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2907 | Medtronic's novel hypertension device fails in trials. | Medtronic Inc’s experimental device to treat high blood pressure failed to meet its main goal in a clinical trial, sending the company’s shares down nearly 5 percent. | true | Health News | The device, known as renal denervation system, is aimed at high blood pressure-patients who are resistant to traditional drug therapies and works by deadening nerves in kidneys. Analysts called the trial results disappointing, even though they did not have very high sales expectations from the device. “The impact of th... |
9586 | Novartis asthma pill shows promise in small trial | This brief story is one of two we’re reviewing this week about a clinical trial for fevipiprant, an asthma pill under development by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. The piece refrains from the puffery of a similar story in Medical Daily which we also reviewed. In particular, its headline keeps reader expectations in check by... | true | asthma | The story does not address how much fevipiprant might cost and how it might compete with currently available treatments. A 2013 story in the New York Times reported that asthma inhalers ranged from $50 per month for one of the oldest drugs to as much as $350, with prices being buoyed in recent years by patent extension... |
10388 | Oramed Announces Positive Top-Line Results from Phase IIb Oral Insulin Study | This is a news release about progress toward a long-elusive goal — a pill form of insulin that eliminates the need for injections. It describes what appears to be a well-designed, randomized clinical trial powered with enough patients to achieve a significant result. Although it cites percent reduction in blood glucose... | mixture | diabetes,industry/commercial news releases | The story does not discuss costs but the drug is not approved for use — and may never be. The news release contains a lot of good information. It describes the study of 180 adults with type 2 diabetes as double-blind, 28-day, and randomized. It notes that those who took the experimental treatment had a statistically si... |
17920 | Obamacare will question your sex life. | "McCaughey says in ""Obamacare will question your sex life"" that you can thank the president’s health law for questions about your sexual activity, even if your doctor finds them unnecessary. She suggests it’s part of Obamacare’s move toward electronic health records. But incentives for electronic health records were ... | false | National, Health Care, Privacy Issues, Betsy McCaughey, | """Obamacare will question your sex life,"" says a New York Post headline this week. The opinion piece underneath, written by former lieutenant governor of New York Betsy McCaughey, author of Beating Obamacare, begins: ""‘Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?’ ""Be re... |
8745 | Blocking enzyme could help in rare blood cancer. | An enzyme that fights some kinds of cancers may foster the growth of a rare type of leukemia that affects babies, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that may lead to new drugs for the hard-to-treat cancer. | true | Health News | They said drugs that blocked the enzyme glycogen synthase kinase, or GSK3, helped mice with mixed-lineage leukemia, or MLL, live far longer than untreated mice. The finding is a surprise because prior studies have found GSK3 helped suppress unchecked cell growth in other cancers. “GSK3 has never been implicated in p... |
7066 | Murphy reverses Christie, approves $7.5M for women’s health. | New Jersey’s new Democratic governor signed legislation Wednesday setting aside about $7.5 million for family-planning and women’s health, reversing course on former Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s handling of the issue. | true | Trenton, Planned Parenthood, New Jersey, Health, Cecile Richards, Legislation, North America, Womens health, Bills, Chris Christie | It’s the first bill that Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law since succeeding Christie, who vetoed the spending throughout his two terms. “Today we are saying in a clear voice that New Jersey will once again stand for the right things,” Murphy said. “New Jersey will once again stand up for women’s health.” Murphy sign... |
10151 | Study finds statins reduce pneumonia death rates | And here’s why that’s important: There was no discussion of costs or harms, insufficient information about limitations, and no independent perspectives. Best known for lowering cholesterol, statin drugs may also have other effects that could be helpful in the prevention or treatment of a variety of diseases. In additio... | false | Reuters Health | Notwithstanding one researcher’s comment that statins are “cheap” (which might not be the case if we’re talking about drugs that are still on patent), there was no specific mention of the cost of treatment with statin drugs. These include the costs of the drug itself as well as ongoing monitoring. To its credit, the st... |
1438 | Groundskeeper in Bayer in U.S. weed-killer case accepts reduced award. | The school groundskeeper who won a jury trial against Bayer AG’s (BAYGn.DE) Monsanto unit over allegations that the company’s glyphosate-containing weed-killers caused his cancer, accepted a court-mandated reduced punitive damages award on Wednesday. | true | Health News | The decision by Dewayne Johnson, who sued Monsanto in 2016, brings the total award to $78 million, down from the jury’s verdict on Aug. 10 of $289 million - $39 million in compensatory and $250 million in punitive damages. Johnson’s law firm said in a statement that he accepted the reduction “to hopefully achieve a fin... |
9032 | Vegetarian and Mediterranean diet may be equally effective in preventing heart disease | The subject of the news release is a newly published, randomized, controlled study comparing the effects of a Mediterranean diet and a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (which excludes meat and fish but allows eggs and dairy) on total body weight, BMI, fat mass, and cholesterol levels. The release clearly outlines the differen... | mixture | American Heart Association,heart disease,Mediterranean diet,vegetarian diet | At first glance it might seem appropriate that costs are not mentioned. However, the comparative costs of these two diets could vary considerably depending on what part of the world you live in (ie. in some locations, a Mediterranean diet is either not feasible or prohibitively expensive). Also, the subjects in this st... |
2501 | Tide of humanity, as well as rising seas, lap at Kiribati's future. | The ocean laps against a protective seawall outside the maternity ward at Kiribati’s Nawerewere Hospital, marshalling itself for another assault with the next king tide. | true | Environment | Inside, a basic clinic is crowded with young mothers and newborn babies, the latest additions to a population boom that has risen as relentlessly as the sea in a deeply Christian outpost where family planning is still viewed with skepticism. It is a boom that threatens to overwhelm the tiny atoll of South Tarawa as qui... |
26257 | The U.S. had 44 CDC staffers “in China to observe what was going on. (President Trump) brought home the vast majority of them, I think left only four in place.” | The correct figures from the CDC show that overall staffing fell but remained higher than what Biden said. The numbers also show the elimination of all U.S. staff to counter the threat posed by the new coronavirus. | mixture | National, Coronavirus, Joe Biden, | "Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, argues that President Donald Trump failed to protect the country from the coronavirus when he had the chance. In an interview on MSNBC, Biden said Trump ""absolutely missed any opportunity to get ahead of this."" Biden underscored the loss of American staff at the Centers... |
34115 | Eggs and popcorn kernels can be cooked by placing them between activated cell phones. | Can an egg or popcorn kernels be cooked using activated cell phones? | false | Food | The introduction of many a new technology has been accompanied by claims that its use results in unforeseen, deleterious health effects — claims that have at times ranged from the completely loopy to the not entirely unfounded. This phenomenon has been particularly prevalent in recent years, as new, “invisible” technol... |
19142 | "Promote Oregon Leadership PAC (Oregon House Republicans) Says, ""Carl proposed a 'windfall' tax on real estate development when he was a Metro Councilor." | A combination of AstraZeneca’s lung cancer drug Imfinzi and an experimental treatment failed to extend the lives of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and high levels of gene mutations, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. | false | Oregon, Voting Record, Taxes, Promote Oregon Leadership PAC (Oregon House Republicans), | The late-stage clinical trial was testing Imfinzi, chemically known as durvalumab, along with another treatment tremelimumab and compared the combination to platinum-based chemotherapy to treat patients whose cancer had spread beyond the lungs. London-listed AstraZeneca said that though the trial involved a wide range ... |
27767 | Images reproduce contradictory statements from U.S. senators Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid about the President's prerogative in appointing Supreme Court justices. | A minor quibble could be made about Reid’s speaking of judicial “nominees” and not Supreme Court “appointees,” but that difference seemingly had little bearing on the overall thrust of his statement. | true | Uncategorized, supreme court | One of the constitutional powers of the President of the United States is to nominate and appoint judges of the Supreme Court, with the qualification that such appointments be undertaken with the “advice and consent of the Senate.” This procedure — like many others crafted by Founding Fathers who did not anticipate th... |
24435 | President Obama campaigned on a promise to put reproductive health care at the center of his reform plan. | "Planned Parenthood says Obama promised to ""put reproductive health care at the center"" of health reform" | true | Abortion, National, Health Care, Planned Parenthood, | "With abortion now a key issue in the debate over health care reform, abortion rights supporters are highlighting President Barack Obama's promise about the issue during the presidential campaign. In an alert to members on Nov. 9, 2009, Planned Parenthood Action Fund said, ""President Obama campaigned on a promise to p... |
9842 | Non-Fried Fish Might Help Ward Off Alzheimer’s: Study | Readers heads must be spinning worse than Linda Blair’s in “The Exorcist” when they read – in one story – that this “must be viewed as an association, rather than a cause-and-effect” – yet they get cause-and-effect language such as: Over and over again, many news stories confuse readers about observational studies. I... | false | Alzheimer's,health food claims,HealthDay | The cost of fish in the diet wasn’t discussed but we trust most people have a general idea of those costs. A classic case of promoting a surrogate marker – what shows up on an MRI scan – as an outcome of benefit. The story uses the phrase “cognitive benefit” barely mentioned any benefit to actual cognition – emphasizin... |
3335 | Attorneys: Charges expected in Florida nursing home deaths. | Defense attorneys said Sunday that arrests are expected shortly in the case of a Florida nursing home where 12 patients died after its air conditioning power went out amid sweltering heat following Hurricane Irma in 2017. | true | Health, Florida, General News, Hurricane Irma, Storms, Hurricanes, U.S. News, Fort Lauderdale | Lawrence Hashish told The Associated Press his client is one of three nurses, in addition to an administrator, expecting to be charged in connection with the deaths after Hurricane Irma, which blew through Florida on Sept. 10 of that year. The storm knocked out a transformer linking the main air-conditioning unit to th... |
41039 | Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes. | There is no evidence yet on how long the virus can survive on the skin. But it is important to regularly wash your hands. | unproven | online | If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold. These are the symptoms for the common cold, but they don’t rule out Covid-19. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose. Some Covid-19 patients do get pneumonia, and one of the symptoms is a dry cough. A runny nose doesn’t rule out Covid-19. The... |
37531 | A member of the Okeechobee County Commission in Florida promoted a claim that using a blow dryer could cure people of COVID-19. | Did a Florida County Official Promote a Bogus Right-Wing COVID-19 ‘Cure’? | true | Disinformation, Fact Checks | A member of a small county commission in Florida became an online laughingstock after video spread of him endorsing a widely-debunked cure for COVID-19 (a.k.a. the “coronavirus”) by a right-wing “news” outlet to his colleagues.During the March 20 2020 meeting, Okeechobee County commissioner Bryant Culpepper reassured h... |
36111 | "A child was being sexually abused, but her attempts to tell an adult were thwarted due to her inability to say ""vagina"" and her use of the word ""cookie"" instead." | Was a Toddler Subjected to Months of Abuse Because of a ‘Cookie’ Analogy? | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | In September 2019, a Facebook user shared an image and a harrowing story about the purported sexual abuse of a toddler that went unreported for months because the young girl supposedly was not taught anatomically correct words:Alongside a photograph of a childlike drawing (captioned “Penis & Vagina Aren’t Bad Words”), ... |
29907 | El Paso was one of the U.S. most dangerous cities before a border fence was built there. | On the 2016 campaign trail, Donald Trump promised supporters that if elected, he would build a border wall that Mexico would pay for. As time went by and it became clear Mexico would not finance the construction of such a wall, Trump waffled on how it would be funded, resulting in the longest partial shutdown of the fe... | false | Politics, border wall, donald trump | On 5 February 2019, President Donald Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address and made an appeal in his ongoing effort to deliver on a campaign promise to build a border wall. In his speech, President Trump stated that the city of El Paso, Texas, “used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of... |
28474 | The U.S. has several million more registered voters than eligible, voting-age adults. | "What's true: Estimates of voter rolls in the counties of some states, including California, tally more registered voters than eligible adults. What's false: Such estimates do not encompass the entire U.S., are based on questionable methodologies, and may include voters who are listed on state rolls as ""inactive.""" | mixture | Politics, judicial watch, Public Interest Legal Foundation, voter fraud | In mid-April 2018, a months-old claim that the U.S. had 3.5 million more registered voters than “live adults” reappeared on social media. That claim appears to have originated with a National Review article of 11 August 2017 that built on information compiled by Judicial Watch’s Election Integrity Project: Some 3.5 mil... |
37521 | Amazon is soliciting public donations to fund sick leave during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Is Amazon Seeking Public Donations to Fund Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic? | true | Fact Checks, Viral Content | On March 24 2020, journalist Judd Legum published a tweet claiming that as the COVID-19 pandemic began ramping up in the United States, Amazon.com (owned by Jeff Bezos) requested public donations in order to pay for employees’ sick leave:1. Amazon, owned by the richest man in the world, is soliciting PUBLIC DONATIONS t... |
8165 | Coronavirus spreads fear, isolation, death to elderly worldwide. | Grace Dowell, a 63-year-old grandmother, has stopped grocery shopping and canceled all her doctor’s appointments. No one is allowed into her rural Maryland home. Every piece of mail is disinfected. | true | Health News | Dowell decided last week that strict isolation was the only way to protect herself, her husband and her mother from COVID-19, the virus that has killed more than 10,000 people across the globe and is proving especially deadly for the elderly. Dowell, a retired labor union worker, has rheumatoid arthritis and a compromi... |
11279 | Heart attack relief? The truth about omega-3 fatty acids | This TV piece did a reasonable job explaining the new wave of omega-3 fatty acid fortified foods. It is a shame that the sections on benefits and harms were not more descriptive. To its credit, the story turned to world renowned experts for this story (Dr. Walter Willett from Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Ali... | mixture | "The story did not mention the mention whether the costs for omega-3 fortified foods were typically higher than, equal to, or less than traditional products. It also would have been helpful to have provided an estimate of the costs for a ""therapeutic dose."" Though there was passing mention of health benefits associat... | |
8914 | Bayer Roundup cancer trial postponed to continue settlement talks. | Bayer AG said on Friday it has reached an agreement with plaintiffs’ lawyers to postpone a Missouri jury trial over allegations its popular weed killer Roundup causes cancer to provide room for negotiations to settle the litigation. | true | Health News | “While Bayer is constructively engaged in the mediation process, there is no comprehensive agreement at this time. There also is no certainty or timetable for a comprehensive resolution,” the company said in a statement in reference to the settlement talks. The fourth jury trial in the Roundup litigation was scheduled ... |
23863 | "Since 2000, ""the Texas clean air program achieved a 22 percent reduction in ozone and a 46 percent decrease in NOx emissions." | Perry: State has cut ozone 22%, nitrogen oxide emissions 46% | mixture | Environment, Texas, Rick Perry, | "It's Gov. Rick Perry vs. Washington again, this time in a battle over Texas' compliance with the federal Clean Air Act. A day after the state filed suit to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from taking over parts of the state program that issues permits for companies to foul the air, Perry touted afresh Te... |
8005 | Philippines coronavirus testing to be stepped up soon: WHO. | Coronavirus testing is expected to increase substantially in coming days in the Philippines, where the high number of deaths relative to confirmed cases reflects lower testing so far, a World Health Organisation official said on Tuesday. | true | Health News | The coronavirus death toll in the Philippines rose to 78 on Monday - the second highest in Southeast Asia outside Indonesia - with 1,546 reported infections. “With respect to the high proportion of deaths in the Philippines, that’s essentially because of the way Philippines has chosen to test,” WHO technical advisor Ma... |
26397 | “Small trials” to test convalescent plasma therapy for coronavirus patients “seem to have had some degree of success.” | At least two Chinese studies have found initial success with convalescent plasma therapy, a technique in which antibodies from recovered coronavirus patients are given to seriously ill patients in order to boost their immune response. The authors of these studies emphasize that more research is needed to confirm these ... | true | Health Care, Public Health, New York, Coronavirus, Jamie Nadler, | "As physicians grapple with the best ways to treat patients infected with the coronavirus, one treatment that has gained increasing attention is convalescent plasma therapy. This therapy involves transfusing blood plasma from recovered coronavirus patients into a sick patient. The plasma contains a specific antibody th... |
24035 | Bill White Says Gov. Rick Perry has never held a private-sector job. | Democrat Bill White says Gov. Rick Perry has never had private-sector job | false | Candidate Biography, Texas, Bill White, | "Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White said last week that his November opponent, Gov. Rick Perry, has never held a private-sector job, the Wichita Falls Times Record News reported. Never is a long time. Is White right? First, we checked on whether the newspaper correctly quoted White. Why? The comment isn't in q... |
1419 | Latest battle to wipe out polio begins with vast vaccine switch. | In a huge immunization effort in 150 countries, health teams will on Sunday launch what they hope will be the final push against polio. | true | Health News | Stopping transmission of the contagious viral disease that has infected millions is possible within a year, experts say. And full, official, global eradication could be declared by the end of this decade. First, however, the vaccine that has successfully fought polio for more than 30 years needs to be switched for one ... |
7810 | As novice runners hit the open road, experts say take it slow. | As the days lengthen and the weather warms and novice runners cast an eye outdoors, fitness experts suggest they take a slow start to find their outdoor rhythm and pace to avoid injuries. | true | Health News | Jen Van Allen, a certified running coach and co-author of “The Runner’s World Big Book of Running for Beginners” said the first time outdoors everyone else seems like a real runner. And new runners often fear getting hurt, or that they will find running unpleasant or boring. “Certainly when someone pushes body and mind... |
26826 | “(A recent study) said ‘Medicare for All’ will lower health care costs in this country by $450 billion a year and save the lives of 68,000 people who would otherwise have died.” | Many of the study's assumptions are flawed, and experts uniformly told us it overestimates the potential savings. It cherry-picks data in calculating mortality effects. | false | Corrections and Updates, Health Check, Bernie Sanders, | "UPDATE: This story was updated to include more information about recent studies the Sanders' campaign referenced regarding the costs of single-payer. This update does not change the rating. Defending his signature health plan — a single-payer system known ""Medicare for All"" that would move all Americans to governmen... |
4291 | ‘Second disaster’ warned in Mozambique as cholera a concern. | Cyclone-ravaged Mozambique faces a “second disaster” from cholera and other diseases, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday, while relief operations pressed into rural areas where an unknown number of people remain without aid more than 10 days after the storm. | true | World Health Organization, Health, Cholera, Storms, Zimbabwe, Antonio Guterres, Africa, International News, Weather, Mozambique, United Nations, Malawi | Some 1.8 million people in Mozambique need urgent help after Cyclone Idai, the United Nations said in an emergency appeal for $282 million for the next three months. The death toll in Mozambique from the cyclone has risen to 468, according to Mozambican authorities cited by the Portuguese news agency Lusa. There are al... |
26651 | “Now, as it stands, our health care system has adequate ventilators, ICU beds, medical professionals.” | Experts said all evidence points to the U.S. being short on hospital beds, ICUs and ventilators, assuming COVID-19 continues to spread. The U.S. could take any number of actions to increase the number of hospital beds, supplies and medical staff available. Social distancing and other measures to slow the virus’s spread... | false | Health Care, Public Health, Pundits, PunditFact, Coronavirus, Sean Hannity, | "Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity celebrated the White House’s response to the novel coronavirus in a recent TV monologue, saying the U.S. health care system is ready for the virus. ""We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario,"" Hannity said on his TV show March 16. ""The president and his task force confirmed... |
5309 | Oscars producers say the show is in ‘good shape’ for Sunday. | Academy Awards producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss have been hearing the same question a lot recently: Are you OK? | true | Academy Awards, Los Angeles, Entertainment, Movies, Glenn Weiss, Donna Gigliotti, AP Top News, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, North America | It’s an understandable query. Producing the Oscars is guaranteed to be a stressful job, but the road to the 91st Academy Awards, which will take place on Sunday, has been unusually bumpy, and public. “We’re good! We’re good!” Gigliotti said while laughing Thursday afternoon. “Did we look like cadavers yesterday?” Both ... |
33370 | Madmen are injecting HIV-infected blood into unsuspecting moviegoers and random young people dancing in bars or at raves. | Decades-old rumor holds that madmen are jabbing unsuspecting moviegoers with HIV-infected needles. | false | Horrors, HIV, Murdering Madmen | In June 2018, the Feedy TV web site published an article headlined “HIV Infected Needles Found in Public: Take Only 2 Minutes of Your Time to Save Your Life.” The text of the article recounted supposedly recent incidents of unsuspecting persons being jabbed with HIV-infected needles left in movie theater seats in vario... |
38253 | Claims that Senator Mitch McConnell had polio as a child and free government healthcare saved his life began making the rounds as McConnell led Senate Republicans’ efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare in June 2017. | Mitch McConnell Had Polio, Government Healthcare Saved His Life | false | Government, Health / Medical | Mitch McConnell had polio as a boy, but his treatments were paid for by charitable donations — not a free government healthcare program, as has been reported. That rumor started with a post appearing on June 22, 2017, at the website Occupy Democrats under the headline, “Mitch McConnell Beat Polio As A Child Thanks To G... |
23927 | "Sen. Barbara Boxer ""passed only three bills in 18 years"" into law." | 'Hot Air' movie not accurate on Boxer's laws | false | National, Legal Issues, Message Machine 2010, Carly Fiorina, | "It's one of the weirdest political ads we've seen this year: ""Hot Air: The Movie."" It shows an animated Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., at a committee hearing in Congress. Her head starts expanding and expanding until it floats off into air, pulling Boxer from her chair and bursting through the Capitol dome. Then Boxe... |
35096 | "Self-described psychic Sylvia Browne ""predicted"" a 2020 outbreak of the new coronavirus." | "What's true: Self-described psychic Sylvia Browne wrote in her 2008 book ""End of Days"" that a respiratory illness would spread across the globe. What's undetermined: It's unclear whether Browne's ""prediction"" was more of a lucky guess, considering the book was written after the SARS outbreak. Furthermore, it's unk... | mixture | Paranormal, coronavirus, COVID-19, psychics | In early March 2020, amid fears about an international outbreak of illness caused by the new coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, social media users shared an image of a page in the book “End of Days,” which was published in 2008 and authored by self-described psychic and medium Sylvia Browne. “Did Sylvia Browne predict the c... |
24356 | "During his tenure as mayor, he ""saw Houston’s crime rates drop to the lowest levels in more than 25 years." | White says crime hit 25-year low during his tenure | true | Crime, Texas, Bill White, | "As his campaign revs up, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White is pointing voters to his record as mayor of Houston from 2004 through 2009. On his campaign Web site and in a thank-you letter published Jan. 2 in the Houston Chronicle, he brags about the city’s crime rates. Though White in his public statements ... |
5078 | Indiana educators disappointed about mental health funding. | The failure of Indiana lawmakers to approve proposals during this year’s legislative session that would have made mental health services eligible for school safety funding is a huge disappointment, education officials said. | true | Education, Mental health, Health, School safety, Terre Haute, Indiana | Early in the session, Democratic state Rep. Tonya Pfaff, a high school math teacher from Terre Haute, introduced an amendment to a school safety bill that would have allowed school corporations to use safety or security subsidies to provide students with school-based mental health services. A bipartisan group of lawmak... |
11118 | Laser Treatment May Work for Cataracts | "It’s not a ""treatment"" until it helps a living human being. Until then, it’s an experiment. In a story that afforded the topic only 268 words, rather than using 23 of them to say that ""the goal is a relatively simple procedure that would last half an hour at most and use largely automated equipment in mobile clinic... | false | "Not applicable. Costs not discussed, which is understandable at this early stage of research. We’ve already told you what the story didn’t: that this was an experiment on 9 human organ donor lenses. But the story also didn’t say if the approach had the intended effect on all 9, half of them, or how many. The story al... | |
6295 | Looking for answers to rural Wisconsin OB-GYN shortage. | Dr. Alexa Lowry, an obstetrician-gynecologist who grew up in Barron County, returned to her native western Wisconsin for three weeks this fall. | true | Health, Wisconsin, Eau Claire | The move isn’t permanent — although Lowry would like to practice medicine in a smaller community one day. The rural Cumberland native spent three weeks in October at a St. Croix County hospital as a resident. She’s part of the nation’s only rural OB-GYN residency, a UW Health program that recently added Western Wiscons... |
8988 | California man's research leads him to Beaumont's Proton Therapy Center in Michigan | Irradiation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by photon (X-ray) therapy (left) and proton therapy (right)/Wikipedia This release focuses on one patient’s experiences with proton beam therapy to treat a form of cancer called sacral chordoma. The release is effectively an account of the patient’s diagnosis and his experiences ... | false | Beaumont Hospital,proton beam therapy,Royal Oak | Cost is not mentioned. A visit to the website of the organization that issued the release offered little additional information about cost, noting only that “many insurance plans will cover” proton beam therapy. And many will not. Finding cost information online was surprisingly difficult. According to a 2017 story on ... |
18446 | Renee Unterman Says state Senate leaders have accepted $142,400 in campaign contributions from dentists and pharmacists during the past two years. | : Half True. Atlanta Journal Constitution staff writer Karishma Mehrotra contributed to this article. | mixture | Georgia, State Budget, Renee Unterman, | "A state senator caused a stir when she gave a speech accusing some of her colleagues of being beholden to some influential industries because of their support for a bill. Sen. Renee Unterman, a Republican from Gwinnett County, opposed House Bill 132, which would allow dentists, dental hygienists and pharmacists to reg... |
10590 | Colonoscopy Prep in a Pill May Be Easier to Swallow | No info on costs, on harms, or on the scope of benefits – and nothing on the real important measure of whether the approach improved the detection of colon cancer. An improved method of colon prep for colonoscopy would be appreciated by many. But we’re not given sufficient information in this story to judge the true po... | false | "No discussion of cost. All the story says is that ""Those who took the combination of the pill and liquid were better able to tolerate the preparation than were those who drank a gallon of a mixture of polyethylene glycol and electrolytes."" Does that mean EVERYONE? We weren’t told. As stated above, we’d also like to ... | |
4091 | 11 hospitalizations linked to vaping in Wisconsin. | Wisconsin health officials said Friday they’ve linked vaping to 11 recent cases where teenagers and young adults developed severe lung disease that required hospitalizations. | true | Wisconsin, Health, General News, Lung disease, Milwaukee | Another seven cases that may also be linked to vaping are being investigated but have not yet been confirmed, health officials said. “We strongly urge people to avoid vaping products and e-cigarettes. Anyone — especially young people who have recently vaped — experiencing unexplained breathing problems should see a doc... |
30363 | "The United States Navy announced that it was christening a ship the ""USS Tig Ol Bitties"" after an online vote." | For those who may not get the joke, this fictitious ship’s name is an example of a spoonerism, a bit of word play that swaps the first letters of two words, which was named after William Archibald Spooner, a long-serving don at Oxford University in the late 1800s and early 1900s. | false | Humor, duffel blog | It is canon by now that asking the Internet to name something rarely goes as planned. In 2016, online pranksters famously attempted to name a new vessel for Britain’s Natural Environment Research Council “Boaty McBoatface.” So is it really so implausible that the United States Navy might name a ship the “USS Tig Ol Bit... |
15786 | In an average grocery store, roughly 75 percent of processed foods contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. | "Donna Nesselbush said, ""In an average grocery store, roughly 75 percent of processed foods contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs."" Nesselbush quoted a percentage intended to apply to all foods and not restricted to processed foods. Although the figure is widely cited by both sides in the debate, it’s not c... | mixture | Rhode Island, Agriculture, Animals, Consumer Safety, Economy, Environment, Government Regulation, Public Health, Science, Technology, Donna Nesselbush, | "There’s a longstanding campaign to require special labels for foods made from genetically modified organisms -- plants or animals created by precisely manipulating their DNA, in ways that don’t occur in nature. In Rhode Island, Sen. Donna Nesselbush, D-Pawtucket, has submitted legislation requiring such GMO labeling.... |
13684 | "National Rifle Association Says Hillary Clinton ""doesn’t believe in your right to keep a gun at home for self-defense." | "The NRA said Clinton ""doesn’t believe in your right to keep a gun at home for self-defense."" Clinton has never said that, nor could she do anything about it on her own even if she wanted to. She would need to rely on a new Supreme Court justice, who would first have to be approved by the currently Republican-led Sen... | false | Bush Administration, Negative Campaigning, Supreme Court, North Carolina, Guns, National Rifle Association, | "In a new multi-million-dollar ad buy, the NRA attacks Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s stance on guns. Clinton, the ad says, doesn’t want gun owners to be able to protect themselves. The National Rifle Association said it’s spending $3 million on the ad in North Carolina plus other ""key battlegroun... |
39614 | An article from the pen of disaster rescuer Doug Copp. He lists some of his observations from being on the scene after earthquakes and introduces what he calls “The Triangle of Life,” which he says can save lives during an earthquake. He rejects the advice of traditional disaster experts and gives suggestions about ... | "The ""Triangle of Life"" can save your life during an earthquake " | false | Terrorism, Warnings | Doug Copp claims, as the eRumor states, to lead the “world’s most experienced rescue team” and that he’s crawled into 875 buildings in 60 countries to find trapped victims of disasters. He argues that his experience has led him to conclude that the common suggestions of getting under a desk or standing in a doorway dur... |
1909 | Modern Etiquette: No gluten? No fat? Deal gracefully with that. | “If you would like to dine gluten-free, please ask to see our gluten-free menu.” | true | Health News | Co-owner Waylynn Lucas tops donuts with bacon at Fonuts bakery, which offers unfried, gluten-free and vegan donuts, in Los Angeles, California September 19, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson Restaurants are printing notes like this in droves, and hosts are now googling phrases like “lacto-ovo” before dinner parties. Dietary... |
9858 | AIDS Vaccine Is of Modest Help, Fuller Research Says | This follow-up piece draws attention to secondary data analyses of the much talked about AIDS vaccination trial conducted in Thailand. According to the results released in September, the vaccine showed a statistically significant reduction in risk of HIV infection. However, two additional analyses published recently in... | true | Since the vaccine is not available, a discussion of costs is not warranted. The piece does a nice job of presenting the results of the initial report in terms of absolute and relative risk reduction; however, absolute data is not provided for the secondary analyses. To its credit, the story clearly and effectively expl... | |
24919 | "McCain ""has opposed stem cell research." | Obama ad distorts McCain's stem cell position | false | National, Health Care, Barack Obama, | "Competing radio ads from the McCain and Obama campaigns in the last week may have left voters confused about where Sen. John McCain stands on stem cell research. First, you had a McCain campaign ad highlighting McCain’s support for stem cell research. Then you had an Obama campaign ad that portrayed McCain as an o... |
15623 | A sitting sheriff cannot be charged except by a warrant issued by a Superior Court judge. | Vectura Group said on Friday a British court had ruled in its favor on the packaging of a generic version of an inhaler made by bigger rival GlaxoSmithKline. | mixture | Georgia, Legal Issues, Crime, Danny Porter, | Vectura said the court dismissed all GSK claims related to the packaging of AirFluSal Forspiro, which it developed in partnership with Sandoz, owned by Swiss drugmaker Novartis , as a branded version of GSK’s asthma inhaler, Seretide Accuhaler. GSK, with which Vectura has partnerships, said it was “disappointed” with t... |
24029 | Everyone in this country has access to health care. | Gov. Rick Perry says everyone has access to health care coverage, even without insurance | false | Health Care, Texas, Rick Perry, | "Gov. Rick Perry, presiding over the state with the nation's biggest share of uninsured residents, recently suggested that Americans have access to health care regardless of their insurance status. Perry, who has objected to the federal mandate passed into law requiring most Americans to obtain health coverage by 2014,... |
34157 | "In 2019, Will Smith was ""rushed to hospital"" and ""diagnosed with a life-threatening disease." | The Stars News YouTube video consisted of a voice-over script taken from an uncredited source, with a “clickbait” headline that falsely claimed Smith had been “rushed to hospital” and “diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.” | false | Junk News | In November 2019, we received multiple inquiries from readers about a widely shared YouTube video whose headline claimed that the actor and rapper Will Smith had been “diagnosed with a life-threatening disease” and had been “rushed to hospital.” On Nov. 13, the Stars News YouTube channel posted a video with the title “... |
4847 | Senior citizen wave coming to Garfield County. | Rosemarie Romeo was rushed to Glenwood Medical Center in December 2015, after accidentally misusing her anxiety medication. | true | Seniors, Aging, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Health, Local governments, Medicare | She says she scheduled a follow-up visit and a geriatric psychiatrist gave her a list with names for local mental-health care providers. “Many of the counselors weren’t even in practice anymore or their numbers didn’t work,” Romeo said. “Not one person mentioned Mind Springs,” a major mental health organization that co... |
15286 | $700 billion was robbed (from Medicare) to pay for Obamacare. | "Huckabee said, ""$700 billion was robbed (from Medicare) to fund Obamacare."" It’s an old claim and an old figure. The law does reduce Medicare spending, but not in the way Huckabee suggests. The Affordable Care Act aims to cut future Medicare costs by reducing payments to private insurers and hospitals, not beneficia... | mixture | National, Federal Budget, Health Care, Medicare, Mike Huckabee, | "Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee accused ""illegals, prostitutes, pimps, (and) drug dealers"" of freeloading off the Social Security system during the Aug. 6 GOP primary debate. Huckabee's provocative comment concluded a wonkish back-and-forth between him and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie about entitlement reform. ... |
15593 | "In the last 24 months, 10 rural Texas hospitals have been forced to shut their doors because state leaders"" chose not to expand Medicaid." | "Children’s Defense Fund-Texas said: ""In the last 24 months, 10 rural Texas hospitals have been forced to shut their doors because state leaders have chosen not to invest in our state’s health care systems by rejecting billions in available Medicaid funds to cover more of our state’s uninsured."" Ten rural hospitals c... | false | Corrections and Updates, Health Care, Public Health, State Budget, Texas, Children's Defense Fund-Texas, | "Hold up on providing Texas tax cuts, an advocacy group says, because the billions of dollars in play would be better spent on children. Patrick Bresette, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund-Texas, maintained in an April 28, 2015, statement sent to reporters that more than $4 billion in tax reductions und... |
34732 | Testing has revealed that eight popular tea brands contain illegal amounts of deadly pesticides. | “It’s now almost 2019,” Fraser wrote in a 1 December 2018 update to her post, “and seeing as how these studies were conducted over four years ago, it is hard to say whether they have changed up the pesticides they are using, or whether they have stopped using them at all.” We concur. | mixture | Food, chemophobia, Food Contamination | A 26 October 2016 post written by Carly Fraser on her website “Live Love Fruit,” which has been shared over a million times on Facebook, alleges that various popular brands of tea contain dangerous levels of pesticides. However, the article inaccurately describes three different testing results that are currently five ... |
9630 | Experimental procedure aimed at repairing spinal cord shows promise | This story portrays a quadriplegic man who believes a stem cell transplant helped him to recover partial function after a spinal cord injury. The story effectively conveys the devastation of spinal cord injuries and correctly identifies stem cell therapy as an experimental and unproven treatment. However, its thrust th... | false | spinal cord injuries,stem cell research,stem cell therapies,stem cell therapy,stem cells | The story does not address the cost of this procedure. The story relies on comments from the patient, James Mason, and his doctor, Arthur Jenkins, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Mason is shown in video footage moving his arms and legs in physical therapy. Three months after surgery, he r... |
9685 | Cell therapy in protective bubble offers hope for diabetes fix | This article does a really nice job of explaining the science behind two studies and appropriately depicting the pace of scientific process. With other news coverage talking about the research getting us “close to a cure” for diabetes, this story took a measured approach that should be posted on the walls of newsrooms ... | true | stem cell therapy,stem cells,type 1 diabetes | Part of the caution in this story is not linking the research too closely to a potential on-the-shelf treatment. The story says in several ways that a drug therapy would be a good distance away. So we don’t think it appropriate to talk about costs at this point. The story does not break down the actual number of positi... |
11089 | Lung scans may lead to overdiagnosis: study | We identified three shortcomings – all easily addressed. Costs weren’t mentioned – a big factor in a story about overdiagnosis and overtreatment. No independent expert was quoted. Had there been an independent voice, perhaps some of our comments about evaluating the limitations of the evidence would have been addressed... | true | Reuters Health,Screening | No mention of cost – a signficant issue in the context of alleged overdiagnosis. The story succinctly summarized: The story explained: “the blood-thinning drugs used to treat blood clots increase the risk of bleeding in the brain or gastrointestinal tract, for example. According to the new results, such complications r... |
39283 | CDC officials issued a formal apology after it was discovered that the 2014 flu vaccine proved ineffective against a common strain of the flu virus. | CDC Apologizes for Ineffective Flu Vaccines | false | Health / Medical | The CDC warned that 2014 could bring a “potentially severe” flu season, but it never apologized for developing an ineffective flu vaccine. The eRumor misconstrued a statement about the upcoming flu season that was released by the CDC on December 4, 2014: “Early data suggests that the current 2014-2015 flu season could... |
1977 | Oregon votes to outlaw sale of suicide kits. | Sales of suicide kits, like the do-it-yourself asphyxiation hood used by a man to kill himself late last year, could soon be outlawed in the state of Oregon. | true | Health News | A 'suicide kit' is seen during a Reuters Interview in London May 7, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth The state’s House of Representative passed the bill on Monday to ban the products. It must now be considered in the state Senate, which passed similar legislation in May. Sponsors say the bill would in no way impinge on a l... |
11339 | New study firmly ties hormone use to breast cancer | "The story does a good job presenting 2002 data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) on the increased risk of developing breast cancer with prolonged use of HRT (also termed estrogen plus progestin treatment). However, the story does not accurately report the results of the recent JAMA paper: Even women who took ... | true | "The story does not address the cost of estrogen plus progestin treatment, nor the costs added or saved due to complications of or benefits from that therapy. However, the story advocates for selective use of low-dose HRT, and only for use in the short-term if menopausal symptoms are bothersome and negatively affect qu... | |
6798 | City sues firefighter foam makers over water contamination. | A Massachusetts city is suing the makers of firefighting foam blamed for water contamination. | true | Marinette, Wisconsin, Lawsuits, Minnesota, Environment, Fires, Massachusetts, U.S. News | Westfield’s Democratic Mayor Brian Sullivan announced the federal lawsuit against the 3M Co., Chemguard Inc. and Tyco Fire Protection Products on Thursday. The manufacturers produce foam used for years at the Barnes Air National Guard Base and the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport for firefighter training. The city arg... |
36575 | The most brilliant scientists working for the United States government refuse to vaccinate their children. | Do ‘The Most Brilliant Scientists’ Not Vaccinate Their Own Children? | false | Disinformation, Fact Checks | On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page for NaturalNews.com shared a video, the premise for which was contained in its title: “The most brilliant scientists working for the U.S. government do NOT vaccinate their own kids.”The same video was shared to Vimeo in October 2018:The most brilliant scientists working for the U.S... |
4061 | Officials: Tick-borne anaplasmosis on the rise in Maine. | The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says a tick-borne disease is rising in the state this year and it is a disease that is more dangerous than Lyme disease. | true | Lyme disease, Health, Ticks, Maine | Health officials say cases of the flu-like anaplasmosis are on the rise this year, up to 433 cases this year. The Portland Press Herald reports it is a large increase from five years ago when it was only 52 cases a year. About 25 to 30 percent of all anaplasmosis cases result in hospitalizations, compared to about 5 pe... |
9408 | Shining a Deadly New Light on Airborne Flu Virus | Australian Michael Hillman fled from harrowing bushfires that hit the beachside town of Malua Bay on New Year’s Eve, only to be faced with a scene of devastation when he returned on Friday. | false | influenza | The inferno that razed his home destroyed 65 of 70 Hofner guitars, some long out of production and others precious for their sentimental value, in a collection Hillman had amassed over 20 years. “My friend next door, whom I am recording an album with, his house is OK, so some of our music might be saved,” Hillman, a re... |
3300 | Colorado meatpacker recalls ground beef after E. coli death. | A Colorado meatpacker is recalling more than 132,000 pounds (60,000 kilograms) of ground beef after a suspected E. coli outbreak killed one person and sickened 17, officials said. | true | Fort Morgan, Health, North America, Business, Colorado, Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture | The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday the beef was produced and packaged at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan on June 21 and shipped to retailers nationwide. The products include 3-, 10- and 20-pound (1.3-, 4.5- and 9-kilogram) packages of ground beef under the Our Certified, Excel, Sterling Silver, Cer... |
6302 | Scholarships target doctors in Arizona underserved areas. | University of Arizona’s medical school announced Friday that it will give free tuition to some students who commit to working as primary care doctors in underserved areas, an effort to improve access to health care in areas where it’s most lacking. | true | Scholarships, Phoenix, Health, General News, Medical schools, Arizona | Up to 94 students will get scholarships on campuses in Phoenix and Tucson, the UA Colleges of Medicine said. For each year of tuition waived, they’ll have to commit to working in an underserved area after their residency for one year. The scholarships are funded with $3 million from an $8 million state funding plan app... |
8943 | MRI scans shows promise in predicting dementia | This news release announced findings of a study that looked at differences in brain MRI scans between older people who went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and those who did not get the disease. The release said the findings, presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago, suggest ... | mixture | dementia,MRI,Washington University School of Medicine | There was no discussion of cost. A brain MRI can be expected to run anywhere from $826 to $4,780, including both physician and imaging fees, according to the web site Healthcare Bluebook. The information in the news release suggests MRIs would have to be repeated every two years or so in order to detect brain changes b... |
15328 | With the exception of baby formula, the federal government does not require any food to carry an expiration date, and state laws vary widely. | "Oliver said, ""With the exception of baby formula, the federal government does not require any food to carry an expiration date, and state laws vary widely."" While Oliver’s underlying argument for more regulation can be debated, he’s right to say that the federal government doesn’t require expiration dates on food, a... | true | Corrections and Updates, Food Safety, PunditFact, John Oliver, | "Ever wonder about the accuracy of your milk carton’s expiration date? Or exactly how late is too late to eat that apple? So did comedian John Oliver. He used the July 19 episode of his HBO show Last Week Tonight to discuss the issue of food waste, zooming in on little-known regulatory gaps that he argued cause mass co... |
1062 | Alabama Senate bans nearly all abortions, including rape cases. | Alabama’s state Senate passed a bill on Tuesday to outlaw nearly all abortions, creating exceptions only to protect the mother’s health, as part of a multistate effort to have the U.S. Supreme Court reconsider a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. | true | Health News | The country’s strictest abortion bill was previously approved by the Alabama House of Representatives and will now go to Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who has withheld comment on whether she would sign but is generally a strong opponent of abortion. The law, which passed 25-6, would take effect six months after being s... |
28410 | "Americans Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan were killed in Tajikistan while cycling through ""Isis territory"" in order to vindicate their belief in human kindness." | What's true: Isis militants claimed responsibility for the murders of Austin, Geoghegan, and two other tourists. Austin and Geoghegan had posted several times online about the generosity and kindness they encountered on their round-the-world cycling trip. What's false: There is no evidence Austin and Geoghegan were awa... | mixture | Politics, infowars, ISIS, islamic state | In the summer of 2018, Isis militants in Tajikistan claimed responsibility for the murder of four tourists, including an American couple, after deliberately hitting them with a car as they cycled along a rural road. The militants also stabbed and shot some of their victims. The American couple, Jay Austin and Lauren Ge... |
29237 | "A second Broward County sheriff’s deputy died suspiciously after ""exposing"" the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida." | "What's true: Two sheriff’s deputies in Broward County, Florida, where the Parkland school shooting took place in February 2018, passed away in April 2018. What's false: Neither man ""exposed"" anything about the Parkland school shooting, and local officials have not pegged either man's death as ""suspicious.""" | false | Junk News, florida, law enforcement, parkland school shooting | On 25 April 2018, the Sheriff’s Office in Broward County, Florida, announced the death of sheriff’s deputy Marshall Lawrence Peterson, a 28-year veteran of that office: It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Deputy Marshall Peterson, a 28-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Department of Det... |
2772 | Israel's Oramed a step closer in race for first insulin pill. | Israel’s Oramed, which is racing Novo Nordisk of Denmark to develop the world’s first insulin pill, moved a step closer to its goal on Thursday by announcing successful results from a small mid-stage test. | true | Health News | The oral drug delivery specialist said its insulin capsule had met all primary and secondary endpoints in a Phase IIa clinical trial and it now plans to launch a larger mid-stage study in the third quarter. Shares in the Nasdaq-listed company opened 10 percent higher at $28.50 on the news. The stock has surged from aro... |
8830 | Drug combination reduces colon cancer risk. | Combining a low dose of a targeted cancer-fighter with an anti-inflammatory drug reduces the risk of recurring colorectal polyps, an early sign of colon cancer, by as much as 95 percent, researchers said on Monday. | true | Health News | A study conducted by the University of California, Irvine, also found that the drug combination was much less toxic than chemotherapy. “I think we are on track to develop a medical means to prevent colon cancer,” in people at high risk of developing the disease, said Dr. Frank Meyskens, director of the university’s... |
36710 | Former Arizona senator John McCain confessed to being a war criminal and to committing treason during the Vietnam War, but he was later pardoned by U.S. President Richard Nixon to spare him from death by firing squad. | President Richard Nixon Pardoned John McCain of War Crimes? | false | Disinformation, Fact Checks, Military, Politics | False claims that Senator John McCain confessed to being a war criminal began circulating in 2008. They’re based on McCain’s admission that his Vietnamese captors forced him to confess to being a war criminal while he was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.A more modern twist of the rumor emerged in July 2017 on ... |
433 | Chinese officials investigate cause of pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan. | Chinese health authorities said they are investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, after rumors on social media suggested the outbreak could be linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). | true | Health News | Of the people infected, seven were in critical condition and 18 were in stable condition, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Tuesday on its Weibo social media account. The condition of two other patients had improved to the point where they would be discharged soon, it said. “The cause of the disease is not ... |
16234 | Before World War II, very few people actually had health insurance. | Carr said before World War II, very few people had health insurance. While Carr doesn’t take into account the advances in medical care over the past 75 years, he’s right. Only about 10 percent of the U.S. population had private health insurance then, generally from an employer-based system. | true | Health Care, Public Health, Virginia, James Carr, | "Libertarian James Carr doesn’t agree that health care requires health insurance. Carr, who is facing Republican Dave Brat and Democrat Jack Trammell in the race for Virginia’s 7th District congressional seat, provided some historic perspective to highlight that point in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "... |
11066 | Test Aids Prostate Cancer Treatment | This story describes the upcoming commercialization by Genomic Health and Epic Sciences of a diagnostic blood test which could help determine whether men with advanced prostate cancer should receive new-generation drugs or chemotherapy. The test detects whether the genetic variant AR-V7 is present in tumor cells circul... | true | Wall Street Journal | Excellent job here. The costs of treatment are a core aspect of the story. The opening paragraph describes how the blood test in question could help determine whether patients should receive “costly new-generation drugs or rely on much cheaper traditional chemotherapy,” and the specific costs of different therapies are... |
8035 | China's Xi offers Trump help in coronavirus fight as Wuhan reopens to traffic. | Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that he would have China’s support in fighting the coronavirus, as Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak emerged, reopened to incoming traffic. | true | Health News | The United States now has the most coronavirus cases of any country, with nearly 85,000 infections. Hospitals in cities including New York and New Orleans are struggling to cope with the wave of patients. Trump said China had sent virus data to U.S. scientists and was sending more after he and Xi spoke by telephone. “W... |
8562 | New Zealand orders quarantine for returning citizens in coronavirus battle. | New Zealand will begin moving citizens to compulsory quarantine from Friday as they return from overseas, stepping up its efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus halfway through a four-week nationwide lockdown. | true | Health News | The shutdown began in late March in the Pacific nation of about 5 million, and a state of national emergency was declared to stifle local transmissions of the respiratory disease. “No one goes home, everyone goes into a managed facility,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, adding that 14 days spent in a government-app... |
14024 | More than 32,000 Americans lose their lives to gun violence each year. | "The Safety For All Initiative proposes stronger gun and ammunition restrictions in California. On its website, it says ""More than 32,000 Americans lose their lives to gun violence each year."" That sad statistic checks out, based on an examination of data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. While the... | true | Elections, Government Regulation, California, Guns, Safety For All Initiative, | "Calls to strengthen California’s gun laws intensified this week after the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in history at an Orlando nightclub. State lawmakers described the tragedy as a call to action to strengthen California’s firearm regulations, considered among the toughest in America. In November, voters in the s... |
10513 | Stem-cell therapy feels Food and Drug Administration’s pinch | The story provides some key points from both sides of the debate and some caveats. But about one third of the story reads like an advertisement for the procedure. Rather than discussing data/evidence, the story centers on the positive aspects of the unregulated and unsubstantiated approach. New health care intervention... | mixture | "We’re told the procedure costs upwards of $8,000 and is not covered by most insurance policies. The benefits of the treatment are provided in vague terms and supported solely with anecdotes rather than data. There are many key questions an informed patient should ask about this procedure, but the story provides no evi... | |
9006 | New breath and urine tests detect early breast cancer more accurately | This news release summarizes a pilot study conducted by Israeli researchers on non-traditional methods for screening for breast cancer. One method employed an electronic nose sensor that measured chemicals in human breath and another analyzed urine samples. The screening methods were 95% and 85% accurate, respectively,... | false | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,breast cancer screening,breath test | The news release never gives readers an estimate for the cost of a combination breath and urine screening test for breast cancer. The release does state that the technologies used for both urine and breath are “inexpensive” but doesn’t give us a concrete number to justify that claim. The only benefits statement is that... |
38766 | Hundreds of people died after eating Patti LaBelle brand “Patti’s Sweet Potato Pie.” | Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie Kills Hundreds | false | Food / Drink | A fake news website is behind the false report that hundreds died after eating Patti Labelle brand sweet potato pie. The fake news website Report Quickly published a story on November 14, 2015, that said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had found that Patti Labelle pie that was tainted with “tetrodotoxin,... |
26063 | As of June 23, the COVID-19 death rate is “way down.” | Deaths from the coronavirus have fallen consistently since their peak in late April, and have continued to fall in June even as the number of cases has risen. Experts say deaths lag behind the number of cases. So the trend may reverse. | true | Public Health, Coronavirus, Donald Trump, | "With an increasing number of coronavirus cases across the country, President Donald Trump pointed to a metric that reflects more favorably on his administration’s pandemic response. On June 23, Trump tweeted, ""Cases up only because of our big number testing. Mortality rate way down!!!"" Cases up only because of our b... |
33689 | Young women are inserting vodka-soaked tampons as a furtive way of getting drunk. | Sightings: Vodka-soaked tampons were referenced in an episode of the television crime drama CSI (“Two and a Half Deaths,” original air date 8 May 2008). Also, in the TV series The Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (“Rule No. 67: Don’t Kill the Princess,” original air date 13 January 2015), Lilly’s14th birthday party is e... | false | Risqué Business | Although whispers about young women trying to furtively get their alcohol buzzes on by inserting vodka-soaked tampons into themselves have existed for more than fifteen years (our oldest printed reference dates to 1999, but the rumor is likely a fair bit older than that), cases documenting instances of women actually e... |
34829 | Handles of shopping carts are laden with germs. | One study ranked grocery cart handles and child seats third on a list of nastiest public items to touch. | true | Medical, Disease | The invention of the shopping cart during the Dirty Thirties altered how consumers shopped for groceries by removing the weight of accumulated goods from the equation. Thanks to the new wheeled assistance, those looking to reprovision could shop longer and for greater quantities than in the days when prospective purcha... |
8610 | After-coronavirus, SE Asia strongly favours crackdown on wildlife trade, says WWF. | The coronavirus pandemic has generated overwhelming support for the closure of markets selling illegal wildlife across Southeast Asia, an epicenter of the multi-billion-dollar trade, the World Wildlife Fund said in a public opinion poll on Monday. | true | Environment | About 93 per cent of about 5,000 people surveyed by WWF in March across three Southeast Asian nations as well as Hong Kong and Japan said unregulated markets selling wildlife should be shuttered to ward off future pandemics. Scientists believe the virus that has upturned the lives of billions across the globe originate... |
2305 | France reopens euthanasia debate with right-to-die ruling. | France’s top administrative court ruled on Tuesday that doctors should be allowed to take a tetraplegic man off life support after nearly six years in a coma, siding with his wife in a case that has revived a debate about euthanasia. | true | Health News | The Council of State ruled that doctors had the right to end the medical support that has kept Vincent Lambert, brain-damaged and in vegetative state, artificially alive since a motorbike accident on the way to work plunged him into a coma in September 2008. The verdict follows a heart-rending battle between Lambert’s ... |
38858 | An over-the-counter supplement called Synagen IQ boosts brain function, improves memory and promotes overall wellness. | Synagen IQ Boosts Brain Function and Overall Health | unproven | Health / Medical | Claims about the medical benefits of Synagen IQ are unproven. Synagen IQ is classified as a supplement, so the FDA doesn’t regulate it. That means the manufacturer of Synagen IQ doesn’t have to back up its claims that the supplement increases brain power, focus, memory and energy with clinical trials or studies. There’... |
20780 | Many types of fish and shellfish from waters across the state are labeled unsafe to eat. | Jim Florio says fish from New Jersey waters labeled unsafe to eat | true | Environment, New Jersey, Food Safety, James Florio, | "There’s plenty of fish in the waters of New Jersey, along with lots of other things: mercury, polychlorobiphenyls and dioxin, among them. And according to a former governor, there could be some danger in eating fish from Garden State waters. ""Many types of fish and shellfish from waters across the state are labeled u... |
35154 | In February 2020 the Vatican said that Pope Francis and two aides had tested positive for COVID-19, a disease caused by a new coronavirus. | At an Ash Wednesday service in the Vatican on Feb. 26, Francis was seen coughing and blowing his nose, causing some observers to speculate that the 83-year-old may have been among hundreds affected by a widespread coronavirus outbreak in Italy: | false | Junk News, COVID-19 | In early 2020, amid a global health crisis caused by the spread of a new coronavirus, readers asked us to fact-check rumors that Pope Francis had been caught up in an outbreak in Italy. In late February, the Malaysian website Making Comments Meaningful (MCM) published an article with the headline “Vatican Confirms Pope... |
1639 | Zimbabwean charged over killing of Cecil the lion. | A Zimbabwean court on Wednesday charged a professional hunter with failing to prevent an American from unlawfully killing ‘Cecil’, the southern African country’s best-known lion, in a case that has triggered widespread revulsion at trophy hunting. | true | Environment | The American, Walter James Palmer, a Minnesota dentist who paid $50,000 to kill the lion, has left Zimbabwe. He says he did kill the animal but believed the hunt was legal and that the necessary permits had been issued. Local hunter Theo Bronkhorst appeared in a courthouse in Hwange, 800 km (500 miles) west of Harare, ... |
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