt... |
38160 | Budweiser has pulled its ads and withdrawn its support for the NFL over the league’s handling of players protesting inequality by kneeling during the National Anthem. | Budweiser Pulls Out of NFL Over Handling of National Anthem Protests | false | Sports, Trump | None of the 35 national brands sponsoring the 2017 NFL season — including Budweiser — have pulled out of the NFL in response to widespread player protests during the National Anthem. However, a Louisiana-baed distributor of Bud Light pulled point-of-sale advertising materials featuring the NFL and the New Orleans Saint... |
23644 | There are more pain clinics in Broward County than there are McDonald's in Broward County. | Dave Aronberg says Broward pain clinics outnumber McDonald's sites | true | Drugs, Florida, Dave Aronberg, | "The proliferation of pain clinics in Florida has been a growing problem -- particularly in Broward County. Dave Aronberg, a state senator from Palm Beach County running in the Democratic primary for attorney general, has now quantified that problem by comparing it to the availability of Big Macs. ""There are more pain... |
1835 | Gene from extinct human species fortifies high-altitude Tibetans. | How do Tibetans thrive in high-altitude, low-oxygen conditions that would make others wither? Well, they may have received some help from an unexpected source. | true | Science News | Scientists said on Wednesday many Tibetans possess a rare variant of a gene involved in carrying oxygen in the blood that they likely inherited from an enigmatic group of extinct humans who interbred with our species tens of thousands of years ago. It enables Tibetans to function well in low oxygen levels at elevations... |
7395 | Early results boost hopes for historic gene editing attempt. | Early, partial results from a historic gene editing study give encouraging signs that the treatment may be safe and having at least some of its hoped-for effect, but it’s too soon to know whether it ultimately will succeed. | true | AP Top News, Genetics, Phoenix, Health, Genetic Frontiers, North America, Business, Science, U.S. News | The results announced Wednesday are from the first human test of gene editing in the body, an attempt to permanently change someone’s DNA to cure a disease — in this case, a genetic disorder called Hunter syndrome that often kills people in their teens. In two patients who got a medium dose of the treatment, urine leve... |
10322 | Significant Number of Medicare Patients Getting Too-Frequent Colonoscopies | Its few shortcomings could have been overcome easily with a little more space: mentioning costs defining and taking a stab at quantifying harms. (Also fixing the typo in the final paragraph where colonoscopy was used when they meant colon cancer. We make ’em, too.) The story’s interview quotes nailed the issue: Study... | true | Screening,Wall Street Journal | The story didn’t discuss costs. And cost is a significant issue here. The AP story, by comparison, reported that “colonoscopy costs vary widely but typically exceed $1,000.” Adequate. The story said that almost 24% of Medicare enrollees in the study were re-examined within seven years “with no clear indication for the ... |
39813 | Girls are dying after receiving Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV), and the vaccines were not tested by the FDA. | Gardasil, Cervarix Vaccines for HPV Cause Death | false | Medical | Various websites and blog posts have made false claims that HPV vaccines are killing young women who receive them. The FDA ruled that Gardasil and Cervarix are safe and effectively prevent cervical cancer after studying thousands of people around the world who received the vaccinations for HPV. From 2008 to 20... |
3192 | Ebola case reported not far from South Sudan border. | Authorities have confirmed an Ebola case not far from Congo’s border with South Sudan, a country with a weak health care system after years of civil war that is vulnerable to the potential spread of the deadly disease. | true | South Sudan, Health, General News, Africa, Sudan, Senegal | The 40-year-old woman had traveled nearly 500 kilometers (289 miles) from Beni, despite having been identified by health officials as having been exposed to Ebola and warned not to travel. Her case was confirmed in Ariwara, Congo, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the border with South Sudan’s Yei River State, accord... |
2651 | Weighing the benefits of balance training. | Dick Sandhaus, a healthy and fit 62-year old, says he never gave his balance a thought until he lost it. | true | Health News | Yoga instructor Michael Hayes, owner of Buddha Body Yoga, warms up before teaching his class in New York City May 7, 2011. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly A wicked sprained ankle was the result. Now he practices balancing for a few minutes each day and urges his fellow baby boomers to do the same. “Rocking toes to heels and quadr... |
193 | Sanofi to pay Lexicon $260 million for terminated partnership. | Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Tuesday France’s Sanofi SA will pay the drugmaker $260 million for the termination of their partnership to develop diabetes drug Zynquista. | true | Health News | Shares of Lexicon jumped 37.8% to $2.37 in after hours trading. Under the terms of the settlement, Sanofi will pay $208 million upfront and the remainder within twelve months to Lexicon, which was eligible to receive up to $1.4 billion in milestone payments under the partnership. The four-year partnership was terminate... |
1827 | Vixen workouts fuse foxy cardio fitness with girls’ night out. | Before the music begins members of the women-only exercise class, dressed in shredded tank tops, full makeup and wedged sneakers, pose seductively before studio mirrors and chant, “Yes, I’m sexy. Yes, I’m fierce. Yes, I’ve got this.” | true | Health News | Empowerment is a big part of the Vixen workout, a hip-hop dance class with a night club feel that fitness experts say offers a cardio girls’ night out to women who may be keen to channel their inner Beyonce, Ciara or Rihanna, but wouldn’t be caught dead in a gym. “It’s all about wearing your sexiest leggings, putting o... |
11320 | Study says bypass surgery for heart patients better than stents in the long term | "There were enough problems with the execution of this story, which presents results of a study comparing open-heart surgery to angioplasty in patients with serious heart disease, that, in the end, one could question the decision to publish it. The story failed to evaluate the quality of the evidence and to emphasize f... | mixture | "The costs of open-heart-surgery and stenting should have been mentioned. Given the fact that the study implies comparable effectiveness and risks, cost is at least a legitimate matter of interest. Surgeries can cost more than four times as much as stenting. The story reports absolute rates of death, stroke and need fo... | |
11429 | New Scan May Spot Alzheimer’s | This was a story about a new test being developed that may have potential for accurately diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease prior to post mortem examination of the brain. Interesting research. But the story would have benefited from comments from independent experts in the field about the utility of the test reported on – ... | false | There was no discussion about the potential costs of this test. This at least could have been estimated. PET scans are extraordinarily expensive. The story reported that the study found the test was able to correctly assign people into categories of having or not having Alzheimer’s disease in 34 out of 35 cases. It was... | |
9149 | New Peer-Reviewed Clinical Study Successfully Validates The Use Of Proove Opioid Risk® To Predict Prescription Opioid Abuse | This news release from Proove Biosciences Inc. reports on a test designed to identify those at risk of becoming addicted to opioids so doctors can improve their prescribing practices. The release summarizes a study showing that the company’s algorithm, which combines genetic markers with lifestyle and behavior variable... | false | opioid abuse,Proove Biosciences | The news release provides no information about how much the Proove Opioid Risk (POR) system costs. Presumably, this system would be used by health care providers to determine whether it was safe to prescribe opioids to specific patients. However, such providers would have no way of knowing, based on this news release, ... |
9672 | Occasional fasting could help you live longer | This CNN story looks at studies investigating the potential life-extending benefits of periodically fasting, and of consuming a special diet that makes the body think it’s fasting. It glosses over important details like who was studied and how, and instead claims that the diet has the potential to “help you live longer... | mixture | Antiaging,Fasting Mimicking Diet,Intermittent fasting,mice studies | Fasting to improve your health sounds like a great way to spend less money on food, and it’s tempting to assume this diet would be cheap to follow. But that doesn’t seem to be the case: The story indicates study participants were fed a custom-designed meal program that would have to be replicated in the general populat... |
10373 | Study: Statins increase life expectancy | "The headline of this story (which was the same in other media that picked up the AP story) paints a somewhat unrealistic expectation. The story did not explain that the study was a retrospective analysis of data on patients who were prescribed statins for specific indications, not a prospective study comparing the eff... | false | "There was no mention of costs. The story reported that ""those at greater risk of death received the greatest benefit of being on the drugs"" and that ""statin users actually lived an average two years longer despite the patients having more health risk factors and being older than non-statin users."" But the reader i... | |
6593 | Retired marathoner addresses addiction and recovery in SD. | A retired world class long-distance runner shared his message of addiction and recovery in South Dakota. | true | South Dakota, Alberto Salazar, Minnesota, Health, Marathons, Boston Marathon, Rapid City | Dick Beardsley, Minnesota native known for being runner-up in the 1982 Boston Marathon, spoke with students at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology about mental health and determination. Many can recall the challenges Beardsley took on in trying to beat world record holder, Alberto Salazar, in the momentous ... |
11113 | Endometriosis? Robot surgery may not be the answer | What could have been a John Henry style man-triumphs-over-technology story with outsized language and overheated quotes turns out to be a fairly straightforward, clear-eyed piece of reporting – but with some missing elements. Robots are supposed to make everything better.They are smarter than us, faster than us and les... | mixture | "The reporter notes that the robots cost $1.5 million apiece, a cost that has to be asorbed at some point by the insurer or the patients. The story also includes some great context from Dr. Tommaso Falcone at Cleveland Clinic saying spending a lot of money on robots might not be money well spent. But we’re not given an... | |
24372 | President Obama has broken his pledge to the American people to be transparent throughout (health care reform negotiations). | Gov. Charlie Crist says Obama breaks transparency promise on health reform bill | true | Health Care, Florida, Charlie Crist, | "Don't mess with Charlie Crist when it comes to open government. It was Crist, as Florida governor, who created something called the Office for Open Government. And we've heard stories of the governor himself ordering agency heads to hand over public records requested by nosy reporters. Now Crist is taking up the cause... |
10312 | New drug shows promise in fighting breast cancer | This was a Phase 1 study – not even designed to prove efficacy. Yet the headline talks about “promise” and the body text describes results in two out of 97 patients – only with breast cancer. It feels like a local story promoting local research without appropriate context. Would the newspaper have reported this if it o... | false | Cancer,The Arizona Republic | Not applicable. Too early to discuss costs. Inadequate. We are told that 2 of 97 had significant tumor shrinkage but we’re not told how much and we’re not told anything about what happened to the other 95 women. The story did state “Patients in the study experienced diarrhea, nausea, rash, fatigue decreased appetite, v... |
11024 | New Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Promising in Early Trial | What is a person with multiple sclerosis to make of this story? Is it the “promising new therapy” trumpeted in the headline? Or is it the no-better-no-worse-not-a-breakthrough-nothing-novel-about-it of the Mayo physician’s perspective. How do journalists get at the answer? By evaluating the evidence and providing data ... | false | HealthDay | It may have been understandable that costs wouldn’t be discussed at this early stage of research. However, when the Mayo expert weighed in at the end about a comparable drug, this provided the perfect and easy opportunity for the story to include ballpark costs of drugs in this category. And a ballpark cost of the comp... |
32623 | "The media is covering up that ""multiple shooters"" were involved in the mass killing at an Orlando nightclub." | Furthermore, “the media” are not a homogenous group controlled by a single central agency, but rather a group of thousands of individuals with their own personal reasons for being journalists, many of whom operate independently of any newsrooms, and for whom a cover-up of this magnitude would be the scoop of their live... | false | Crime, cody agnew, conspiracy theories, crime | On 11 June 2016, Facebook user “Cody Agnew” posted a fear-mongering message on Facebook, which claimed that two people involved in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando had escaped and were armed and dangerous, and that the news media were not reporting on that development because they did n... |
18130 | "A ""hidden"" provision in the health care law taxes sporting goods as medical devices." | Errant email on health care law comes to Georgia | false | Georgia, Health Care, Chain email, | "There’s been a lot of confusion and controversy surrounding the federal health care law, otherwise known as Obamacare. And now there’s an email being circulated that is adding to the turmoil. Gwinnett County resident Don Smith shared the email with us and asked if it was accurate. The email contained a photo of a rece... |
35451 | Teens and tweens transmit SARS-CoV-2 quicker and more efficiently than adults. | What's true: A study including more than 65,000 individuals in South Korea found that juveniles between the ages of 10 and 19 are just as likely as adults — if not more — to transmit SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. What's undetermined: The study used contact tracing to determine how likely an infected i... | true | Medical, COVID-19 | Adolescents appear to spread SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, as quickly and effectively as some adults, according to a study of more than 65,000 individuals in South Korea conducted during the onset of the 2020 pandemic. In the context of this study, news reports making such claims are mostly accu... |
26330 | Technology coming to Virginia allows COVID-19 personal protection equipment to be “decontaminated and reused 20 times without degrading performance.” | "Northam said with decontamination systems being set up in Virginia, ""PPE can be decontaminated and reused 20 times without degrading."" The systems are excellent news for Virginia which, like practically all states, has struggled to acquire N95 masks for medical workers. But the governor’s words are still rosy. The F... | mixture | Coronavirus, Virginia, Ralph Northam, | "Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Virginia has received decontamination systems that will help provide front-line health workers with protective equipment against COVID-19. Each of the systems can massively sanitize for reuse much-sought-after N95 face masks. The systems were developed by the Battelle Memorial Institu... |
1878 | Could your Valentine's kiss give you lead poisoning?. | If you’re going to be on either end of a kiss this Valentine’s Day, you might want to consider smooching bare-lipped. Most lipstick contains lead. | true | Health News | Baltimore Ravens cheerleader Olivia applies lipstick prior to the Ravens NFL football game in Baltimore, Maryland October 2, 2011. REUTERS/Larry Downing Lead has been banned in paint since 1978 because of its toxicity at low levels, but it still shows up in small amounts in some of the best-selling lipstick brands. The... |
24297 | On a bipartisan task force on ways to improve fiscal policy. | McConnell reverses position on Conrad-Gregg budget commission | false | National, Federal Budget, Mitch McConnell, | "Earlier this year, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was gung-ho behind an amendment intended to improve federal fiscal health. The proposal -- a ""Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action"" -- was co-sponsored by the top Democrat and the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Kent Conrad, D-N... |
23419 | We've got to find 2 billion gallons (of water per day) between now and 2025. | Adam Putnam sounds alarm on looming water crisis | true | Environment, Infrastructure, Florida, Adam Putnam, | "Republican Agriculture Commissioner candidate Adam Putnam is sounding the alarm about a critical water shortage he says Florida will soon be facing. ""The most important issue facing Florida long term is water -- whether you want to plant an orange grove, build a subdivision, save the Everglades ... it all boils down ... |
15792 | "Birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger was ""an active participant in the Ku Klux Klan." | "Former New Hampshire Speaker of the House William O’Brien wrote that Margaret Sanger was the founder of Planned Parenthood and ""an active participant in the Klu Klux Klan."" Birth-control advocate Sanger did give a speech to a women’s branch of the KKK and she was a believer in eugenics. However, her writings and ot... | false | Abortion, New Hampshire, William O'Brien, | "Debates about Planned Parenthood often find their way back to Margaret Sanger, the outspoken birth control advocate who founded a forerunner to the group. Opponents of Planned Parenthood, and of abortion more generally, have seized on Sanger’s sometimes controversial beliefs as a way to discredit the organization that... |
1874 | Chocolate may be good for your heart: study. | Eating chocolate is not only a treat for the tongue — it may also have some tangible benefits for heart health, such as lowering blood pressure slightly, according to a study involving more than a thousand people. | true | Health News | "Liquid chocolate is prepared in the workshop of the ""Felicitas"" chocolate shop in Hornow, south of Berlin, December 2, 2009. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch The study, which combined the results of 42 smaller studies and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found that participants had small impr... |
6492 | Drug epidemic: 1 small-town mayor takes on pill distributors. | In this once prosperous West Virginia coal town of 1,900 people, residents say it’s not just the decades-long demise of mining that hurt the community — it’s the scourge of drug use that came with it. | true | Epidemics, Health, West Virginia, AP Weekend Reads, U.S. News | Here, almost everyone knows someone who became addicted. And the Appalachian town is fighting back by suing some of the biggest U.S. drug distributors, hoping to make them pay for the damage done by addiction. Lawyers say growing pushback by communities, many in West Virginia, could ultimately rival the scope of litiga... |
9405 | Alzheimer's disease reversed in mice, offering hope for humans, new research shows | This story excitedly describes the “remarkable” finding that by deleting an enzyme called BACE1 in a mouse model, researchers were able to stop the amyloid plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s from developing. The enthusiasm is tempered later in the story, when it is noted that previous advances in tr... | false | alzheimer's disease | While this experimental approach is too preliminary to have a price tag, it seems reasonable to expect some mention of cost given that human trials are in progress. That cost is likely to be high given the large sums companies are investing in development. According to one study, Alzheimer’s prevention trials alone “wi... |
1970 | Mental problems of soldiers' kids tied to wars. | The longer U.S. soldiers were deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, the more likely their children would be diagnosed with mental health problems, according to a study published Monday. | true | Health News | U.S. Marines of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines are silhouetted against the sunset during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers along Helmand river near the Camp Gorgak in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, July 3, 2011. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov The study, published in the Archives of ... |
21863 | Since June 2009, about 48 percent of all the jobs created in America were in Texas. | Rick Perry says Texas accounted for 48 percent of U.S. jobs created after recession's end | mixture | Economy, Jobs, Texas, Rick Perry, | "In an unannounced June 14 appearance on the Fox News Channel, Texas Gov. Rick Perry strolled through another celebration of the state’s economy. His 35-second cameo shows host Glenn Beck and Perry, who is not introduced, walking from a chalkboard past the camera as Beck asks: ""How many jobs did you create, percentage... |
29133 | Kellogg's Corn Flakes were originally created in an effort to discourage American consumers from masturbating. | "What's true: The creation of corn flakes was part of J.H. Kellogg's broader advocacy for a plain, bland diet. Without referring to corn flakes in particular, Kellogg elsewhere recommended a plain, bland diet as one of several methods to discourage masturbation. What's false: According to the available evidence, corn f... | false | Food | In August 2019, we received several inquiries from readers about a popular piece of purported history: the origins of the humble corn flake. The new wave of interest in the invention of the popular American cereal appears to have been prompted by Facebook and Twitter posts that encouraged readers to “Ask Google ‘Why we... |
10232 | Fighting spinal pain with a titanium ‘bullet’ | This story reports on a new implantable device, the X-Stop prosthesis, that was recently FDA approved for people with spinal stenosis. The story does mention surgery and steroid injections as the alternatives, but fails to mention other conservative treatments, including physical therapy, weight loss, or oral anti-infl... | false | Although the story mentions the cost of the device, it does not mention comparison costs of other approaches. So we are not given the context needed to evaluate this element of the story. No quantitative estimates of benefit are provided. The author downplays the harms of the device. In the study, 17% of the patients i... | |
3986 | West Nile virus confirmed in miniature horse in Pine City. | Minnesota veterinary officials are urging horse owners to get their animals vaccinated against West Nile virus. | true | Horses, Animals, Health, Minnesota, Animal health, West Nile virus | The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says the mosquito-borne disease was confirmed last week in a 3-year-old miniature horse in Pine City. Officials say it’s the first equine case of West Nile in Minnesota this year. The stallion had no record of being vaccinated against the disease. A mare and a foal also living on th... |
6696 | Buzz Aldrin sues children, alleging misuse of his finances. | Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin is suing two of his children and a former business manager, accusing them of misusing his credit cards, transferring money from an account and slandering him by saying he has dementia. | true | State courts, Buzz Aldrin, Florida, Lawsuits, Orlando, North America, Business, Science, Courts, U.S. News | Aldrin’s lawsuit filed earlier this month in a Florida state court came a week after his children, Andrew and Janice, filed a petition claiming their father was suffering from memory loss, delusions, paranoia and confusion. They asked for the court to name them his legal guardians, saying Aldrin was associating with ne... |
5795 | Judge says LA County wrongly booted thousands off Medi-Cal. | A judge ruled that Los Angeles County wrongly canceled Medi-Cal coverage for thousands of residents, often leaving them without access to health care and needed medicines. | true | Access to health care, Los Angeles, Health, Medicaid, Courts | Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said in his ruling that the county violated state law by terminating coverage for beneficiaries even though they turned in their renewal paperwork on time, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. The judge ordered the county to fix the problem. Nearly 4 million people in LA County ... |
3081 | Big spending bill wins Senate OK, has victories all around. | The Senate passed a $1.4 trillion government spending package Thursday in a last bipartisan burst of legislating before bolting for the holidays from a Capitol riven by impeachment. | true | Global trade, AP Top News, Government spending, Mexico, Health, General News, Legislation, Immigration, Politics, Health care reform, Business, Bills, Tobacco industry regulation, Donald Trump | Lawmakers cleared the two-bill package in a set of votes, sending it to President Donald Trump in time to forestall a possible government shutdown this weekend. The White House said Trump would sign it before Friday’s midnight deadline. The first measure, covering domestic programs, passed by a 71-23 vote. A Pentagon a... |
28974 | A photograph shows a group of daisies that mutated due to radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. | What's true: A photograph shows a group of mutated daisies in Japan. What's false: The flowers in the photograph are proven to have mutated due to radiation from the power plant. | mixture | Fauxtography, Natural Phenomena | Although many viewers assumed that the mutations displayed in the photograph (taken in Nasushiobara City) were caused by nuclear radiation from the Fukushima power plant, which experienced a catastrophic meltdown following a tsunami in March 2011, that may not be the case. On 27 May 2015, Twitter user @San_kaido upload... |
9187 | Scientifically-designed fasting diet lowers risks for major diseases | This is a news release marked by extravagant claims but a surprising lack of numerical data to back up those claims. It did not score well on our 10 systematic review criteria. It’s about a small study of 100 people that looked at what happened if they consumed a low-calorie (between 750 to 1,100 calories per day) pre-... | false | Academic medical center news release,Food | While the release discloses that meals during the low-calorie diet periods were provided by a nutrition company, there is no discussion of the cost of following this special diet. We thoroughly scoured L-Nutra’s pages describing the ProLon meal kits containing “proprietary plant-based soups, bars, drinks, snacks, herba... |
10760 | Pediatricians urge autism screening | "Although this was a well written, interesting piece about a professional organization’s effort at promoting early screening for autism, any story about screening ought to include information about the courses of action that might be taken based on the results of the testing. With any testing, it is important for peopl... | mixture | "There was no discussion about whether the additional of a developmental assessment would increase the cost of traditional checkups. This could be a big issue, since ""recommended treatment should include at least 25 hours a week of intensive behavior-based therapy."" How much will that cost? Although stressing that ea... | |
37931 | Image depicts Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at a campaign event with no masks. | Images purportedly depicting presidential candidate Joe Biden and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a rally where neither they nor the crowd used masks was framed as hypocritical, occurring after months of public dispute over the use of masks and other COVID-19 pandemic-related changes to daily life. However... | false | Fact Checks, Politics | On August 15 2020, four days after Joe Biden announced that former California attorney general Kamala Harris would be his running mate in the upcoming presidential election, the following images began circulating — purportedly showing Biden and Harris celebrating their newly-announced ticket at a rally with no masks du... |
3393 | Asbestos, looting plague Colorado Springs apartments. | Colorado health officials say they’re looking into asbestos contamination at an apartment development and warn the property owner could face fines for violations. | true | Colorado Springs, Colorado, Health, General News, Denver, Public health | Over 100 residents of the apartment buildings in southeast Colorado Springs have been told to leave in recent weeks, according to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials. Making matters worse, residents who left said looters broke in and took belongings they left behind. A Colorado Springs Gazett... |
17301 | American Hustle shows the FBI making real-life bribes to Washington politicians. I know, because as your U.S. senator, I turned them down. | "Pressler said that ""American Hustle shows the FBI making real-life bribes to Washington politicians. I know, because as your U.S. senator, I turned them down."" Pressler’s retelling fits with the description of the facts published in the media at the time -- actions that drew praise from a federal judge who wrote tha... | true | National, Candidate Biography, Legal Issues, Larry Pressler, | "American Hustle -- a movie based on the story of Abscam, the late-1970s FBI sting that ensnared more than a half-dozen politicians for accepting bribes -- got shut out at the Oscars despite snagging 10 nominations. But the movie is living on as an issue in a 2014 U.S. Senate race. Larry Pressler, a former U.S. senator... |
8080 | Italy coronavirus deaths pass 7,500 amid fears of spread to south. | More than 680 people have died from coronavirus in Italy in the last 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said on Wednesday, as concerns grew that the disease was spreading more towards the south of the country. | true | Health News | The death toll increased by 683 on Wednesday. That was lower than a spike of 743 on Tuesday but more than the totals of the previous two days and the third highest daily tally since the outbreak emerged in northern regions on Feb. 21. Italy has seen more fatalities than any other country, with latest figures showing th... |
6621 | Pipeline protesters at governor’s office arrested, released. | Authorities have released 21 people protesting a planned liquefied natural gas pipeline who were arrested Thursday night during a sit-in at the governor’s office in the Oregon State Capitol. | true | Kate Brown, General News, Oregon, Environment, Arrests, Coos Bay | The demonstrators opposed to the pipeline and a marine export terminal in Oregon demanded that Gov. Kate Brown publicly oppose the project, which she refused to do. Southern Oregon Rising Tide, which organized the protest, said the 21 arrested by Oregon State Police spent the night in jail and were out by 5 a.m. Friday... |
5116 | Congress probes approval of Trump backer’s housing project. | A congressional committee is investigating whether the U.S. Interior Department helped an Arizona developer and supporter of President Donald Trump get a crucial permit after a wildlife official said the housing project would threaten habitat for imperiled species. | true | Wildlife, Arizona, David Bernhardt, General News, Politics, Science, U.S. News, Donald Trump | U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources, is leading an investigation into the proposed 28,000-home development in a small town in southern Arizona. “It’s not clear to me why top Interior officials would weigh in on a local land development unless someone was bein... |
8786 | New AIDS vaccine blueprint calls for more focus. | AIDS vaccine researchers should move to smaller, more focused trials and dump any vaccines that do not show strong promise, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative said on Tuesday. | true | Science News | A boy suffering from HIV/AIDS smiles as he waits to receive a vaccine 'Pneumovax' during a vaccination program on the outskirts of the northeastern Indian city of Siliguri, August 5, 2008. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri The group, known as IAVI, released a blueprint for how to proceed at an international meeting of AIDS ex... |
11357 | Vaginal steam bath finds a place among Southern California spa options | We liked that this story points out early on that there is zero evidence to support the health benefits of herbal steam baths for the vagina, which are known in traditional Korean medicine as chai-yok. But we became confused when the story explained that the treatment is almost totally unheard of in the U.S., even amon... | true | Los Angeles Times | The story notes the price “per squat” at various spas and the cost of a do-it-yourself Internet kit. We think the story’s discussion of possible benefits is far too extensive considering the total lack of evidence to support them. We understand the need to identify some of the claims made by boosters of the therapy, bu... |
3474 | Are we alone? Nobel Prize goes to 3 who tackled cosmic query. | They are two of the most fundamental questions not just of science, but of humanity: How did we get here? And are we alone? | true | AP Top News, International News, Europe, General News, Cosmology, Nobel Prizes, Science, Planets, Physics | A Canadian-American cosmologist and two Swiss scientists split this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for not quite answering those universal questions, but getting closer to the cosmic truths. Canadian-born James Peebles, 84, an emeritus professor at Princeton University, won for his theoretical discoveries in ... |
10285 | For many women, breast reduction means less pain and more activity | "This story on breast reduction surgery is triggered by news reports about Simona Halep, a Romanian tennis player whose breasts are so large they reportedly affect her performance on court. While this has launched predictably vulgar chatter around the Internet, it does create something of a ""teachable moment"" on the ... | mixture | The story fails to mention the cost of breast reduction, which ranges from $6,000 to $10,000. The story includes the fact that insurance sometimes pays. But readers would be curious to know what might qualify/disqualify women for coverage. The story describes the benefits of breast reduction surgery but does not use an... | |
2134 | "Fat dissolving"" spa treatment no such thing: FDA." | So-called fat dissolving treatments offered by spas do not eliminate fat and the companies should stop saying so, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday. | true | Health News | The procedures, called by names such as lipodissolve, mesotherapy, lipozap, lipotherapy, or injection lipolysis all involve unproven injections of drugs, the FDA said in a statement. “We are concerned that these companies are misleading consumers,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation an... |
28440 | A large circle marked on a protester's poster is an accurate reflection of the size of the hole created by an AR-15 round. | What's true: The hole shown in the poster could plausibly represent the diameter of the highly destructive temporary cavity left in a person's body by a high-velocity AR-15 round. What's false: The hole shown in the poster is too big to represent an AR-15 entrance wound; even an exit wound is unlikely to be as large as... | mixture | Science, ar-15, gun control, gun rights | Gun violence and gun control have been the subject of renewed debate since the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In particular, those in favor of enhanced regulation of gun ownership have focused on the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, which has been used in a number of hig... |
12425 | The Earth is 6,000 years old, that’s a fact. | "Kremer says: ""The Earth is 6,000 years old, that’s a fact."" Kremer states a biblical belief, but goes too far in describing it as a fact. It’s a matter of settled science that the Earth is much older, with the current consensus being that it is about 4.5 billion years of age." | false | Environment, Education, Religion, Science, Wisconsin, Jesse Kremer, | "During a May 11, 2017 hearing on his bill to create tougher penalties for college students who disrupt public speakers, Wisconsin state Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, had this exchange with state Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison: Berceau: So, my question is, if a geology student says, ""I’m sorry, but the Earth is only ... |
7486 | EU: Malaria drugs used for virus could cause side effects. | The European Union’s medicines regulator on Thursday warned countries that malaria drugs being used experimentally to treat the new coronavirus have potentially serious side effects, including seizures and heart problems. | true | Understanding the Outbreak, Malaria, Health, General News, International News, Virus Outbreak, Europe, Donald Trump | The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — two medicines embraced by U.S. President Donald Trump and others as a potential COVID-19 treatment — are known to cause heart rhythm problems, especially if combined with other drugs. There is currently no licensed treatment fo... |
10902 | Mediterranean diet plus olive oil associated with reduced breast cancer risk | This news release reports on the findings of a large European study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, asking whether older women participants following a Mediterranean Diet, supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) or nuts, experienced a different rate of breast cancer than women receiving straightfor... | true | Breast cancer,Cancer,Journal news release | The release makes no mention of the cost of the supplemented diets compared to what might be expected for a normal daily diet. Some brands of extra-virgin olive oil can cost considerably more, comparatively, than other available cooking oils. And you’d have to buy lot of olive oil to match this diet — participants rece... |
11199 | A cocktail to remember? Nutrient elixir shows promise against Alzheimer’s | "This story unfortuantely reads like a marketing effort on the part of the manufacturer rather than objective reporting on the results of what the authors describe as an early proof of concept trial. The story suggests that the product in question (Souvenaid), ""…might be effective in stemming-and perhaps reversing the... | false | "There was no mention of costs. While not yet on the market, if there are plans to begin selling it in the spring, then it is likely that the company has some estimate for what it plans to sell it for. Information on this should have been included in this piece. Subjects receiving Souvenaid only showed an improvement o... | |
34592 | A woman was nearly kidnapped by human traffickers using a ring placed on her windshield as bait. | All in all, we’d guess the “free gift ring” phenomenon is just a garden variety scam, a form of “pigeon drop” or maybe just an attempt to lure suckers into paying premium prices for cheap jewelry. | unproven | Crime, appleton, crime warnings, free ring gift | On 19 July 2016 Facebook user Savannah Nguyen published the above-reproduced missive to Facebook, claiming that her mother was nearly abducted by human traffickers using a free “gift ring” from Kay Jewelers as bait in the parking lot of a mall in Appleton, Wisconsin. Nguyen’s tale was nearly identical to a constellatio... |
4649 | Bills fall to Pats, and lose QB Josh Allen to head injury. | Bills coach Sean McDermott suddenly has bigger worries than Josh Allen’s carelessness with the football. | true | New England Patriots, Health, NFL, Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott, Jonathan Jones, Football | He’s not sure when the second-year starter will be healthy enough to be cleared to play. Allen was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit by Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones in the opening minute of the fourth quarter of a 16-10 loss to New England on Sunday. Putting aside the... |
10820 | Rapid Rise in PSA Levels a Poor Predictor of Prostate Cancer: Study | This story did a few things better than its AP competition: a bit better evaluation of the evidence much more explicity addressing the option of not being screened at all. But AP did a better job quantifying harms. Neither story discussed the costs of PSA tests or provided estimates of the costs for following up an in... | true | Cancer,HealthDay | The story did not discuss the costs of PSA tests or provide estimates of the costs for following up an increase in PSA with a biopsy. These are significant cost issues, which warranted at least a line in the story. The story didn’t quantify the potential reduction in biopsies. The competing AP story was much better on ... |
16411 | Health insurance costs for Floridians are up 30 percent or more. | The Republicans’ ad shows several unidentified people saying that health insurance costs for Floridians are up 30 percent or more. Many reports that cite big double-digit premium increases are based on individual or small-group plans and omit large group plans, the type of coverage many people have through work. Kaiser... | false | Health Care, Florida, Republican Party of Florida, | "Got a beef with Obamacare? The Republicans want to remind voters that Democrat Charlie Crist thinks the president’s health care law is ""great."" A TV ad by the Republican Party of Florida features anecdotes from people making claims about how the health care law has hurt them in the pocketbook or made it harder to fi... |
9937 | Trial for New Lupus Treatment Is Called Promising | This story reported on Benlysta, a drug currently under investigation for the treatment of lupus. The piece was clear that Benlysta is in phase 3 testing and that application for its use to treat lupus has not yet been filed with the FDA. Benlysta is a medication that will, if approved, be used in addition to other lup... | true | The article comments that Benlysta will be far more expensive than current treatments but doesn’t give an order of magnitude. Nonetheless, we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. The story provided quantitative information about meaningful improvement of symptoms, comparing two doses of the drug with placebo. However –... | |
2963 | Nineteen students sick in China from poisoned yoghurt. | Nineteen primary school children in China have been hospitalized after drinking yoghurt said to be laced with rat poison and herbicide, the Xinhua state news said. | true | Health News | A 34-year-old woman from Loudi city in the central province of Hunan confessed to poisoning the yoghurt drink before delivering to the students, Xinhua said on Saturday. It said the woman was suspected to be suffering from a mental disorder. Three children were in serious condition but their lives were not in danger, X... |
5553 | Supreme Court: Ginsburg treated for tumor on pancreas. | Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has completed radiation therapy for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas and there is no evidence of the disease remaining, according to the Supreme Court. | true | AP Top News, Supreme courts, Cancer, Health, Tumors, Politics, U.S. Supreme Court, Radiation therapy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Courts, Bill Clinton, General News | It is the fourth time that the 86-year-old justice has announced that she has been treated for cancer over the last two decades and follows lung cancer surgery in December that kept her away from the court for weeks. December’s surgery was her first illness-related absence from the court since being appointed by Presid... |
9607 | It’s Comical. It’s Critical. It Might Even Help You Lose Weight. | This story urges people to make sure they’re eating enough dietary fiber, with a focus on fiber’s role in promoting healthy weight loss. And, overall, it does a fairly good job — though giving a high-profile to unpublished data from a privately-owned fitness app (MyFitnessPal) is a little unusual. To draw causal conclu... | true | Bloomberg,Diet studies | The story doesn’t specifically address costs, but it does discuss some of the most common types of fiber-rich food — such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Given the diversity, and widespread availability, of these foods, we’ll give this a Satisfactory rating. However, it would have been nice to see some... |
16937 | Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has long record of voting against VA backlog fixes. | "The DCCC said ""Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has long record of voting against VA backlog fixes."" The DCCC points to some votes that went against funding certain veterans’ services or addressing the backlog. However, the DCCC ignores that Ros-Lehtinen took other votes in favor of increasing funding for veterans’ servic... | false | Veterans, Florida, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, | "As President Barack Obama faced attacks over long waits for appointments at Veterans Administration health centers, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- the House Democrats’ campaign arm -- engaged in some finger-pointing. The DCCC sent out press releases claiming that Republican House members Ileana Ros... |
35960 | "A photograph spreading online shows the ""Elephant's Foot"" lava flow at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster." | Is This a Photograph of the Chernobyl ‘Elephant’s Foot’? | true | Fact Checks, Viral Content | Even before a show based on the Chernobyl disaster renewed interest both on and off social media, one of the most vivid online reminders of the April 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown continued to circulate online.A Facebook post that was shared more than 36,000 times on the platform in December 2019 contains a photograph ... |
35325 | Dutch restaurants solved the problem of dining out during the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic by installing personal greenhouse booths. | What's true: A restaurant in Amsterdam is planning to allow people to dine out in personalized pods during the COVID-19 pandemic. A viral photograph shows a testing session for one of these pods. What's false: However, as of this writing, the pods are not yet publicly available as a dining option. This is one restauran... | mixture | Business, COVID-19 | In May 2020, a photograph started to circulate on social media along with the claim that restaurants in the Netherlands had solved the problem of dining out during the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic by installing personal dining booths. Displayed above is a genuine photograph from a restaurant in the Netherlands... |
1779 | Nobel Prize for medicine goes to discoverers of brain’s 'inner GPS'. | British-American John O’Keefe and Norwegians May-Britt and Edvard Moser won the 2014 Nobel Prize for medicine for discovering the brain’s navigation system and giving clues as to how strokes and Alzheimer’s disrupt it. | true | Science News | The Nobel Assembly, which awarded the prize of 8 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute on Monday, said the discovery solved a problem that had occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries: “How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our wa... |
33622 | An Indian woman gave birth to eleven baby boys all at once. | That picture was taken from an unrelated news report about a Mexican woman who underwent surgery to remove a 132-lb. tumor from her abdomen. | false | Junk News | Wikipedia’s list of multiple births records only two instances of nonuplets (nine children born at once to the same mother), none of whom survived more than a few days, so the alleged news of a woman’s giving birth to eleven healthy children at once (all of them boys) would be remarkable indeed: STRANGE !!! WOMAN Give... |
20496 | The fact is 90-percent of Down Syndrome children were aborted in this country. | Mike DeWine says that 90 percent of Down syndrome pregnancies are aborted | false | Abortion, Ohio, Health Care, Mike DeWine, | "Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine caused quite a ripple in the Republican presidential primary race when he dropped his endorsement of Mitt Romney and threw his support behind Rick Santorum. Santorum’s holds some conservative views, especially when it comes to women’s reproductive rights. He opposes birth control and ... |
30374 | Capriccio Bubbly Sangria beverages are contaminated with HIV. | One of many hoaxes involving the claim that a common food product has somehow become contaminated with HIV. | false | Food, contaminated food products | In May 2018, the Capriccio Bubbly Sangria beverage generated a good deal of publicity online and in news coverage, drawing frequent comparisons to Four Loko as well as speculation about its ingredients and rumored effects on consumers: Four Loko may have some competition when it comes to scary-strong alcoholic drinks.... |
6415 | Many smartphone health apps don’t flag danger, says review. | Don’t count on smartphone health apps in an emergency: A review shows many don’t warn when you’re in danger. | true | Technology, Health, Smartphones, Mobile phones | The study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs found problems even with apps considered to be among the highest-quality offerings on the market. There’s been a proliferation of health apps for mobile phones. According to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, there are more than 165,000 health apps out... |
3701 | Samoa’s capital deserted as teams battle measles epidemic. | Samoa’s main streets were eerily quiet on Thursday as the government stepped up efforts to curb a measles epidemic that has killed 62 people. | true | Samoa, Health, Measles, General News, New Zealand, Epidemics, Asia Pacific | The government told most public and private workers to stay home on Thursday and Friday and shut down roads to nonessential vehicles as teams began going door-to-door to administer vaccines. Families in the Pacific island nation were asked to hang red flags from their houses if they needed to be vaccinated. Most of tho... |
28695 | Scientists have discovered a berry — found in only one region of Australia — that can cure cancer in 48 hours. | "What's true: Scientists have isolated a chemical from the berry of a Australian plant endemic only to one region of Australia and have demonstrated promising early results regarding the compound’s ability to destroy tumors in mice, cats, dogs, and horses through direct injections; clinical trials are currently underwa... | mixture | Medical, australia, cancer, cancer berries | On 2 December 2016, the web site anonnews.co posted a story with the headline “Scientists find Australian berry to cure cancer in 48 hours!” Apart from a handful of sentences, the bulk of the content was a video from a 7News Sydney broadcast from 15 August 2016. That segment accurately reported on the developments surr... |
10825 | Pain Patches Making Gains in U.S. | The story does include some commentary from some independent sources, and it does a good job placing the patches into the larger context of pain-relief traditions in other countries. But it does not carefully analyze the evidence supporting the use of these patches, does not quantify the benefits of their use, does not... | false | HealthDay,Pain management | There is no mention of costs. At CVS.com, a box of five patches costs $7.99. This isn’t high for short-term use, but if you are a chronic pain sufferer (a category not addressed in this story) you might run through a box or two per day. Regardless, costs should have been mentioned. The story alludes to the benefits but... |
7432 | UW staff rally for better protections, Eyman protests order. | Unionized University of Washington Medicine staff and labor organizers rallied at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Thursday to call for better protections from the coronavirus and to protest planned furloughs and layoffs in the face of $500 million in losses during the pandemic. | true | Layoffs, Health, General News, Washington, Seattle, Virus Outbreak, Public health | Workers from the University of Washington campus and UW Medicine’s medical facilities participating in the demonstration accuse the university of failing to implement “basic public health guidance designed to flatten the curve, including proper notification to staff regarding exposure, the installation of sneeze guards... |
10835 | MS Drug Treatment Shows Promise | This story reports on a potentially important development in the treatment of symptomatic multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a devastating condition and although many different treatments are available, they have side effects and must be injected, leading to non-compliance. The six-month results of the first randomized tri... | false | The story does not mention the cost of the drug. The story deserves an “Unsatisfactory” rating on this criteria for two reasons. First, the story presents unpublished data. The September 14, 2006 New England Journal article presents data at six months, which was the end of the controlled trial, whereas this story prese... | |
2535 | Even for sperm, there is a season. | Autumn is the time of year most associated with bumper crops of new babies, and according to an Israeli study there may be a scientific reason for it: human sperm are generally at their healthiest in winter and early spring. | true | Health News | Based on samples from more than 6,000 men treated for infertility, researchers writing in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found sperm in greater numbers, with faster swimming speeds and fewer abnormalities in semen made during the winter, with a steady decline in quality from spring onward. “The winter and ... |
33580 | AOL is donating 15¢ for every 12 forwards of a plea from Debbie Shwartz, a single mother of four. | Therefore, bleed not your heart for this fictitious single mother of four and her ill-advantaged brood, nor forward “her” plea to others. Spare your friends. | false | Inboxer Rebellion, Medical Appeals | This version of the “help a family in need by forwarding an e-mail” plea began its Internet life in early September 2003. Once again, kind-hearted netizens were being told that by spamming their friends they could help relieve the plight of a financially-stricken family at a loss for any other method of affording vital... |
3811 | On drug costs, modest steps follow Trump’s big promises. | President Donald Trump makes big promises to reduce prescription drug costs, but his administration is gravitating to relatively modest steps such as letting Medicare patients share in manufacturer rebates. | true | Medicare, AP Top News, Health, Politics, North America, Prescription drug costs, Business, Medicaid, Council of Economic Advisers, Prices, Prescription drugs, Donald Trump | Those ideas would represent tangible change and they have a realistic chance of being enacted. But it’s not like calling for Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Skeptics say the overall approach is underwhelming, and Trump risks being seen as an ally of the powerful pharmaceutical industry, not its disrupter. The White ... |
17865 | On support for Common Core education standards | Candidate Barge, Superintendent Barge sometimes differ on Common Core | mixture | Georgia, Education, John Barge, | "State School Superintendent John Barge -- along with Dalton Mayor David Pennington -- has joined the race for governor, challenging GOP incumbent Nathan Deal. Barge is campaigning hard on what he knows best: education, which he sees as economic development. During his two-year tenure as the state’s schools chief, Barg... |
2605 | Philippines defies church to push family planning. | Philippine President Benigno Aquino is squaring off against his country’s powerful Catholic church in a bid to give people free access to the means to limit the size of their families. | true | Health News | The predominately Catholic country has one of Asia’s fastest-growing populations together with significant levels of chronic poverty. While neighbours have accelerated towards prosperity, the Philippines has lagged. Economists say high population growth is a primary factor for that, but the church disagrees. It says po... |
10601 | Experimental Drug Might Help Fight Alzheimer’s After All | This story reports on a drug in development for people with Alzheimer’s disease. While providing a lot of detailed information about the molecule under study and how the drug is better tolerated at lower doses, this story failed to provide any insight as to the benefit one might hope to obtain from taking this medicati... | true | Alzheimer's,HealthDay | As the drug is still under development, there was no discussion of costs. This is a humanized monoclonal antibody and the story might have mentioned some of the drugs currently on the market to treat other disorders such as bevacizumab (Avastin) or adalimub (Humira). This could have led to some discussion about costs b... |
7989 | 'It's just impossible': tracing contacts takes backseat as virus spreads. | Faced with more than 70 cases of the novel coronavirus and a deadly outbreak in an assisted living community in his town, Ed Briggs is overwhelmed. | true | Health News | The health director for Ridgefield, Connecticut, says there is no way that he and his staff of two can identify and isolate all the people who have interacted with an infected patient, not at the rate cases are multiplying across the town. “Tracing exposures of exposures of exposures. It’s just impossible,” Briggs said... |
6695 | Gala opens countdown to 50th anniversary of 1st moon landing. | Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin was noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his nonprofit space education foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction. | true | Buzz Aldrin, AP Top News, Brian Cox, Science, Richard Branson, U.S. News | Aldrin said he didn’t attend because of objections over the foundation’s current aims and ongoing legal matters associated with the foundation. The former astronaut is locked in a legal battle with family members who say he is suffering from mental decline. The black-tie Apollo Celebration Gala was held Saturday under ... |
26981 | CORONAVIRUS: Reports of 10,000 DEAD in Wuhan, China. | "A claim circulating on Facebook says: ""CORONAVIRUS: Reports of 10,000 DEAD in Wuhan, China."" There is nothing but mostly anonymous hearsay to back it up. Credible news and university reports put the death toll at a tiny fraction of what is claimed — 106 as of the evening of Jan. 27." | false | China, Public Health, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "A claim circulating on Facebook suggests a coronavirus outbreak roughly 100 times more deadly than authorities and the news media are letting on. ""CORONAVIRUS: Reports of 10,000 DEAD in Wuhan, China,"" reads a Jan. 24 story from the Geller Report. The website is run by Pamela Geller, an activist who co-founded Stop I... |
9556 | This 8-year-old is free of cancer — for now — after a ‘breakthrough’ treatment | The story focuses on on the use of an experimental immunotherapy technique called CAR T-cell therapy to treat children who have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and who are no longer responding to conventional cancer treatments. The story does a good job of stressing that, while CAR T-cell therapy... | true | immunotherapy | The CAR T-cell therapy is currently available only in clinical trials, where costs presumably aren’t an issue (a point the story might have made for readers who aren’t familiar with clinical trials). That leaves the question of how much this therapy may cost if it becomes more widely available. And this is where the st... |
4255 | St. Louis jury rejects lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. | A St. Louis jury on Friday rejected a Tennessee woman’s lawsuit that Johnson & Johnson baby powder contributed to her ovarian cancer, a victory for the company after it lost three previous, similar lawsuits in St. Louis. | true | Johnson & Johnson, U.S. News, Columbia, Cancer, St. Louis, Lawsuits, Ovarian cancer, Health, Business, Tennessee, U.S. News, Juries | The jury voted 11-1 to deny damages to Nora Daniels, 55, of Columbia, Tennessee, who said she used Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder from 1978 to 2013, when she was diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancer. She also sued Imerys Talc, a talcum powder supplier, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported (http://bit.ly/2lF7Q0Z... |
6873 | St. Louis medical organizations plan more proton therapy. | Despite problems at several proton centers across the country, St. Louis medical organizations are planning to increase their use of the cancer-treating procedure. | true | St. Louis, Tumors, Health, Cancer | Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital plans to open a second proton therapy center in 2020, and Mercy Hospital St. Louis expects to open its own proton center two years later, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported . Proton therapy zap cancerous cells with precise beams of radiation while sparing surrounding ti... |
29481 | Mylan CEO Heather Bresch donated a large sum of money to the Clinton Foundation. | What's true: The Mylan pharmaceutical company donated money to the Clinton Foundation, according to the organization's web site. What's false: Mylan CEO Heather Bresch is not personally listed as a donor to the Clinton Foundation. | false | Uncategorized, 2016 election, election 2016, epipen | An image circulating in the wake of the controversy over the increasing costs of Mylan’s EpiPens and the financial affairs of the company’s CEO has left some people confused about the identity and political status of that CEO. The text of the image reads: Hi, I’m Heather Dresch, CEO of the company that makes EpiPens. I... |
9943 | Weighing a Pill For Weight Loss | This article is a balanced presentation about the risks and benefits of a weight lost drug (Xenical) that is currently marketed as the prescription medication Orlistat and is under current consideration by the FDA for over-the-counter distribution. Use of xenical along with diet and exercise can result in modest weight... | true | Estimates cost to be $2-3 /day. Provides at least a ball park estimate for people about the amount of weight that might be anticipated to be lost with the use of this medication. The story explains that about 70% of users experience gastrointestinal complications and lists some. While discussion of a particular study i... | |
24053 | Dubai is the only country with huge amounts of imported workers that's actually passed legislation to give these immigrant workers a better deal in the Middle East. | Clinton says UAE only Middle East country to pass laws to address plight of immigrant workers | false | Immigration, National, Human Rights, Israel, This Week - ABC News, Bill Clinton, | "In an April 18, 2010, interview on ABC's This Week, former President Bill Clinton spoke about how the unresolved Palestinian issue in the Middle East has been feeding the energy of terrorist organizations; and how a peace plan could lead to ""a whole different world."" Moreover, he said, the Palestinian-Israeli confli... |
6883 | Niece: Family won’t take in Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper. | Once an accomplished organ player in Salt Lake City, Wanda Barzee became a disturbing figure for members of her own family after she helped in the 2002 kidnapping of then-teenager Elizabeth Smart. | true | AP Top News, Prisons, Health, Utah, Crime, Elizabeth Smart, Kidnapping, Salt Lake City, North America, U.S. News | Days before the 72-year-old woman is released from prison, looming fears about whether she remains a threat and calls to keep her off the streets bring up deep-rooted questions about mental-health treatment in the nation’s prisons, an expert said. And details of the crime still horrify Barzee’s niece, Tina Mace. “It ju... |
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