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3589
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Apple detectives comb US Northwest for ‘lost’ varieties.
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The apple tree stands alone near the top of a steep hill, wind whipping through its branches as a perfect sunset paints its leaves a vibrant gold.
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true
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Plants, General News, Trees, Lifestyle, U.S. News, Weekend Reads, Science
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It has been there for more than a century, and there is no hint that the tree or its apples are anything out of the ordinary. But this scraggly specimen produces the Arkansas Beauty, a so-called heritage fruit long believed to be extinct until amateur botanists in the Pacific Northwest tracked it down three years ago. It’s one of 13 long-lost apple varieties rediscovered by a pair of retirees in the remote canyons, wind-swept fields and hidden ravines of what was once the Oregon Territory. E.J. Brandt and David Benscoter, who together form the nonprofit Lost Apple Project, log countless hours and hundreds of miles in trucks, on all-terrain vehicles and on foot to find orchards planted by settlers as they pushed west more than a century ago. The two are racing against time to preserve a slice of homesteader history: The apple trees are old, and many are dying. Others are being ripped out for more wheat fields or housing developments for a growing population. “To me, this area is a goldmine,” said Brandt, who has found two lost varieties in the Idaho panhandle. “I don’t want it lost in time. I want to give back to the people so that they can enjoy what our forefathers did.” Brandt and Benscoter scour old county fair records, newspaper clippings and nursery sales ledgers to figure out which varieties existed in the area. Then they hunt them down, matching written records with old property maps, land deeds and sometimes the memories of the pioneers’ great-grandchildren. They also get leads from people who live near old orchards. The task is huge. North America once had 17,000 named varieties of domesticated apples, but only about 4,000 remain. The Lost Apple Project believes settlers planted a few hundred varieties in their corner of the Pacific Northwest alone. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave 160 acres (65 hectares) to families who would improve the land and pay a small fee, and these newcomers planted orchards with enough variety to get them through the long winter, with apples that ripened from early spring until the first frosts. Then, as now, trees planted for eating apples were not raised from seeds; cuttings taken from existing trees were grafted onto a generic root stock and raised to maturity. These cloned trees remove the genetic variation that often makes “wild” apples inedible — so-called “spitters.” Benscoter, who retired in 2006 after a career as an FBI agent and an IRS criminal investigator, pursues leads on lost apples with the same zeal he applied to his criminal cases. In one instance, he found county fair records that listed winners for every apple variety growing in Whitman County, Washington, from 1900 to 1910 — an invaluable treasure map. In another, he located a descendant of a homesteader with a gigantic orchard by finding a family history she posted online. Once he discovers a forgotten orchard, Benscoter spends hours mapping it. He has pages of diagrams with a tiny circle denoting each tree, with GPS coordinates alongside each dot. A lengthy computer database lists apples including the Shackleford, the Flushing Spitzenburg and the Dickinson— all varieties rediscovered by the project. Apples from newly discovered trees are placed in a Ziploc baggie and carefully labeled with the tree’s latitude and longitude and the date the fruit was collected. The apples are then shipped to the Temperate Orchard Conservancy more than 400 miles (640 kilometers) away in Molalla, Oregon, for identification. There, experts work to identify them using a trove of U.S. Agriculture Department watercolors and old textbooks. Once a variety is identified as “lost,” the apple detectives return to the field to take cuttings that can be grafted onto root stock and planted in the conservancy’s vast orchard, to be preserved for future generations. The trees could eventually boost genetic diversity among modern-day apple crops as climate change and disease take an increasing toll, said Joanie Cooper, a botanist at the Temperate Orchard Conservancy who’s helped identify many of the lost varieties found in northern Idaho and eastern Washington. She and two others founded the nonprofit conservancy in 2011, and operate it on a shoestring, after recognizing the need for a repository for rare fruit trees in the U.S. West. “You have to have varieties that can last, that can grow, produce fruit, survive the heat and maybe survive the cold winter, depending on where you are,” Cooper said. “I think that’s critical.” For Benscoter and Brandt, however, the biggest joy comes in the hunt. Brandt, a Vietnam veteran and passionate historian, last year found a homestead near Troy, Idaho, by matching names on receipts from a nursery ledger with old property maps. Three wind-bent apple trees neatly spaced along the edge of a wheat field were all that remained of the orchard. Brandt collected the apples, hoping one was the Enormous Pippin, a lost variety he saw listed in the sales ledger. Months later, he learned he had instead found the Regmalard, a yellowish apple with vibrant red splashes on its speckled skin. It hadn’t even been on his radar. “It’s a lot of footwork and a lot of book work and a lot of computer work. You talk to a lot of people,” Brandt said, savoring the memory. “And with that type of information, you can zero in a little bit — and then after that, you just cross your fingers and say, ‘Maybe this will be a lost one.’” Brandt is still looking for the Enormous Pippin. ___ Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus
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27100
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Researchers detected cocaine in multiple, freshwater-shrimp samples across the U.K.
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Nic Bury, another co-author from the University of Suffolk, argued that, “The impact of ‘invisible’ chemical pollution (such as drugs) on wildlife health needs more focus in the UK as policy can often be informed by studies such as these.” Their study provided refined methodologies to answer these kinds of questions. It also, as headlines claimed, identified the presence of cocaine in freshwater shrimp. As such, we rank the claim “true.”
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true
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Science
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On 1 May 2019, the scientific journal Environment International published research that found, among other things, the presence of cocaine in “100% of samples” of freshwater shrimp (Gammarus pulex) from 15 sites across Suffolk, UK. The purpose of the study, titled “Biomonitoring of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in a freshwater invertebrate to estimate toxic or effect pressure” was two-fold: to present a method for quantifying the presence of pesticide, pharmaceutical, and drugs of abuse in ecological settings, and to develop methods to estimate the relative amount of harm, or effect, each of these chemicals poses to the organisms in those environments. In a press release, lead author Thomas Miller, a post-doctoral researcher at King’s College London, said, “The most frequently detected compounds were illicit drugs, including cocaine and ketamine, and a banned pesticide, fenuron.” The investigators were able to identify 56 compounds among the shrimp samples. The researchers also sampled the water in the streams in which the shrimp were found. Here, too, cocaine was identified in all of the sites, suggesting its occurrence is widespread and not localized to any one source of contamination. The concentrations, however, were “generally very low”: Concentrations of compounds were generally very low in both biota samples (parts per billion range) and water samples (parts per trillion range). Speaking to NPR, Emma Rosi, who was not involved in this study but who has, as an aquatic ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, performed similar work, said: “Pharmaceuticals and personal care products and pesticides and these types of illicit drugs have been detected in surface waters all over the world, because when we use them, our waste isn’t always treated properly, and so they come out in rivers and streams.” Rossi’s past work has identified more than 60 pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic invertebrates and spiders in streams near Melbourne, Australia. The question of what effect these compounds have on the organisms studied is a different one. Previous studies have, for example, attempted to ascertain if the behavior or other attributes of minnows exposed to concentrations of antidepressants found in some bodies of water changed as a result of that exposure. One study demonstrated that minnows’ “larval survival behaviors are imperiled by their current environmental exposure to antidepressant mixtures,” and that “anatomical variations in body length were also produced.” Another study by the same researchers found that minnows’ “anatomy and physiology, but not reproductive behavior, can be disrupted by exposure to environmental concentrations of some antidepressants.” In the shrimp study, the researchers attempted to quantify the potential effect on shrimp using a different quantitative measure based on the toxicity of the various chemicals at issue. For nearly all of the chemicals, including cocaine, they concluded that, “The potential for any effect is likely to be low.” Still, the presence of any illicit drugs in these shrimp was surprising to the researchers. Leon Barron, a co-author on the study from King’s College, said: “Such regular occurrence of illicit drugs in wildlife was surprising. We might expect to see these in urban areas such as London, but not in smaller and more rural catchments.”
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5666
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In Congo, an Ebola survivor with a motorbike helps ease fear.
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When Germain Kalubenge gets a request for a ride on his motorcycle it can be a matter of life or death. The 23-year-old is a survivor of the Ebola virus and often is the only driver his community trusts to help if someone suspects they are infected.
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true
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AP Top News, International News, General News, Africa, Health, Ebola virus
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“I wake up every day at 5 in the morning to ... wait for calls from suspected Ebola cases who do not like to take an ambulance,” he said. “In the community they are afraid of ambulances. They believe that in an ambulance, doctors will give them toxic injections and they will die before arriving at the hospital.” Kalubenge is a rare motorcycle taxi driver who is also an Ebola survivor in eastern Congo, making him a welcome collaborator for health workers who have faced deep community mistrust during the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. More than 2,000 people have died since August of last year, and the World Health Organization last week said the outbreak still warrants being classified as a global emergency, even as the number of confirmed cases has slowed. This is the first time Ebola has been confirmed in this part of Congo, and rumors quickly spread in Beni, an early epicenter of the outbreak, that the virus had been imported to kill the population. The community has been traumatized by years of deadly rebel attacks and is wary of authorities, blaming them for the insecurity that has killed nearly 2,000 people since late 2014. Gaining people’s trust has been a constant challenge for health workers. Imagine that you are running a fever and you see a dozen jeeps carrying doctors wearing head-to-toe protective gear, said Muhindo Soli, a young man who was arrested earlier this year for throwing stones at Ebola responders’ vehicles. “That would scare me,” he said, adding that some young people refuse to let patients be taken away. Soli called on Ebola responders to stop working with military and police escorts, which he said only heightens tensions: “One wonders why the people who come to treat us come with soldiers?” Dr. Muhindo Muyisa, who leads the response to Ebola alerts in Beni, said they have received more than 150 alerts daily about potential cases. They have intervened more than 90% of the time, sending an ambulance or other vehicle, when people refuse to go to centers where testing is done for the virus, Muyisa said. Kalubenge, who as a survivor is immune to Ebola, saw the community resistance and decided to help. At times he has taken about 10 people a day to the Ebola centers after surviving the virus last year. He and his motorcycle are sprayed with chlorine each time he arrives. One day in August, he received a call from a parent whose 5-year-old had a fever and was vomiting. His first step was to convince the mother to allow her child to go to the center for testing. The symptoms were similar to other diseases common in the area such as malaria, which can add to people’s hesitation about Ebola. In the end the child was found to have malaria. Kalubenge makes sure to tell potential patients his own Ebola story and says they will only get better if they go to a center to be checked. Riding with him draws far less attention than an ambulance would. People like to ride a motorcycle “to avoid neighbors’ curiosity,” he said. Kalubenge is the only good link between the Ebola centers and the population, said Beni resident Sammy Misonia, who met the driver during a community question-and-answer session with Ebola survivors. “There are too many rumors that make people afraid to go,” Misonia said. “With this initiative, people will always agree to go because we now see someone who has come out of the treatment center alive.” Kalubenge said he is happy to help give people hope — even when some riders vomit on him during the journey. “People need to know that doctors treat well, and I was well cared for,” he said. “Ebola is not the end of life. After Ebola, there is life.” ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa
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8261
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'False fears' about vaping stopping smokers using e-cigs: UK report.
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More than half of UK smokers now wrongly believe that nicotine-containing “vapes” or e-cigarettes are as dangerous as tobacco cigarettes and these “false fears” are preventing smokers from switching, health experts said on Wednesday.
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true
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Health News
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In a report commissioned by the health agency Public Health England (PHE), scientists at King’s College London said the mistaken belief that e-cigarettes are more harmful than smoking had gained ground rapidly following thousands of reported cases of lung injury in the United States in late 2019. But the belief is “out of line” with expert reviews from Britain and the United States concluding that using regulated nicotine vapes is far less harmful than smoking, they said. The report, the sixth by PHE on this issue, is likely to deepen divisions in opinion about the potential risks of e-cigarettes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month it had recorded more than 2,800 cases of lung injury linked to vaping. “It is concerning to see how much the U.S. lung disease outbreak has affected smokers’ views on e-cigarettes here in the UK,” said John Newton, director of health improvement at PHE. “Safety fears may well be deterring many smokers from switching, leaving them on a path to years of ill health and an early death due to their smoking,” he said. PHE says smoking causes 220 premature deaths a day in England alone. Health authorities in the United States have said that vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent added to cannabis vapes, is the likely primary cause of the U.S. outbreak. The substance is banned from UK-regulated nicotine vapes and e-cigarettes. John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies, said the PHE report’s findings were “disturbing”. “Smoking remains the biggest avoidable cause of death and disability in the UK, and using electronic cigarettes is an effective means of quitting smoking,” he said. He called for campaigns to ensure that “all smokers understand that switching to e-cigarettes is one of the most effective ways of quitting smoking and protecting their health”. The report reiterated PHE’s view that “e-cigarettes are much less harmful than tobacco but are not completely safe”. They contain far fewer of the harmful chemicals which cause smoking-related diseases, it said, “but the long-term impact of using e-cigarettes will remain unknown for some time”. The U.S. government has proposed a sweeping ban on all vaping flavours that are seen as attracting young users. The PHE cautioned against any similar move in Britain, saying it would deter smokers from switching and would “ultimately cost lives”.
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33876
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"Keanu Reeves said: ""None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought."
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Although we have not been able to identify the author of this longer piece of text (minus the concluding paragraph), it wasn’t Reeves. We found no articles written by Reeves containing this text or any interviews with him expressing this message. We also know that the final paragraph of this text originated with another author.
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false
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Questionable Quotes
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In June 2019, the internet seemed absolutely obsessed with movie star Keanu Reeves. The actor was riding the wave of praise following the third installment in the John Wick saga, had a surprise cameo in the romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe, and made a meme-worthy appearance at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Amidst this fervor, an old quote ostensibly uttered by Reeves started to recirculate on social media: None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.” This is not a genuine quote from Reeves. While we’re at it, this quote also wasn’t uttered by actors Christopher Walken, Anthony Hopkins, or Richard Gere: In fact, the message doesn’t come from any movie star. It originated with a May 2015 post on the Sweatpants and Coffee Facebook page: Nanea Hoffman, founder and CEO of Sweatpants and Coffee, added a message to this post explaining how her words had occasionally been “borrowed” and attributed to other authors: Be kind. Do not treat yourself like an after thought. Edited to add: Friends, you’re going to be seeing my name on a lot of these posts from now on, mostly because people have wanted to know who says all this stuff (and also because sometimes other people feel free to “borrow” or claim my words, and that’s just not cool). Well, it’s me. Sweatpants & Coffee is really a lot of my own inner dialogue flung out upon the Internetz in an attempt to connect with like-minded souls. Such as you fine people. So. There it is. This is me, talking to myself and to you, awkwardly, honestly, goofily, and with no small amount of anxiety. Love you, #WeirdoTribe. XOXO, Nanea For more good stuff, go to sweatpantsandcoffee.com Hoffman’s words can also be found in the concluding paragraph of a longer piece of text that was also falsely attributed to Reeves. That longer quote can be found, among other places, in an April 2016 article published on Medium entitled “Here’s Keanu Reeves’ Message On Living Life To The Fullest”: “My friend’s mom has eaten healthy all her life. Never ever consumed alcohol or any “bad” food, exercised every day, very limber, very active, took all supplements suggested by her doctor, never went in the sun without sunscreen and when she did it was for as short a period as possible — so pretty much she protected her health with the utmost that anyone could. She is now 76 and has skin cancer, bone marrow cancer and extreme osteoporosis. My friend’s father eats bacon on top of bacon, butter on top of butter, fat on top of fat, never and I mean never exercised, was out in the sun burnt to a crisp every summer, he basically took the approach to live life to his fullest and not as others suggest. He is 81 and the doctors says his health is that of a young person. People you cannot hide from your poison. It’s out there and it will find you so in the words of my friend’s still living mother: “If I would have known my life would end this way I would have lived it more to the fullest enjoying everything I was told not to!” None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.”
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9705
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Panic disorder treatment could be breath of fresh air
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We would have questioned the decision to write about a device with so little evidence to back up its use, but with a huge health insurer considering whether to back this device as a panic attack treatment, it makes a lot of sense to examine it from multiple angles. The reporter does just that. Nearly across the board the story covers the important bases. Costs, availability, alternatives, the quality of the evidence, what independent experts think. The two big drawbacks on the piece are the lack of hard numbers (instead of percentages) to explain the purported benefits of the treatment and the lack of any discussion of the risks of using this treatment versus better known alternatives. As the article states, several million people in the U.S. have panic disorder, and millions more experience panic attacks that bring them to the emergency room or for a visit to a doctor. The disorder may significantly limit people’s lives. It is very treatable, although treatment can be time consuming (meeting 2-3 times/week for 3-4 months with a therapist) and fairly expensive. It usually includes the use of drugs as well entailing visits to a psychiatrist. This device trains people with panic attacks to slow their breathing, and early evidence indicates that this results in a sustained decrease in panic symptoms. It’s unclear from the article though if studies were randomized controlled trials and/or were all sponsored by the manufacturer–always helpful info to know. This training may take less time and be less expensive than traditional courses of cognitive behavioral therapy.
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true
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panic disorder
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Not only does the story discuss the costs, it explains that “no other insurance companies are covering Freespira’s $500-a-month price tag, a barrier to widespread use.” The story could have gone even further by explaining that if people can train themselves at home to use this device, it would save visits (time and money) to psychologists and psychiatrists. We’re giving this a pass here because the story does discuss what limited evidence there is for the benefits of the device. Our one wish — and it’s a big one — is that the story would have talked about the benefits in absolute terms. Here’s a chief example: one “multicenter trail” involved just 69 patients. Only 48 of them completed the treatment. Then the story says that 69% of those 48 people had a “significant reduction in severity of panic disorder symptoms.” It’s hard for readers (including the reviewers) to get their heads around that. Why not just say that 33 of the 48 patients had the reductions (and explain what is meant by “significant”)? It’s easier for people to understand, and it emphasizes the small nature of the study. There is no explanation of the harms, and we think this is a troubling omission. Take the same example of the 69-person trial. If 21 people dropped out, why? And did this happen in other trials, too? We’re talking about a real mental health need that is not being met by current treatments, so the stakes are high enough that risks must be explained. The very first reference to the device says that it “suggests” that breathing slowly and shallowly might be better for panic attacks. It goes on to underscore why it uses that word. It’s because so much of the evidence is weak, and the story shows that. Of course, we always see room for improvement, and in this case we think the story could have pointed out the lack of peer review of the multicenter study mentioned. It’s also important to know if any of the studies were randomized and controlled, and if the ones mentioned were sponsored by the manufacturer, which would skew towards a positive result. Many people too don’t realize the exceedingly low standard for device clearance by the FDA. This clearance says little if anything about whether the device actually works or not or is safe. So the FDA stamp here, while it sounds good, really says nothing about the product’s effectiveness or safety — and the story could have been more clear about that. The story does not engage in disease mongering, and we very much appreciated how it waited until deep into the piece before bringing in an anecdotal success story. No editor will allow a newspaper story like this to run without a patient experience being included. And so we very much appreciated how hard it must have been to go through so much more context and detail in the scientific debate around this device before bringing in a patient. The story does a nice job exploring a wide range of opinions about the device and includes one potentially telling piece of context. The reporter tried to contact the scientist who led the studies that led to the device being given FDA approval. “She declined to discuss the company or her research for the article.” That being said, we think it would have been helpful to clarify whether the studies noted were sponsored by manufacturer. And it seems possible that one of the sources, who is analyzing the (unpublished) multi-center trial, could be a company consultant (call us paranoid). We can’t be sure about either of these things so we’ll give the benefit of the doubt here. The story talks a lot about the alternatives to this treatment, although we think it’s a stretch to say that the results are “similar to results for cognitive behavioral therapy.” If a decent-sized randomized controlled trial showed that the two were equivalent, then we’d be more supportive. But it’s not clear that any of these studies were randomized, controlled, peer-reviewed, or even published. The story noted that the treatment is not widely available, including the fact that in the Inquirer’s readership area, “only Marvin Berman, a neurofeedback therapist…offers the device to patients.” The story did address the novelty question and showed how the question of retraining people’s breathing patterns is a longstanding issue that researchers have been trying to address multiple ways. The story did not rely on a news release.
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24526
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"The Baucus bill ""contains provisions that would send massive federal subsidies directly to both private insurance plans and government-chartered cooperatives that pay for elective abortion."
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National Right to Life Committee says Baucus bill would permit federal subsidies to go to insurance plans that cover abortions
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true
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Abortion, National, Health Care, National Right to Life Committee,
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"With the recent release of the Senate Finance Committee plan for health care reform, the abortion issue has re-emerged in the health care debate. And both sides are choosing their words carefully to score political points. We are examining two seemingly similar statements from the National Right to Life Committee that we think get to the heart of the rhetoric. One is that under the bill proposed by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., federal funds (tax dollars) would subsidize abortions; and the other is that federal subsidies would go to insurance companies that offer abortion coverage. They sound similar, but we ended up with rulings at opposite ends of our Truth-O-Meter. We take a look at the first claim, that federal tax dollars would subsidize abortions, in a separate item and conclude the statement is False . In this item, we deal with a statement from NLRC legislative director Douglas Johnson that the Baucus bill ""contains provisions that would send massive federal subsidies directly to both private insurance plans and government-chartered cooperatives that pay for elective abortion."" If you look carefully, the issue here is government involvement in plans that offer abortion. And that's a big deal. The 1976 Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions through Medicaid except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's health is in peril. So states that want to offer abortion coverage have to pay for it themselves. Similar restrictions on public funding for abortions applies to federal health care coverage extended to active and retired military and federal employees. Baucus said he attempted to ""find language that just maintains the status quo"" on abortion, because he didn't want the issue to be a distraction. ""This is a health care bill, not an abortion bill,"" Baucus said. Maintaining the status quo, however, is a matter of perception. And that's because there are two competing realities. On the one hand, as President Barack Obama acknowledged in a July 21 interview, ""We ... have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government-funded health care."" In other words, the more than 250 private health plans that cover federal employees — because they are subsidized by the federal government — cannot offer full abortion services. On the other hand, many private plans (outside the government) currently offer abortion services. If the government starts providing health care subsidies but bans the participation of any plan that offers abortion services (as some legislators have suggested), abortion rights groups argue it would strip millions of women of benefits they currently get. According to a 2002 Guttmacher Institute study, 87 percent of employment-based insured health plans offered coverage for abortions (though not all companies select it for their employees). A 2003 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 46 percent of covered workers had coverage for abortions. The two surveys asked different questions, but the bottom line is that a significant percentage of women have health insurance that covers abortions. According to Baucus' chairman's mark, which provides a blueprint for the plan, abortion cannot be a mandated as part of any minimum benefits package except in cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger. However, health plans in the exchange or co-op would not be prohibited from providing abortion coverage. In fact, every state exchange would have to provide one plan that covers abortion and one that does not. The exchange is a virtual marketplace where people can comparison shop for an insurance plan. Baucus' alternative to a public option, a co-op, would be one alternative on the exchange (think of it as a credit union for health insurance). The plan provides federal dollars — through tax credits or cost-sharing credits — to subsidize the cost of insurance for people with modest incomes. So clearly, you'd have federal subsidies going to plans that cover abortions. But no more federal money would go to plans that offer abortion, so the added cost would presumably be passed on to consumers who choose plans that offer abortion, and efforts have been made to segregate funding so that only money from premiums — not tax dollars — would be used to pay for abortions. But if millions of uninsured people would now get insurance due to the health care plan, and some of the plans offer abortion coverage, we think it's fair to conclude the Baucus plan (or any other Democratic plan under consideration) would mean more women would have access to abortion services. That obviously doesn't sit well with National Right to Life and other antiabortion groups. Johnson said they'd like to see an amendment that would prohibit any insurer that gets federal subsidies from offering abortion services. Amendments to that effect failed in the House. The plan, as proposed, would lead to more abortion coverage, and therefore more abortions, Johnson said. The Hyde Amendment, he said, is ""one of the most important abortion reduction policies adopted by Congress."" Not only can't the federal government subsidize abortion, he said, it can’t subsidize plans that offer abortion. The Baucus bill, he said, is ""a big departure from where we are now."" Here's Planned Parenthood's take on the Baucus plan: ""Planned Parenthood acknowledges that there are some compromises that need to be made to move health care reform forward, and we are willing to do so if it means more women can access affordable, quality health care from the provider of their choice. While we are concerned that the language in the Senate Finance Bill specifically singles out abortion, we understand it is necessary to move health care reform forward. ""As it currently stands, it is a carefully crafted compromise which assures that access to abortion would neither be mandated nor prohibited — and that women would not lose health care benefits that they have had for decades, while also addressing concerns that no federal funds would be used for abortion."" In the abortion debate, nothing is simple. And as we said, words are chosen carefully. Regarding Johnson's claim that the Baucus plan would result in ""federal subsidies directly to both private insurance plans and government-chartered cooperatives that pay for elective abortion,"" we think he is on solid ground. One could argue whether or not this is a departure from making the bill ""abortion neutral"" — each side has its take on that — but the fact is the plan would allow insurers to offer abortion. And the plan includes federal subsidies to some who might choose to join such a plan. And so we rule Johnson's statement ."
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9150
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Stroke, MS patients walk significantly better with neural stimulation
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Functional electrical stimulation illustration by Milos R Popovic – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48016117 Just two patients — one with multiple sclerosis and one with paralysis from a stroke — participated in these studies on the feasibility of using implanted electrodes to restore the ability to walk. Although it’s exciting so see assistive technology helping individuals, isolated short-term successes in a lab don’t equate to an effective treatment for broad populations of patients, but this news release from Case Western Reserve University doesn’t deliver that caution strongly enough. Nor does it discuss costs, offer comparisons with other treatment options, or explain potential risks with this technology, which was developed with the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The news release nicely describes how this technology affected these two patients, including videos showing them walking with and without the electronic stimulation. Stroke and multiple sclerosis are two common causes of impaired walking. Case studies like these are exciting and may support further research into the use of implanted devices to restore specific muscle contractions necessary for walking, which may in turn lead to greater mobility and improved cardiovascular health and quality of life.
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false
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Case Western Reserve University,Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES),neural stimulation
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There’s no discussion of costs. While it may not be possible to put an exact price tag on a treatment that is so preliminary, we think some estimate of the costs involved is warranted. One study put the indirect costs of multiple sclerosis at more than $30,000 per person per year, due mainly to impaired mobility. The news release hints at the high cost by mentioning that the researchers are seeking funding to fit one of the patients with a permanent device in a clinical trial. The news release describes both men’s improvement in terms of distance walked with the aid of electronic nerve stimulation. For example, the stroke patient’s ability to move “without the system was about 19 yards per minute; with the system, 47 yards per minute,” the news release states, while training improved his speed with the system turned off to “23 yards per minute, indicating therapeutic benefit.” His distance improved from 83 yards to 1,550 yards, almost a mile. It states that the multiple sclerosis patient “went from the two steps to consistently walking more than 30 yards during the (90-day) trial. In that time, he used a walker to help maintain his balance.” The news release also provides quotes from the men and links to videos that show the men’s abilities to walk with and without electronic stimulation. There’s no mention of potential harms, such as the risk of infection from implanted electrodes. In research that is this preliminary, there should be ample discussion of the limitations. That’s missing here. The news release doesn’t effectively convey that a large-scale clinical study is needed to determine whether this technology can be effective for large groups of patients, particularly outside the clinical setting. Patients with these conditions have a wide range of degrees and types of impairment, and it’s unclear who could benefit or whether the technology might have to be adapted for different patients. Also, there’s not much detail on how much effort was required for these patients to achieve and maintain mobility improvement. According to one of the case studies, the stroke patient came to the lab for 46 sessions of gait training over 30 weeks, spending two to three hours each time. The necessity of intense training to use this technology might limit its applicability. The news release gives some sense of what’s involved with operating this system, describing how patients push a button on a controller to trigger electrical pulses that stimulate the nerves. It also quotes one patient as stating that “distance is a challenge.” The release doesn’t engage in disease mongering. It does provide some perspective, stating that a “substantial” number of people could stand to benefit from this technology. It further states: “The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that more than 2.3 million people have the disease worldwide. Surveys have found that 93 percent suffer gait impairment within 10 years of diagnosis and 13 percent report they are unable to walk twice a week. Other research has found that 6 million to 7 million people live with stroke nationally and nearly 30 percent require assistance to walk.” The release doesn’t note the funders but they are listed on the sidebar of EurekAlert!, a host site for the news release. There’s scant reference to existing treatments, with just one quote that briefly mentions physical therapy: In each patient, “the pulses are sent in a pattern that is close to how normal muscles work,” said Rudi Kobetic, a principal investigator at the Stokes Cleveland VA and APT Center. “We try to time the pattern to stimulation so that it’s integrated with their ability. Similar to regular physical therapy, we can see results.” We would have liked to see discussion of what hurdles this technology must overcome to be made available to the general patient population, as well as what types of patients might stand to benefit. While functional electronic stimulation has been used for many decades to aid patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, among other conditions, this release suggests in the fourth paragraph that this is the first time an implantable FES device has been used in a patient with multiple sclerosis. We think the release should have been more transparent about the fact that research into this implantable technology has been going on for many years. For example, a 2005 study reported in the journal Spinal Cord describes how researchers implanted FES systems in nine pediatric patients with spinal cord injuries. The release does offer some context, stating that researchers “hope these studies will lay the foundation for implanted systems that restore some independence to people with MS or who have suffered a stroke.” Further, it quotes a researcher saying that this technology has been used primarily for therapy in stroke patients and this application constitutes “a more long-term assistive system” for those patients. The release doesn’t rely on sensational language. However, the headline could easily mislead casual readers into thinking that nerve stimulation could help all MS and stroke patients improve their ability to walk, when in fact this specific technology was tested on just two patients.
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3463
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State to submit Fairbanks clean air plan by mid-December.
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The state agency responsible for maintaining safe air for Alaskans has agreed to submit a cleanup plan for Fairbanks to federal regulators by mid-December.
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true
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Lawsuits, Alaska, Environment, Courts, Fairbanks, General News
|
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will submit a cleanup plan to the federal Environmental Protection Agency by Dec. 15 as part of a lawsuit brought by clean air advocates. Fine particulate, a pollutant that can cause heart and lung problems, especially among the young and the elderly, has spiked out of compliance during winter months in the Fairbanks North Star Borough for more than a decade. advocates for clean air have sued four times seeking compliance. The EPA in a second agreement overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Zilly of Seattle said it would decide by Jan. 15 whether the state plan contained all necessary parts. If it does, the EPA will have a year to decide whether the plan will bring Fairbanks into compliance with federal clean air law. A spokeswoman for one of the groups that sued, Citizens for Clean Air, expressed hope that the court-enforced deadlines would accelerate a remedy for serious air pollution. “The longer it takes to clean up our air, the more citizens will continue to be the collateral damage,” Patrice Lee said in a prepared statement. Residents remain vulnerable to health problems and premature death, especially senior citizens on fixed incomes, special needs children, adults with chronic illness, pregnant women and children, Lee said. Fine particulate is a mix of solid particles and liquid droplets that can be inhaled deep in the lungs. Particulate can cause premature death in people with heart and lung diseases. Much of the air pollution problem in Fairbanks is blamed on the incomplete burning of wood in woodstoves. Wood is an alternative heat source to expensive heating oil in the region where winter temperatures routinely fall to -50 Fahrenheit (-45.6 Celsius.) Fairbanks’ geography contributes to the particulate problem. Hills surrounding Fairbanks create a bowl effect. Particulate can be trapped by inversions, layers of warmer air that cap cold, dirty air and keep it from dissipating. Limits on woodstoves have not been popular. Fairbanks voters in October 2018 approved a measure prohibiting local officials from regulating how people heat their homes. Attorney Jeremy Lieb of Earthjustice, the environmental law firm that represented the clean-air advocates, said his clients were not satisfied with a draft state plan released in the summer that had the goal of reducing pollution 5% annually and full compliance with federal law in 10 years, or by Dec. 31, 2029. “That doesn’t meet what’s required for a serious area plan,” Lieb said. The groups want to see full compliance within five years, he said. If the EPA in December 2020 rejects the state plan, the agency would give Alaska authorities a deadline to revise inadequacies within 18 months or face sanctions and a federal cleanup plan.
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35210
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Experts and officials warned in 2018 that the U.S. government would be unable to respond effectively to a pandemic.
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The White House proposal “is threatening to claw back funding whose precise purpose is to help the United States be able to respond quickly in the event of a crisis,” said Carolyn Reynolds, a vice president at PATH, a global health technology nonprofit.
|
true
|
Politics, COVID-19
|
In late March and early April 2020, social media users revisited a 2018 tweet posted by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Senior Fellow Stephen Schwartz, in which he paraphrased a Washington Post article that reported the Trump administration had disbanded the National Security Council’s pandemic response team. The tweet, dated May 10, 2018, read, “When the next pandemic occurs (and make no mistake, it will) and the federal government is unable to respond in a coordinated and effective fashion to protect the lives of US citizens and others, this decision by John Bolton and Donald Trump will be why.” Some who shared the tweet amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 pointed to the date of the tweet and noted its apparent prescience. But Schwartz followed up on March 15, 2020, by thanking the experts quoted in the article, who themselves raised the alarm that the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration regarding pandemic preparedness left the United States vulnerable: The people tagged in Schwartz’ tweet are global health and development advocate Carolyn Reynolds; Jeremy Konyndyk, who led foreign disaster assistance for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under President Barack Obama; and Luciana Borio, former director for the National Security Council’s Medical and Biodefense Preparedness under Trump. Those three were quoted in the Post’s 2018 report in the following passage: This week, the administration released a list of $15 billion in spending cuts it wants Congress to approve. Among the targets is $252 million in unused funds remaining from the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people, far exceeding the combined total cases reported in about 20 previous outbreaks since the 1970s.
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32853
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"Nutella is ""toxic"" and contains the ""harmful"" ingredients vanillin and MSG."
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While rumors about Nutella’s supposedly “harmful” or “toxic” ingredients remain pervasive on social media, those claims stem from unsubstantiated concerns about vanillin (which has not proved to pose a health risk to consumers) and MSG (which has not been proved to be present in Nutella).
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false
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Uncategorized, chemophobia, food warnings, MSG
|
On 24 March 2015, the Facebook page “March Against Monsanto” published a link to an article reporting that popular Nutella brand sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread was “downright toxic”: On 17 February 2016, Business Insider also referenced the increasing spread of rumors that Nutella contains harmful ingredients: People on social media are accusing Nutella of containing harmful ingredients. Blog posts such as “Say no to Nutella, it is poisoning you and your children” and “Why you’ll want to think twice before feeding your kids Nutella” are being shared by thousands on Facebook. The posts claim that the artificial ingredient vanillin, which Nutella contains, is a neurotoxin that kills brain cells. The article to which “March Against Monsanto” linked in March 2016 was not new; rather, it was original published on 7 November 2014 to the web site Living Traditionally, and claimed that the “scariest thing that people don’t know about Nutella is that it contains monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as E621,” which was “cleverly hidden inside an artificial flavor called vanillin which is labeled on every Nutella jar.” Claims about Nutella’s purported toxicity primarily hinge on the product’s use of vanillin and the purported (unstated) presence of MSG: When most people see vanillin, they think … oh it has vanilla. However, this is likely one of the most harmful ingredients in Nutella. Scent and flavor of vanillin are nothing but chemicals. When we talk about actual real-life non-imitation vanilla flavor, what we’re really talking about is a bunch of molecules that are extracted from a vanilla bean. The grandest chemical of all of these is vanillin. Sure, vanilla has plenty of other odor molecules, but vanillin is about 95% of the scent. And, thanks to technology, you can make it cheaply from petroleum and in a lab. The largest vanillin manufacturers in the world are in China and more than 90% of food products manufactured contain vanillin from China including Nutella. The worst part of vanillin is that it contains unlabeled MSG. It is not a nutrient, vitamin, or mineral and has no health benefits. The part of MSG that negatively affects the human body is the “glutamate”, not the sodium. The breakdown of MSG typically consists of 78% glutamate, 12% sodium, and about 10% water. Any glutamate added to a processed food is not and can not be considered naturally occurring. Natural glutamate in plants and animals is known as L-glutamic acid. MSG Lurks As A Slow Poison In Common Food Items Without Your Knowledge and vanillin is one of them. MSG has been proven to act as an excitotoxin which stimulates the reward system of the brain, so we think it tastes better (than it actually does) and consequently consume more. There are a growing number of Clinicians and Scientists who are convinced that excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of several neurological disorders, including migraines, seizures, infections, abnormal neural development, certain endocrine disorders, specific types of obesity, and especially the neurodegenerative diseases; a group of diseases which includes: ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and olivopontocerebellar degeneration. However, vanillin is widely recognized as a safe food additive, both in the United States and globally, with a document published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (called a Screening Information Dataset, or SIDS) stating that: During the present reviewing of the available toxicity data for vanillin, no particular risk has been identified which should give reason to concern or additional toxicity testing in animals. The use of vanillin as a food additive is approved by authorities world wide, and FDA has granted GRAS [generally recognized as safe] status to its use. This is in agreement with the experience with vanillin in consumer products during many years without any confirmed report of adverse events. Nutella’s ingredients are listed on the packaging as follows: “Sugar, Peanut Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals Whey, (From Milk), Partially Hydrogenated Peanut Oil, Soy Lecithin (An Emulsifier), Vanillin (An Artificial Flavor).” We contacted Nutella’s parent company to ask whether the vanillin in Nutella contains MSG (an ingredient not listed in their labeling). A Nutella representative replied that the claim was completely false, that Nutella contains no MSG (nor any GMO-derived ingredients).
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3365
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Proposal would update Minnesota food code.
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Proposed changes to Minnesota’s food code would introduce new health standards for the state’s food service industry.
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true
|
Health, Food services, St. Cloud, Minnesota
|
The state Department of Health and the state Department of Agriculture proposed the changes in November, the St. Cloud Times reported. The alterations reflect changes in the food industry, such as the creation of food trucks and pop-up restaurants, as well as increased consumer interest and concern in where food comes from and how its prepared, the report said. The proposed rules emphasize “food sanitation and safety measures critical to preventing foodborne disease.” Food code violations will be categorized by a three-tiered system. Priority 1 violations are linked to risk factors for food-borne illness or injury. Priority 2 violations are related to indirect risk factors such as equipment and facilities. Priority 3 violations cover sanitation and good retail practice. The system aims to help restaurant operators understand the severity of violations. Some changes will make restaurant operators’ jobs easier, such as removing date-marking requirements for certain foods, creating a process for non-continuous cooking and extending the amount of time food can be held without refrigeration. Other changes offer stricter guidelines than the previous code. One proposed change would ban bare hand contact with foods that don’t receive further cooking, such as salad green or pre-cooked proteins, which will help cut down on contamination that leads to sickness, the proposal said. Another proposed change would enact stricter safety requirements for food operations in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities or daycares, which feature populations who are highly susceptible to illness. An administrative law judge is reviewing the proposal, said Angie Cyr of the Minnesota Department of Health. If it’s approved, it would then be submitted to Gov. Mark Dayton. The changes would go into effect next January if they’re approved. ___ Information from: St. Cloud Times, http://www.sctimes.com
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29227
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"A woman claimed she was ""fat shamed"" by a Harry Potter-themed ride after getting kicked off."
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"What's true: Comedian Jana Schmieding recounted her experience getting kicked off a Harry Potter-themed ride due to her size at Universal Studios Hollywood. What's false: Schmieding did not claim the ride ""fat shamed"" her; she argued amusement parks should build attractions that accommodate a variety of body types."
|
false
|
Entertainment, body acceptance, daily wire, fake outrage
|
On 9 May 2018, the right-leaning blog DailyWire.com reported that a woman claimed she was “fat shamed” by a theme park ride in California: A plus-sized woman claims she visited the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” and was denied entry onto the Hogwarts ride because her size did not meet safety standards. In a piece for the Huffington Post, Jana Schmiedling of the “Woman of Size” podcast says that she mostly enjoyed her experience at the theme park until a dark cloud descended upon her day when she attempted to participate in the “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” ride. The story is based on a 9 May 2018 opinion piece written by Schmiedling about her experience while visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, a movie-themed amusement park in Los Angeles. She recounts getting kicked off the “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” ride due to her size after making it as far as sitting down and lowering the shoulder harness: One of the 20-something ride managers walked over and asked us all to step off because of a “safety” issue. We were ushered through a door to what looked like a backstage area where another 20-something employee rattled off a spiel about “safety” and “three clicks” and having to “try out a safety seat.” That’s when we all knew that I hadn’t actually made it onto the Hogwarts ride. Despite clickbait headlines reporting otherwise, nowhere in her piece did Schmiedling accuse the ride (an inanimate object) of “fat-shaming” her. Schmiedling was simply recounting her experience with a known issue at amusement parks, in which plus-sized guests will sometimes wait in line and finally get their chance to board a ride, only to be told by park employees that they do not meet size restrictions. The predicament is usually compounded by the mortification resulting from having it happen in full view of other park guests. Schmiedling argues that the experience is emblematic of the ways in which some are bullied or excluded because they don’t conform to socially-dictated weight norms and that theme parks, places where people spend a great deal of money to escape their day-to-day struggles and conflicts, should build attractions that accommodate guests of all sizes and body types — a seemingly innocuous, if not benevolent, suggestion. She writes: Because Harry Potter is fantastical ― beyond reality ― the park experience should also transcend the fat-shaming that we encounter every time we leave our homes. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter needs to open its doors to all kinds of people with all kinds of bodies who experience life in all kinds of ways and who would be so delighted to be invited into its magical realm. Right now, it’s just a little too realistic. However the piece was, perhaps predictably, picked up by right-leaning blogs throwing red meat to fans hungry for manufactured outrage about outspoken women or overly-sensitive “social justice warriors.” Aside from DailyWire.com, the article was aggregated by DailyCaller.com, Breitbart.com and the conspiratorial site WND.com, which published headlines like, “Woman Says Harry Potter Ride ‘Fat Shamed’ Her.” As is often the case when the Internet outrage machine churns into motion, Schmiedling said she is getting aggressively harassed in response to her piece, telling us: Yes I’ve definitely been trolled about the article and it only informs me that we have a long way to go in our conversation around body justice. Schmiedling’s experience with that particular attraction isn’t unique — there have been multiple reports that the Forbidden Journey ride has more restrictive limitations on the size of guests than others. As the theme park-oriented Attractions Magazine reported, it may be in part because, unlike roller coasters, the ride doesn’t go fast enough for the force of motion to help secure people in seats: Forbidden Journey isn’t a roller coaster, it’s a new type of ride in which the seats are on the end of a robotic arm, which moves along a track. […] Are the seats more snug to better hold the guests in, or is it used as a built-in weight limit? The ride doesn’t have any inversions like the roller coasters mentioned do, but it also doesn’t have the forward momentum to hold guests in their seats either. Maybe since the ride is still in technical rehearsals, the seats will be adjusted to allow larger guests, but there’s no indication that is the case. If you’re worried you may not fit in the seats, there are special test seats outside Hogwarts and just before you get on the ride. The seats must click three times or you can’t ride. Banks was able to get two clicks with the help of a strong “wizard” working the attraction. Nevertheless, Schmiedling, a comedian who hosts a podcast called “Woman of Size,” wrote that were it not for a warning from a friend about the ride’s weight restrictiveness and the fact she spends a lot of time discussing societally-prescribed weight norms and their effect on people who don’t conform to them, the experience may have been far more painful: As disappointed as I was, the experience didn’t entirely ruin my day. But I wonder how I would have reacted had I not already built up a small community of women in comedy dealing with similar body discrimination. Ruha did me a great service by warning me, but if I hadn’t been producing my podcast and discussing these issues weekly and meeting like-minded people, rejection from the Hogwarts ride because of my size would still have been a humiliating shock. In 2010, Universal Studios Hollywood’s sister park in Orlando, Florida modified the ride so that plus-sized guests could ride. We reached out to Universal Studios Hollywood for comment, but received no response.
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8571
|
No sign Europe's COVID-19 epidemic is at peak, EU disease monitoring agency says.
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The COVID-19 disease pandemic is still infecting and killing large numbers of people across Europe and there is no sign yet that the peak of the region’s outbreak has been reached, the EU’s disease monitoring agency said on Wednesday.
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true
|
Health News
|
A risk report by the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said its mortality monitoring system showed that deaths from all causes, including COVID-19, are above expected rates in Belgium, France, Italy, Malta, Spain, Switzerland and Britain, mainly in over 65s. Despite early evidence from Italy and Austria that the numbers of cases and deaths are declining, “there is currently no indication that the peak of the epidemic has been reached”, the assessment said. Andrea Ammon, the ECDC’s director, said that based on the available evidence in the region and in the current situation, “continuous spread of the virus can be expected”. Led by Italy, much of Europe has gone into lockdown in recent weeks, with schools and businesses closed and citizens ask to stay at home as countries seek to limit the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. “It is still too early to suddenly lift all community and physical distancing measures...even though these stringent measures may be quite disruptive to society on an economic and social level,” she said in a statement with the report. The ECDC’s assessment follows a warning earlier on Wednesday from the World Health Organization’s European director Hans Kluge, who described the region’s outbreak as “very concerning”. “We still have a long way to go in the marathon,” Kluge said, and urged governments to give “very careful consideration” before relaxing social distancing and lockdown measures put in place to try and control the disease’s spread. Ammon said coordination between European Union member states would be essential in “the de-escalation phase”, when the peaks have passed and societies are beginning to open up again. This would aim to “minimise the risk of infection ‘spilllover’ between countries if they de-escalate at different rates and in different ways,” she said.
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9922
|
Anesthesia: A medical mainstay re-examined
|
"This was a story about how some doctors are taking a new look at anesthesia, the consequences associated with its use, and possible options for minimizing anesthesia exposure. The story pointed out that anesthesia use is an important addition to medical care, but that there are certain possible risks that merit further evaluation. The story was somewhat alarmist, citing 'suggestions' that anestheisa might weaken the body's ability to kill tumor cells thereby making cancer recurrence more likely or that it might trigger an inflammatory response leading to atherosclerosis and other serious conditions. Mostly animal studies are cited to raise alarm about anesthesia. There are relevant human studies and they should have cited those and the rates of adverse effects. Although one of the anesthesiologists interviewed for this story talked about 'increasing evidence', the story itself did not contain evidence or even traceable references to evidence on the topic. Instead, it quoted a number of experts about their 'suggestions', 'fears', and 'hopes' when it comes to the effects that anesthesia had on function. While the story did mention rats taking longer to run a maze as adults when subjected to prolonged anesthesia when young, there was no quantitative estimate for the size of the effect anesthesia had been demonstrated to play. Even when data were given (1998 Lancet study showing 10% of elderly surgery patients have worse scores on cognition tests post surgery) we get no information on the magnitude of the effect (is it clinically important?) or on the research design (and therefore, the likely validity of any findings). There were clear attempts to inject balance into the story. The story stated, ""Many clinical anesthesiologists question the relevance of the animal studies."" One source said, ""Human babies are not large rat pups."" It is also stated, ""Most anesthesiologists and surgeons, citing the millions of people the world over who live long, healthy lives after surgery, say there is no call for worry."""
|
true
|
"There was no discussion of costs but we acknowledge that costs would be difficult to discuss in this story. They might have discussed the comparative costs of general vs. spinal vs. regional anesthesia or the potential downstream costs of anesthesia adverse effects. The benefits associated with the use of anesthesia were not presented other than the introduction explaining that anesthesia allows a patient to 'wake……as if from a deep slumber' having made it possible for surgery to take place. However there was no quantification of benefit from anesthesia in terms of how surgical risks are decreased in an anesthetized as opposed to unanesthetized patient. The story could also have addressed the comparative benefits between different forms of anesthesia. Possible harms associated with anesthesia were discussed in the article, though there was no information about how often these harms occur or how severe the effects might be. There were clear attempts to balance the information. The story stated, ""Many clinical anesthesiologists question the relevance of the animal studies."" One source said, ""Human babies are not large rat pups."" Although one of the anesthesiologists interviewed for this story talked about 'increasing evidence', the story itself did not contain evidence or even traceable references to evidence on the topic. Instead, it quoted a number of experts about their 'suggestions', 'fears', and 'hopes' when it comes to the effects that anesthesia had on function. While the story did mention rats taking longer to run a maze as adults when subjected to prolonged anesthesia when young, there was no quantitative estimate for the size of the effect anesthesia had been demonstrated to play. Even when data were given (1998 Lancet study showing 10% of elderly surgery patients have worse scores on cognition tests post surgery) we get no information on the magnitude of the effect (is it clinically important?) or on the research design (and therefore, the likely validity of any findings). The story was somewhat alarmist, citing 'suggestions' that anesthesia might weaken the body's ability to kill tumor cells thereby making cancer recurrence more likely or that it might trigger an inflammatory response leading to atherosclerosis and other serious conditions. Mostly animal studies are cited to raise alarm about anesthesia. There are relevant human studies and they should have cited those and the rates of adverse effects. However, we'll give the story the benefit of the doubt because there were clear attempts to inject balance, with lines such as, ""Most anesthesiologists and surgeons, citing the millions of people the world over who live long, healthy lives after surgery, say there is no call for worry."" Several professors were interviewed for this story including at least one who was not associated with a department of anesthesia. Although outlining reasons why anesthesia might present some increased risk of bodily harm, the story did not provide any guidance for determining whether a patient has any options in regards to anesthesia type, dose, and duration or anything about categories of procedures where options were more likely. Various anesthesia options were mentioned (regional/spinal/local) as was the fact that studies are underway to test hypotheses about particular advantages. However, the story didn't discuss any of the known advantages/disadvantages of these alternatives. The use of anesthesia is widely utilized in the surgical management of medical conditions, which is clear in the story. The story was clear that anesthesia is not new but explained that what is a more recent wrinkle is a focused examination of the long term impact of exposure to anesthesia Does not appear to rely on a press release."
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|
10276
|
Mammograms Cut Breast Cancer Death Rates, But Only Modestly: Study
|
"This story does a fairly good job carefully walking readers through a new study on a highly charged topic: the benefits of mammography. It pulls together a range of voices from different perspectives but allows one voice, that of the pro-mammography radiology community, to dominate the others. Given how thorough the story is in reviewing the science behind the new findings, it should also have talked about the costs associated with mammography, the harms associated with unnecessary procedures, and the variety of screening protocols and treatments available – including foregoing screening. We are in a bit of a mammography moment right now. Clinicians and policymakers are talking about the risks, benefits and costs, and, literally, lives could be saved or lost based on the outcome of these discussions. More than ever, patients need clear information to help them decide how to make decisions about their own health that may end up being in conflict with their doctor’s advice, depending on where their doctor stands in this debate. Stories like can help bring clarity to the discussion by taking pains to stick to the science and avoid ""muddying the waters"" with emotion or financial considerations."
|
mixture
|
"This is a big one to miss. Mammograms usually are covered by insurance, but because of the conflicting guidelines, there is a concern that some insurance companies won’t want to cover mammograms for women under 50. Also, if a woman doesn’t have insurance and falls into the right demographic, they will need to foot the bill. It would not have been difficult to find out how much they cost and even to find someone to estimate how much is spent every year in the U.S. on mammograms. Right off the bat, the story says, ""Routine mammograms account for only about one-third of the decline in breast cancer death rates, according to a large new analysis of data from Norway’s expansive breast cancer screening program."" It takes too long, we think, for the story to follow this up with more data. Instead, we are given this dubious statistic from an oft-quoted member of the American College of Radiology. He says that ""since the advent of routine mammograms in the 1990s, the rate of death from breast cancer has dropped 30 percent."" Ask an oncologist about what has happened to cancer care since the 1990s, and you may get a different answer as to why that death rate has dropped. In the fourth graph, we are given this great quote from the lead author, Dr. Mette Kalager, an epidemiologist with the Cancer Registry of Norway in Oslo and a visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. ""Women should be informed that the benefit is smaller than expected, and there should be a balanced discussion on the benefit and the possible harms of screening, such as overdiagnosis, false-negative and -positive tests and psychological distress."" Given how thorough the story was in other areas, we hoped to see some of these potential harms actually broken down later in the story. What has research shown to be the estimated amount of overdiagnosis, false-negatives and false-positives? Some of these numbers would have been a nice counterpoint to some of the statements elsewhere in the story touting the benefits of mammograms. There is no disease mongering in this story. The story could have done a better job explaining that self-exams are also another common, although also controversial, means of detecting breast cancer and that gene testing has given rise to a subgroup of patients with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations who have opted for aggressive prevention measures, such as complete breast removal. Cancer is a complicated disease, and some of this could have been captured, even in the limited space. Even more broadly, it never explicity addressed the option of foregoing mammography in any detail – which is hard to overlook in this case. The availability of mammograms is clear from the story. The story makes it clear that, far from novel, mammography is a frequently used screening procedure that is coming under new scrutiny because of mounting evidence that it does not produce the benefits early research showed. The story did not rely on a news release."
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|
14239
|
"Occupational Knowledge International Says Sherwin-Williams is ""making lead paint and poisoning people around the world."
|
"Occupational Knowledge International, a group dedicated to eliminating lead paint, posted a petition on Change.org that says Sherwin-Williams is ""making lead paint and poisoning people around the world."" There is some truth to the claim but also some spin. Sherwin-Williams continues to make industrial paint products that contain lead, but those paints are exempt from the U.S. lead ban. Sherwin-Williams does not directly make or directly sell residential paint products that contain lead, but they have licensees who might. In one case, in Lebanon, Sherwin-Williams acknowledged a mistake that allowed lead into a residential paint product. Occupational Knowledge International’s claim about Sherwin-Williams is partially accurate but leaves out important details."
|
mixture
|
Environment, Ohio, Consumer Safety, Occupational Knowledge International,
|
"Protesters demonstrated in front of the Cleveland headquarters of Sherwin-Williams on April 20, coinciding with the paint manufacturer’s annual shareholders’ meeting. ""Covering the world with LEAD PAINT,"" one banner read. Months earlier, Occupational Knowledge International, a nongovernmental agency based in San Francisco, posted a Change.org petition calling on Sherwin-Williams and another paint company, PPG Industries, to stop using lead in their products. The headline to the petition reads, ""Stop making lead paint and poisoning people around the world!"" But the use of lead-based paint has been banned in the United States since 1978 because the element is a poisonous neurotoxin. It’s especially harmful to children, even at tiny levels of exposure. Could a U.S. company still be making paint containing lead? Unleaded, please The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforces the rules against lead-based paint. Because many pre-1978 homes and buildings still contain lead paint, the EPA also cracks down on improper renovation and demolition activity, because inadequate abatement can release lead particles into the air, soil and water. But the executive director of Occupational Knowledge International, Perry Gottesfeld, says American firms still make paint with lead. Reports suggest that global lead production is up more than 70 percent. The petition is aimed at protecting consumers around the world -- Occupational Knowledge International says that 2.5 billion people live in countries where lead paint is still sold for residential use. Many countries don’t have regulations concerning lead in paint. A 2014 article in the National Institute of Health’s publication, Environmental Health Perspectives, charts 40 countries worldwide where decorative paint containing lead is still sold. Sherwin-Williams director of corporate communications, Mike Conway, said the company does not produce lead-based paint intended for residential use anywhere in the world. That’s accurate. But Sherwin-Williams does have 16 licensees who produce and sell Sherwin-Williams branded paint overseas, in places like Haiti, Indonesia, Thailand, El Salvador, Peru, and Guatemala. Those licensees control what’s in their product, and sign agreements that their formulas will not contain lead, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. And in 2015, the Plain Dealer reported that ""researchers from the University of Cincinnati and IPEN, an international non-governmental organization network, found lead at 360 times the acceptable limits in the Dutch Boy residential paint produced and sold by one of those licensees, Lebanon-based ChemiPaint."" ""We had one isolated case in Lebanon with a licensee who received a contaminated raw material from a Chinese supplier,"" Conway told PolitiFact. ""When he mixed it into the batch, that caused the lead level to rise. We responded immediately and made sure they rectified the problem. No issues since then."" Why lead in the first place If the downside is that it’s a poison, what’s the upside to using lead in paint? Tami Lasseter Clare, an associate professor of chemistry at Portland State University, said that it comes down to durability and cost. ""Paint is composed of two things, the pigment and the binder,"" Clare said. ""The pigment is the thing that gives it color and opacity, and the binder is the glue that sticks the pigment particles together."" When lead is in its basic form, lead carbonate, it is a white mineral, making it a good pigment. But other stuff is white too, like zinc oxide, the white stuff in sunscreen, or titanium dioxide. Zinc is not as good at covering and hiding surfaces, Clare said, so titanium dioxide has become the main lead alternative. Titanium dioxide has hiding power, but the downside is its price, which fluctuates like crazy. ""Major paint companies may be motivated to move away from materials having volatile prices to give better profit predictability,"" Clare said. But litigation is costly, too. In 2014, a judge in California ordered Sherwin-Williams and two other paint manufacturers to pay $1.15 billion into a fund for lead abatement, ruling that the companies created a public nuisance by promoting the use of lead paint in homes prior to 1978, while knowing the dangers it posed. The decision contained an excerpt from a Sherwin-Williams publication from 1900 that read, ""It is also familiarly known that white lead is a deadly cumulative poison, while zinc white is innocuous. It is true, therefore, that any paint is poisonous in proportion to the percentage of lead contained in it."" The World Health Organization joined with the United Nations Environment Programme to form the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint. Its objective is ""to promote a phase-out of the manufacture and sale of paints containing lead."" Conway, Sherwin-Williams’ spokesman, told PolitiFact Ohio that the company supports the global lead alliance program to eliminate lead in paint. The lead alliance’s goal for phasing out lead is gradual, and its first priority is to convince industry partners to stop using lead in decorative and residential paints that consumers buy off the shelf. There's another wrinkle to the paint debate. Sherwin-Williams also makes industrial coatings that are intended to be used only on outdoor metal surfaces such as cars and bridges. Sherwin-Williams does make industrial paint products that contain lead. Conway said the practice is not only legal but can be necessary to protect against corrosion. Gottesfeld wrote in Front Public Health that there are safer alternatives available for companies like Sherwin-Williams to use. The other paint manufacturer named in the petition, PPG International, held its shareholder meeting April 21, 2016, and the company’s CEO announced plans to eliminate lead from all PPG products by 2020. Our ruling Occupational Knowledge International, a group dedicated to eliminating lead paint, posted a petition on Change.org that says Sherwin-Williams is ""making lead paint and poisoning people around the world."" There is some truth to the claim but also some spin. Sherwin-Williams continues to make industrial paint products that contain lead, but those paints are exempt from the U.S. lead ban. Sherwin-Williams does not directly make or directly sell residential paint products that contain lead, but they have licensees who might. In one case, in Lebanon, Sherwin-Williams acknowledged a mistake that allowed lead into a residential paint product. Occupational Knowledge International’s claim about Sherwin-Williams is partially accurate but leaves out important details. Clarification April 26: This story has been updated to clarify differences between paints intended for residential and industrial use, as well as the source of the claim that global lead paint production is up 70 percent.
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Brain training' cut dementia risk in healthy adults -U.S. study
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A preliminary analysis of a 10-year study suggests computer-based cognitive-training software, also known as “brain games,” may lower the risk of dementia among healthy adults. The article exhibits some skepticism as it points out these findings have yet to undergo rigorous peer review. And there’s useful context, including discussion of a previous analysis done on the same dataset which revealed a much less rosy picture. The story also delves into the relationships between past and current investigators, and the company Posit Science which owns BrainHQ.com. The article would be more complete if a clarification was included on how dementia risk was assessed. The story should also have mentioned — as a competing piece from MedPageToday points out — that the 10-year study wasn’t powered to detect dementia outcomes. In fact, the new secondary analysis presented here could be viewed as an attempt to salvage the 10-year study and show a benefit that wasn’t evident in the primary analysis. This is the drawback of a data mining approach to making statistical inference; if you look hard enough, you will always find something. Currently, many researchers in cognitive psychology and neuroscience reject the notion that “brain games” have any effect on cognitive functions. This notion, however, may need to be reexamined If new preliminary findings, presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto, which suggest brain games may cut the risk of dementia in healthy adults, hold up to rigorous peer review and independent replication.
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brain games
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The article does not explicitly discuss the costs of brain game software programs. It does give Posit Science’s BrainHQ.com as an example so the reader can probably find out the cost rather easily. After an initial analysis revealed lukewarm associations between brain games and various cognitive functions, a secondary analysis was undertaken whose findings are reported in this article. Study participants were divided into three groups who received training for either memory improvement, reasoning, or speed-of-processing. The findings of the secondary analysis reveal that “speed training showed 33 percent less risk of dementia relative to the control group, while the memory and the reasoning interventions offered no such benefit.” and that “people who completed 11 or more speed training sessions were at 48 percent less risk for developing dementia over the 10 years of the study” But these are relative risk reductions, and the readers has no way to judge the magnitude of the benefit in absolute terms. A competing STAT story, by contrast, gave us the figures we were looking for: 14 percent of ACTIVE participants who received no training had dementia 10 years later, said psychologist Jerri Edwards of the University of South Florida, who led the study. Among those who completed up to 10 60-to-75-minute sessions of computer-based training in speed-of-processing — basically, how quickly and accurately they can pay attention to, process, and remember brief images on a computer screen — 12.1 percent developed dementia. Of those who completed all 10 initial training sessions plus four booster sessions a few years later, 8.2 percent developed dementia. It’s hard to imagine any serious harms from using brain games, other than time lost. The reader is rightfully reminded throughout the article that the findings of Edwards’ team are only preliminary as evidenced by the following: “The new findings would be quite promising if they hold up through peer review and publication in a scientific journal, said Dr. John King.” However, the story doesn’t clarify some key limitations, including the fact that this is a secondary analysis of a study that was never powered to detect dementia outcomes. While the story does mention that this is a “secondary analysis” it doesn’t explain the implications — particularly the fact that re-running the numbers in this way can generate uncertainty in the results. Finally, we never learn how the risk of dementia is measured, especially in healthy adults. People at risk for Alzheimer’s may benefit from brain games if the preliminary results presented hold up to further scrutiny. While the article acknowledges this, it does not commit any disease-mongering regarding Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders. The article introduces past and current investigators of the study, and their relationship to the company Posit Science: “The new analysis was by Dr. Jerri Edwards of the University of South Florida, whose mentor, Dr. Karlene Ball of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, sold her rights to the program to Posit Science. Edwards also was a paid consultant for the company for part of 2008.” The story doesn’t address other factors, such as diet, exercise, social engagement, that have been associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. According to the article, there already exist companies such as Posit Science who offer these so-called brain games. The findings reported may be the first to show that an intervention using brain games could “delay the development of dementia in normal, healthy adults.” Several sources were interviewed including Dr. John King, who was involved in the original study, and Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Ronald Petersen. Based on this, it does not appear the story was based solely on a news release.
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France drafts law to extend IVF to lesbians, single women.
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Single women and lesbians in France no longer would have to go abroad to get pregnant with a doctor’s help under a proposed law that would give them access to medically assisted reproduction at home for the first time.
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Lifestyle, Health, General News, France, Couples, International News, Paris, Emmanuel Macron, Laws, Europe, In vitro fertilization
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A bioethics law drafted by French President Emmanuel Macron’s government includes language to expand who is eligible for procedures such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, or IVF. French law currently limits assisted reproduction to infertile heterosexual couples only. While the French government says it is responding to changes in society, its bill is sure to generate debate when it comes up next month in parliament. After France in May 2013 made it legal for same-sex couples to marry and adopt children together, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Paris. The draft calls for France’s national health care system to cover the cost of four rounds of assisted reproduction per pregnancy for all women up to an age limit yet to be set. The bill also allows children conceived with donated sperm to find out the donor’s identity upon demand when they reach age 18, a change from the strict donor anonymity protections France has now. However, it would not remove France’s ban on surrogacy arrangements in which a woman carries and delivers a baby for someone else. French LGBT rights groups lobbied for the proposed provisions after France legalized same-sex marriage2013. They said allowing lesbians and single women to have IVF and other procedures would keep mothers and their babies from running afoul of the French legal system and give them access to the country’s generous health care system. “This simply is a measure of equality for French female citizens, whatever their sexual orientation is,” the Association of Gay and Lesbian Parents and Future Parents said in a statement. Twenty conservative groups are already organizing a protest for October to denounce the bill, alleging it will lead to more children raised without fathers. The groups also worry the expanded access to pregnancy procedures would eventually lead to the legalization of surrogate pregnancies. “Saying that you’re creating new rights ... while ignoring the consequences for children on purpose is a revolting and despicable process,” said Alberic Dumont, vice president of Demonstration for Everyone, a group that is among the bill’s critics. Lesbian couples, single women or both already have legal access to medically assisted reproduction in 18 of the European Union’s 28 countries. French women who can’t get procedures at home and can afford it often go to neighboring Spain or Belgium, where a single round of IVF round costs several thousand euros (dollars). Virginie, 36, who lives in the southern city of Marseille, married her wife, Cecile, in June. The two women decided not to wait for passage of the government’s proposed law to try to become parents, fearing the parliament debate could last months. Instead, they chose to use donor sperm mailed from Denmark for 1,000 euros ($1,112). That process is illegal in France, which is why Virginie, who plans to carry the baby, did not want to be identified with her last name. “If that first try doesn’t work, we are considering using the new French law,” she told The Associated Press. Virginie said it’s difficult doing something that is illegal and she thinks the proposed law would help many French women. But she also fears it might trigger an anti-gay backlash and encountering medical professionals who balk at serving same-sex couples. Amandine Zevolino, 35, and her wife, Camille live in Montpellier in southern France and have been married for a year and a half. Zevolino went to Spain to try to get pregnant, but didn’t feel comfortable with the anonymity and commercial aspect of using a sperm donor. She finally decided to perform at-home insemination with the help of a friend who agreed to donate the sperm. “We did a contract, even if we know it doesn’t have any legal value,” Zevolino said. “If it works, the child will know how he/she came to the world.” She is still hesitating about telling French medical workers the truth. The situation “forces us to lie,” she lamented. Zevolino thinks the parliament debate will ignite political tensions, but she also hopes the new law will help French society become more accepting of lesbian and single mothers. “Usually in France on that kind of issue, once the law is passed, it’s definitive,” she said.
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Romaine Quinn Says Gov. Evers “has refused to identify or discipline the staff member who secretly taped” a conversation with GOP leaders.
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The governor has not identified the responsible staffer despite repeated attempts from reporters to learn more about the incident. But he also has not said publicly what action, if any, he will take to discipline the person.
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Legal Issues, States, Wisconsin, Romaine Quinn,
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"Gov. Tony Evers came under fire after it was revealed a staff member in his office secretly recorded a May 14, 2020 phone meeting between the governor and Republican legislative leaders. The move incensed Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who immediately called for the staffer’s firing. Other lawmakers, including Republicans and at least one Democrat, echoed that demand. State Rep. Romaine Quinn, R-Barron, waded into the debate during the GOP’s June 18, 2020 weekly radio address, accusing Evers of ""a complete disregard for civility, cooperation and a lack of leadership."" Quinn went on to say: ""The governor has refused to identify or discipline the staff member who secretly taped the conversation."" Is that accurate? Partially. Let’s take a look. The call in question came one day after the state Supreme Court threw out Evers’ safer-at-home order, forcing officials to regroup and discuss a new response to the coronavirus pandemic. Evers, Vos and Fitzgerald talked respectfully to one another, but disagreed on next steps and what was happening in the state, based on a tape of the call released to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel under an open records request. When asked for evidence to back up Quinn’s claim, an aide pointed PolitiFact Wisconsin to a June, 11 2020 Department of Health Services briefing, at which Evers was asked about the recording incident, and a Wisconsin Radio Network-WSAU article about the briefing headlined, ""Evers won't fire staffer who secretly recorded phone call."" During the briefing, on the state’s response to COVID-19, Evers fielded multiple questions about the controversy and claimed he didn’t know the meeting was being recorded. The governor’s chief legal counsel, Ryan Nilsestuen, said staff consented to the recording in compliance with the state’s one-party consent rule, but wouldn’t identify who OK’d it. ""A staffer wanted help taking notes, and that’s why that staffer did that,"" Evers said. ""I will not discuss personnel issues in public, but needless to say, the practice has ended with this one time."" So Quinn is right that Evers won’t identify the staff member. But what about the discipline? Wisconsin Radio Network reported in its article that Evers said the staffer ""will not be fired."" One problem: Evers never said that in the call, according to a review of the call by PolitiFact Wisconsin. He has only continued to reiterate that he won’t talk about disciplinary matters, so it’s unclear how -- or whether -- the staffer has been disciplined. But in a June 23, 2020 DHS briefing, Evers hinted action had been taken, saying: ""This is obviously a personnel issue, and discipline measures are being handled internally,"" he said. Evers’ office did not respond to questions from PolitiFact Wisconsin. In the weekly GOP radio address, Quinn said Evers ""has refused to identify or discipline the staff member who secretly taped the conversation."" The governor has so far been very clear that he won’t identify the person. But he repeatedly refused to discuss any discipline in public. So, on that point, Quinn mischaracterized what Evers said and what is known about the situation. That leaves us with a statement that’s partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. That’s our definition for . See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com"
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Home defibrillators save lives in study
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This article reports on a study with inconclusive results about the benefits of using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in a home setting. The article does several things well: The article makes clear right from the top that AEDs and CPR were found to be equally effective. It provides detailed findings data that help people understand the nature of the study and the magnitude of possible benefit It uses a variety of sources with different viewpoints But it also has one serious flaw: By emphasizing successful use of the device with two elaborations on a single incident–and by interpreting the results data in a positive rather than skeptical light–the report creates a more favorable view of the benefits of home AED use than the study itself calls for. A key finding of the study is that certain subgroups of high-risk individuals may be well served by a home device. This was not made clear in the article.
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"The article reports that some home defibrillators can be purchased on the Internet for $1,200. The reporter includes useful data from the study, including the number of patients in the study, the number who had cardiac events, the number treated with AED and how survival rates compared between the AED and CPR groups. It’s worth noting, however, that the New England Journal editorial accompanying the study views the same data in a less positive manner: ""The AED was used in 29 unresponsive patients: a shock was advised and delivered in 14 patients, only 4 of whom were long-term survivors."" The report fails to mention the potential harms of using a home AED. There is the potential/possibility to generate a shock to oneself or bystanders if the AED not used appropriately (the users needs to to say ""all clear,"" for example). There may also be emotional stress and discomfort if a person found down is actually conscious and/or breathing and inappropriately receives a shock. The AED needs upkeep, so there is a potential for a device malfunction or battery failure. The news report is based on a trial comparing survival rates in homes with and without AEDs. While this research does not rise to the level of gold-standard, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trail, it is published in a major journal and presented at a major medical meeting. Despite its inconclusive findings, the study is considered significant in the field. But the story should have explained that this was a randomized clinical trial – and why that’s important. We’re torn on this criterion. The story does give adequate statistical background information on cardiac arrest. But it uses an anecdote that demonstrates AEDs saving lives. This could have the effect of generating reader anxiety about not having one at home. Given that this study shows no proof of benefit for home use (except for diabetics who have survived a previous heart attack), the choice of the anecdote demonstrating benefit is puzzling. The article uses the following sources: the lead author of the study; family members of a patient successfully treated with a defibrillator; a skeptical physician-editorialist; the head of the sponsoring government agency; a company spokesman; and a nurse/American Heart Association spokesperson. The reporter properly discloses the in-kind contributions the device maker made to the study. While the patients and the company spokesmen get more prominence than the conclusions of the study deserve, the sourcing is adequate. The article correctly indicates that the two options for responding to a heart attack at home are CPR or AED. The article makes clear that automated external defibrillators are available for purchase by individuals. It lists a maker’s name. The article makes no claims for the novelty of AEDs. The article was triggered by publication of the study in the New England Journal of Medicine and its presentation at a cardiology meeting."
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Songbirds silenced as Colombia fights wildlife trafficking.
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The metal doors of a shoebox-sized cage open up and a bird tagged #811 launches into a giant aviary. The palm-sized finch performs a midair pirouette, lands on a willow branch and curiously twitches its saffron-colored head sideways, as if surprised by its good fortune.
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true
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Wildlife, Bogota, General News, Finches, Latin America, Caribbean, International News, Science, Colombia, Birds
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“That’s what it feels like to be free,” said Juan Camilo Panqueba, a veterinarian at a quarantine center in Colombia’s high Andean capital, far from the canary’s natural habitat along the humid, Caribbean coast. The moment of liberation contrasts with the dreadful conditions in which the finch was found. Three weeks ago, authorities in the capital seized 32 finches in a surprise raid on a cockfighting ring where a high-stakes, booze-filled songbird contest billed as “the clash of titans” on social media was taking place. While sparring by way of song has been a pastime throughout the Caribbean for centuries, trapping wildlife without a license — even species like these saffron finches, or Sicalis flaveola, which are not threatened — is a crime in Colombia, though one that authorities ignored in a country overrun by drug cartels, leftist guerrillas and other armed groups Until now. Taking advantage of a decline in violence, and spurred by a growing awareness of Colombia’s importance as the country with the second highest biodiversity in the world, authorities are going after animal trafficking like never before. Last year, police seized more than 34,600 animals illegally poached from the wild — a 44% increase over 2017. Many were detected by a pack of 16 feather- and skin-sniffing dogs stationed at airports and bus stations. “Just because it’s a tradition doesn’t make it right,” said Maj. Paula Ortiz, head of a 500-strong police unit that combats environmental crimes. Prosecutors are also more aggressively going after the criminal networks that thrive on the illegal trade, whose profits trail only drug and arms smuggling, according to police. Globally, the wildlife trade is worth more than $10 billion, according to the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime. The focus on law enforcement coincides with a debate about the rights of wild animals raging in Colombia and around the world. This month, judges on Colombia’s constitutional court heard arguments in a long-running case over the fate of an endangered Andean spectacled bear named Chucho, who years ago was taken from a nature reserve and locked up a zoo in Barranquilla. A lawyer claiming to act on the bear’s behalf successfully sued to have Chucho released. If the high court upholds that ruling it would be the first time a wild animal in Colombia has ever been granted habeas corpus rights similar to those enjoyed by human beings. The seizure of the 32 birds was the result of an undercover operation led by members of Bogota’s environmental secretariat. In May, with police they seized 16 birds, including an endangered cardinal, locked in small cages in three working-class apartments. Leads from that raid allowed authorities to clandestinely penetrate a network that organized last month’s event. A video posted on a closed Facebook group promised participants and the paying public plenty of whiskey and “something wonderful” as they cheered on the birds hanging in cages above an artificial turf ring. The owner of the bird with the biggest pipes, as measured by judges counting chirps on a giant abacus with a star at one end, was to take home a $100 prize. Officials from the environmental secretariat say the birds were subjected to prolonged abuse by their captors, mostly migrants to the capital from the Caribbean coast and Venezuela, who kept them in the tiny cages and force them to listen to loud music around the clock in an effort to spur them to sing. In the wild, the birds croon to defend their territory or court a mate. “For them, it was like torture,” said Panqueba, the veterinarian, who is technical supervisor at the city-run wildlife center where the birds are cared for alongside more than 1,000 animals, among them rainbow-colored macaws, endangered sea turtles and tiny titi monkeys — all of them rescued from traffickers. “Unfortunately there’s not a single day where we don’t receive a wild animal,” said Panqueba, who did not partake in the police operation. While the aim is always to return the animals to their natural habitat, many are unfit to survive in the wild, having developed diseases or grown too accustomed to human beings. In the case of the canaries, 11 of the 32 tested positive for a parasite that needs to be treated before they can resume flight. Not all bird lovers support the crackdown. Carlos Castellano, a Colombian judge for the World Ornithological Confederation, believes authorities are criminalizing a rich cultural tradition. Birds have been bred in captivity for their colors, shape or song since at least the 14th century, he said, and the tradition is especially rooted in Latin America, where the practice arrived with the Spanish conquistadores. “I wish it were so easy to obligate a bird to sing,” joked Castellano, whose singing sidekick “Caruso” in 1989 won Colombia’s only top prize ever at the World Ornithology Championship, held in Italy. “If a bird isn’t happy in its cage, which is its home by birth or destiny, it won’t ever sing, no matter what you do.” While Castellano acknowledges that taking the birds from the wild is illegal, he accuses authorities of overlooking the fact that their abundant population, widely distributed throughout Latin America and a colonizing presence even in urban areas, isn’t at risk. Even breeders like himself need to supplement their domestic population from time to time with wild specimens, he says. “This is going to convert a cultural tradition into a clandestine activity,” Castellano said. Authorities want to deliver a blow to the highly organized, dangerous syndicates behind the illegal trade. While wildlife trafficking is punishable with jail sentences of four to nine years, few of the more than 3,500 people caught in the act so far this year for environmental and wildlife crimes are currently behind bars. Many are repeat offenders. In the case of the canaries, prosecutors for the first time are trying to stiffen the punishment by adding conspiracy charges. For the most part, traffickers continue to operate with impunity. After the canaries were rescued, an unidentified man showed up at the wildlife center offering to bribe a security guard a few hundred dollars to have the birds returned. When he was sent away, he said, “We’re going to leave you alone for now,” Panqueba said. Days later, one of the birds’ former owners was discovered inside the wildlife center trying to blend in with a group of workers carrying out a construction project on the premises. As a result of the repeated threats, the birds are being relocated to another wildlife center in an undisclosed location to continue their rehabilitation, which will last a minimum of 45 days. “Unfortunately the justice system in our country guarantees more the rights of individuals than wildlife,” said Ortiz, the police major. “But we’re not going to give up and will continue to act severely against these crimes.” ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APjoshgoodman
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Belgian clinic repairs bones with novel technique.
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Belgian medical researchers have succeeded in repairing bones using stem cells from fatty tissue, with a new technique they believe could become a benchmark for treating a range of bone disorders.
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true
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Health News
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The team at the Saint Luc university clinic hospital in Brussels have treated 11 patients, eight of them children, with fractures or bone defects that their bodies could not repair, and a spin-off is seeking investors to commercialize the discovery. Doctors have for years harvested stem cells from bone marrow at the top of the pelvis and injected them back into the body to repair bone. The ground-breaking technique of Saint Luc’s centre for tissue and cellular therapy is to remove a sugar cube sized piece of fatty tissue from the patient, a less invasive process than pushing a needle into the pelvis and with a stem cell concentration they say is some 500 times higher. The stem cells are then isolated and used to grow bone in the laboratory. Unlike some technologies, they are also not attached to a solid and separate ‘scaffold’. “Normally you transplant only cells and you cross your fingers that it functions,” the centre’s coordinator Denis Dufrane told Reuters television. His work has been published in Biomaterials journal and was presented at an annual meeting of the International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS) in New York in November. “It is complete bone tissue that we recreate in the bottle and therefore when we do transplants in a bone defect or a bone hole...you have a higher chance of bone formation.” The new material in a lab dish resembles more plasticine than bone, but can be molded to fill a fracture, rather like a dentist’s filling in a tooth, hardening in the body. Some of those treated have included people recovering from tumors that had to be removed from bones. One 13-year-old boy, with a fracture and disorder that rendered him unable to repair bone, could resume sports within 14 months of treatment. “Our hope is to propose this technology directly in emergency rooms to reconstitute bones when you have a trauma or something like that,” Dufrane said. A spin-off founded last year called Novadip Biosciences will seek to commercialize the treatment, initially to allow spinal fusion among elderly people with degenerated discs. It may also seek to create a bank of bone tissue from donors rather than the patients themselves. IFATS president Marco Helder, based at Amsterdam’s VU university medical centre, said the novelty was the lack of solid scaffold. “It is interesting and it is new, but it will have limitations regarding load-bearing capacity and, as with other implants, it will need to connect to the blood vessels of the body rapidly to avoid dying off,” he said, adding: “Any foreign object can cause irritation and problems, so the fact that this is just host tissue would be an advantage.”
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Space cadet: A Chinese father innovates to ward off coronavirus.
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As the spread of coronavirus eases in China, Cao Junjie and his family are making the most of the sunny days at a Shanghai amusement park - with one important twist.
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true
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Health News
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Cao’s son is wearing an inflatable suit to protect him from the highly contagious virus, looking more like a miniature astronaut than a two-year old child. The father created the suit himself, complete with an air purification system, a device to monitor air quality and an electric fan to keep it cool. The innovative suit is not a first for Cao, though. Last month, the father of two designed a “baby safety pod” for his two-month-old. For his older child, Cao found an “inflatable space suit” for children online for 2,000 yuan ($284) and set about modifying it. After a week, his two-year old boy was ready to boldly go out with the suit on, first to the supermarket and then beyond. Cao says the suit is ideal for toddlers because masks don’t stop them touching their faces, which doctors say is one of the main causes of infection. “I designed this protection suit to replace masks because masks could make him uncomfortable,” Cao told Reuters. China reported 108 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, the highest in nearly six weeks, bringing its total number of cases to 82,160. The death toll rose by two to 3,341. The virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has spread around the world, infecting more than 1.8 million people and killing more than 113,500 of them. The child can do most things in the inflatable suit except blow bubbles. Passersby are suitably impressed. “I think it’s great. He looks like a cartoon character,” said Wu Fengying, 53. (This story was refiled to correct reporting credit, no change to text)
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Denmark proposes faster easing of lockdown as coronavirus cases fall: PM.
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Denmark’s government plans to reopen society more quickly than anticipated as the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations continues to fall, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday.
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true
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Health News
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As a first step in a gradual relaxation of a month-long lockdown, Denmark will on Wednesday reopen day care centres and schools for children in first to fifth grade. But the government has faced some criticism for keeping many small businesses such as restaurants, cafes and hair dressers shut. “Our job as government is not to look after the interests of certain groups, but to find a balanced solution that is good both in terms of health and also provides significantly better conditions in terms of jobs,” Frederiksen told a news briefing. “This will be our approach for the extension of the first phase of reopening,” she said, without specifying details of the government’s proposal. The proposal will be discussed with other parties in parliament later on Tuesday, Frederiksen said. The Nordic country, which was one of the first in Europe to shut down, had 299 coronavirus-related deaths as of Tuesday, while the number of hospitalizations has fallen over the last two weeks.
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Heather Bresch is the daughter of West Virgnia Democrat Joe Manchin.
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However, barring some yet-unknown potential future ruling by Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court that might benefit Mylan, it’s unclear why the meme’s makers considered the familial relationship between Manchin and Bresch relevant, other than to imply some vague nefarious characteristic they supposedly share.
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true
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Politics, epipen, Heather Bresch, joe manchin
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In early October 2018, social media users shared a meme bearing a critical message about Sen. Joe Manchin, the lone Democrat who voted to confirm U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and his daughter, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch: It’s no secret Bresch is the daughter of the U.S. senator from West Virginia, and that father and daughter were the subjects of two very different and unrelated controversies. Bresch runs Mylan, the manufacturer of EpiPen, a medical device that delivers a dose of life-saving epinephrine to people with severe allergies which can result in a deadly reaction known as anaphylaxis. In late summer 2016, Mylan was widely criticized for hiking the price of EpiPens by more than 400 percent, taking the price of the device from $100 in 2009 to roughly $600 in 2016. Manchin, on the other hand, earned the ire of his party and other critics when he broke ranks on 6 October 2018 and voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, who had been accused by three women of sexual misconduct while he was a high school and college student, to the United States Supreme Court. One of the accusers, California college professor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, testified about being assaulted as a 15-year-old, sparking an outcry and protests against Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Mancin’s vote broke the tie between Republican and Democratic senators, who otherwise voted along party lines. Amid the EpiPen controversy, Manchin voiced his support for his daughter, saying, “My daughter is my daughter with unconditional love, and she’s the most amazing person that I know. She’s so compassionate and generous in how she’s always lived her life.” It was not the first time Bresch’s role at Mylan was used to attack her father politically — in fact, Manchin took heat over it from the other side of the aisle as he fought to keep his seat in the November 2018 midterm elections: The RNC bashed Manchin after Mylan announced it was laying off 500 people at a plant in West Virginia. Manchin has taken heat before from his opponents over Mylan’s decision a few years ago to jack up the price of allergy drug EpiPen by 500 percent. “Amidst the layoffs and scandals, Mylan has continued to contribute to Manchin’s war chest for his upcoming election,” an RNC bulletin said. “Mylan executives and employees contributed more than $50,000 to Manchin’s campaign in the first quarter of 2018.”
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35125
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St. Corona is the patron saint of plagues.
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While St. Corona was not known as a patron saint of pandemics, Mooney noted that there have been other saints associated with plagues and infectious diseases, including St. Sebastian, St. Roch, St. Nicholas of Tolentino, and St. Rosalia.
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false
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Religion, COVID-19
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In March 2020, as the COVID-19 coronavirus disease continued to spread around the globe, many social media users encountered a rumor that was almost too perfect to believe: A “patron of saint of plagues” or “pandemics” existed, and she shared a name with the virus at the center of the outbreak: Corona. Gloria TV was one of the first to report on this rumored coincidence: There Is A SAINT CORONA, And She Is the Patron Saint Against EPIDEMICS In Anzù, Northern Italy, the hotbed of the coronavirus in Europe, is a basilica where the relics of Saint Victor and Saint Corona are being preserved since the 9th century… … Saint Corona is especially venerated in Austria and Bavaria as the patron-saint of treasure hunters and against epidemics. Her feast day is May 14. The Gloria TV article provided no sources to support the claim, but the rumor was picked up by several popular Catholic websites and even the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan. When we searched for more information about St. Corona, however, we found the claim of a “patron saint of plagues” is a modern invention that only started to circulate in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Catherine M. Mooney, president of the Hagiography Society, and associate professor of Church History, Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry, confirmed to us via email that St. Corona was not known as the patron saint of pandemics. Mooney writes: There are literally many thousands of saints. Along with those who actually existed, there are many more that have simply appeared in legends over the centuries, often made up out of whole cloth. Online web sites on saints are notorious for repeating legendary information. The short answer to your question: Saint Corona has not been known as the patron saint of pandemics, at least not until someone (but who?) recently named her thus. That moniker must have been given her because her name “Corona,” which means crown, could connect her to the coronavirus. We found several mentions of St. Corona in articles published over the years, but it wasn’t until March 2020 that she became connected to pandemics, plagues, or contagious disease. In 2008, for instance, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., mentioned St. Corona in its “Saint of the Day” column. This article did not identify St. Corona as the “patron saint of plagues.” Rather, it noted St. Corona was a martyr who was killed along with her husband, St. Victor, circa A.D. 176. St. Patrick Catholic Church also noted that accounts of Corona’s death may not be reliable: “Died c. 176. Saint Victor and his wife Corona were martyred, probably in Syria. The details of their martyrdom as compiled in their Acta are untrustworthy (Benedictines). In art, Victor and Corona are portrayed as they are ripped asunder between trees (Roeder).” The website Catholic.org provides a similar account of St. Corona’s death, writing that she and her husband were put to death during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, but that accounts of their deaths are considered unreliable. This website also noted that Corona was often invoked “in connection with superstitions involving money, such as gambling or treasure hunting,” not pandemics or plagues. A 1929 edition of the Battle Creek Enquirer, a newspaper from Battle Creek, Michigan, identified St. Corona as the “wife of an Syrian Christian” who was put to death because of her faith. This clipping made no mention of her being the patron saint of plagues: Antonio Borrelli, former director of Catholic Action in the Diocese of Naples, wrote a fuller account of St. Corona in 2006. According to Borrelli, she was actually the wife of one of Victor’s comrades. When Victor was being tortured for his faith, Corona declared that she, too, was a Christian, and was martyred beside him: According to the “Illustrious Certamen”, a text written by a deacon of the Church of Antioch in the 4th century, Vittore was a Christian soldier from Cilicia. During the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, he was reported to the prefect Sebastiano and subjected to torture. While he was suffering, while remaining serene in faith, the wife of one of his comrade in arms, whose name was Corona (Latin equivalent of the name Stefania), who was not yet sixteen years old, declared that she too was Christian and encouraged her . She was arrested and subjected to a brief interrogation, after which she was tied by the feet to the tops, folded on the ground, of two palm trees, and quartered alive. Vittore, however, was beheaded. Borrelli notes that accounts of Corona’s death aren’t entirely reliable because details (such as the date and location) vary depending on the source. But nowhere in Borrelli’s article is Corona identified as the patron saint of plagues or pandemics. In one depiction of Corona’s death, she is seen tied between two trees while Victor is beheaded in front of her: We found several articles about St. Corona prior to March 2020, but none of these articles identified her as the patron saint of plagues. It appears that is a modern title that was unofficially bestowed upon St. Corona after the coronavirus spread around the globe. Candida Moss, Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham, also disputed this rumor on Twitter. Moss wrote that while St. Corona really existed, she is not the patron saint of infectious disease.
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35212
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The U.S. facilitated the sending of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to China to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in early 2020.
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Critics are questioning the wisdom of exporting gear overseas just weeks before it was sorely needed in Canada. The Canadian government, however, says the shipment was an effort to collaborate with China in the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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true
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Politics, COVID-19
|
During the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic in March 2020, social media users began sharing a tweet ostensibly posted by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) that castigated U.S. President Donald Trump for supposedly having sent 18 tons of personal protective equipment (PPE) to China while ignoring warnings and calling COVID-19 concerns a “hoax.” Readers wanted to know both if Waters had actually tweeted those words, and whether the content of that tweet was true: The authorship of the tweet is easily verifiable, as it appears on the timeline of Waters’ Twitter account: Trump, you incompetent idiot! You sent 18 tons of PPE to China early but ignored warnings & called COVID19 concerns a hoax. You've endangered doctors, nurses, aids, orderlies, & janitors – all risking their lives to save ours. Pray 4 forgiveness for the harm that you're causing! — Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) March 30, 2020 It is also true that on Feb. 7, 2020, while critics contended that the Trump administration was doing relatively little to prepare for the coming pandemic in the U.S., the State Department announced it had facilitated “the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to the Chinese people, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials” in order to help “contain and combat the novel coronavirus”: This week the State Department has facilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to the Chinese people, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials. These donations are a testament to the generosity of the American people. Today, the United States government is announcing it is prepared to spend up to $100 million in existing funds to assist China and other impacted countries, both directly and through multilateral organizations, to contain and combat the novel coronavirus. This commitment – along with the hundreds of millions generously donated by the American private sector – demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak. Proud of our rapid facilitation of the delivery of donated life-saving personal protection equipment and medical and humanitarian relief supplies to the people affected by the #coronavirus in #China. Grateful to the generous U.S. organizations donating to the relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/wWvRuftELF — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 4, 2020 This assistance only adds to what the United States has done to strengthen health security programs around the world. For the last 20 years, the United States through USAID has invested over one billion dollars to strengthen the capacity of more than 25 countries to prevent, detect, and respond to existing and emerging infectious disease threats. Since 2015, under our commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), this support has helped improve surveillance and laboratory systems, risk communication, outbreak response, and address the rising threat of anti-microbial resistance. The United States is and will remain the world’s most generous donor. We encourage the rest of the world to match our commitment. Working together, we can have a profound impact to contain this growing threat. This same topic was also the subject of a CNN editorial published on the same day as Waters’ tweet, which criticized Trump for allowing the transfer of PPE to China even after at least a dozen cases of COVID-19 had been discovered in the U.S.: Concerns about a dwindling supply of PPE are not new. Back on February 7, the World Health Organization sounded alarm bells about “the limited stock of PPE,” noting demand was 100 times higher than normal for this equipment. Yet the same day as the WHO warning, the Trump administration announced that it was transporting to China nearly 17.8 tons (more than 35,000 pounds) of “masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials.” As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted in the press release announcing this shipment, “These donations are a testament to the generosity of the American people.” Americans indeed are a generous people. We want to help those in need. And at the time these medical supplies were shipped, more than 28,000 people in China were infected with nearly 600 deaths attributed to the virus. But how could Trump allow tons of vital medical equipment Americans to be transported to another country in February if, as he has claimed since January, he fully understood the risk the United States was facing from the virus. As a reminder, the first known case of coronavirus case on US soil was confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 21, 2020. The next day, Trump was asked about the virus while attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. CNBC anchor Joe Kernen asked the President: “The CDC has identified a case of coronavirus in Washington state … have you been briefed by the CDC?” to which Trump responded, “I have.” Kernen continued, “Are there worries about a pandemic at this point?” Trump declared: “No. Not at all. And — we’re — we have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s — going to be just fine.” As we covered in a separate article, it is not true that Trump literally dismissed the coronavirus itself as “a hoax.” He did, however, liken the Democrats’ criticism of his administration’s response to the new coronavirus outbreak to their efforts to impeach him, saying “this is their new hoax” — while seemingly downplaying the potential severity of the outbreak by comparing it to the common flu and claiming the press was “in hysteria mode”: Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. You know that, right? Coronavirus. They’re politicizing it. We did one of the great jobs. You say, ‘How’s President Trump doing?’ They go, ‘Oh, not good, not good.’ They have no clue. They don’t have any clue. They can’t even count their votes in Iowa, they can’t even count. No they can’t. They can’t count their votes. One of my people came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn’t work out too well. They couldn’t do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. That was on a perfect conversation. They tried anything, they tried it over and over, they’ve been doing it since you got in. It’s all turning, they lost, it’s all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax. But you know, we did something that’s been pretty amazing. We’re 15 people [cases of coronavirus infection] in this massive country. And because of the fact that we went early, we went early, we could have had a lot more than that. So a number that nobody heard of that I heard of recently and I was shocked to hear it, 35,000 people on average die each year from the flu. Did anyone know that? 35,000. That’s a lot of people. It could go to 100,000, it could be 27,000, they say usually a minimum of 27, it goes up to 100,000 people a year who die, and so far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States. Nobody. And it doesn’t mean we won’t, and we are totally prepared, it doesn’t mean we won’t. But think of it. You hear 35 and 40,000 people, and we’ve lost nobody, and you wonder, the press is in hysteria mode. Some defenders have argued that the Trump administration’s cooperation in sending donated supplies to the part of the world with the largest number of coronavirus cases at the time (China) was the most effective way of combating the outbreak, while critics have maintained that those supplies should have been kept on hand for use during the inevitable spread of the coronavirus to America. Given that some of the supplies had been donated by the “American private sector,” it’s unclear what would have happened to them had the U.S. State Department declined to facilitate their transportation to China, and whether that action ultimately saved or cost more lives in the U.S. is not possible to determine at this point. But for what it’s worth, the Canadian government was likewise criticized for sending supplies to China for the same reasons: Canada’s department of Global Affairs shipped 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China [in February] to help Beijing fight the novel coronavirus, an effort that it undertook even after the World Health Organization had warned countries to prepare for possible cases.
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34766
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Frito-Lay issued a recall of two potato chip products in April 2017 over Salmonella-related fears, a report framed as new in July and August 2017.
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In July and August 2017, the Frito-Lay recall once again circulated as new news in an item titled: “Alert!! One Of America’s Most POPULAR Potato Chip Brands Just Issued MASSIVE Recall- Throw Them Away NOW.” However, the outdated claim simply rehashed the original recall notice, which was at the time several months old.
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mixture
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Food, daily mox, food, fritolay
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On 21 April 2017, the Daily Mox web site reported that Frito-Lay had issued a recall of two of its products. Frito-Lay Recalls Jalapeño Flavored Lay’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips and Jalapeño Flavored Miss Vickie’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips Due to Potential Presence of Salmonella. Most people do not associate Salmonella with chips, but the bacteria is not limited to raw meats. In this case, the Salmonella could be found in the seasoning sprinkled on the chips. The article then includes the full text of a press release by Frito-Lay, which states: Frito-Lay today announced it is voluntarily recalling select Jalapeño Flavored Lay’s Kettle Cooked potato chips and Jalapeño Flavored Miss Vickie’s Kettle Cooked potato chips due to the potential presence of Salmonella in the seasoning. The Daily Mox story uses somewhat alarming language in its headline, warning readers, that: THIS IS A HEALTH HAZARD SITUATION WHERE THERE IS A REASONABLE PROBABILITY THAT THE USE OF THE PRODUCT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS, ADVERSE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES. This appears to be somewhat exaggerated. According to Frito-Lay, the recall was done out of “an abundance of caution” and no Salmonella had actually been found in any Frito-Lay product. This action is the direct result of a supplier’s recent recall of a seasoning blend which includes jalapeño powder that could contain Salmonella. Although no Salmonella was found in the seasoning supplied to Frito-Lay, the company has decided to recall these products out of an abundance of caution. No illness related to this matter has been confirmed to date. Nevertheless, the basic facts contained in the Daily Mox report were accurate as Frito-Lay did indeed issue a recall of two of its products on 21 April 2017. The company issued a statement on the recall, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an entry on it as well. Readers should be wary of fake online reports about product recalls. If in doubt, check the web site of the FDA, which tracks and publishes food and drink-related recalls, or the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), for most other types of consumer product recalls. You can also check the web site of the company that makes the product and look for a press release there about a reported recall.
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25665
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“If you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debt. The CDC is even pushing to use records for mail-in voting to track people for mandatory vaccines.”
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Michigan’s Secretary of State and Attorney General condemned the call for spreading misinformation in an attempt to suppress the vote.
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false
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Elections, Michigan, Robocaller,
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"A robocall targeting Detroiters falsely claims that voters who apply for and use absentee ballots are providing personal information that will be used against them. ""If you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debt. The CDC is even pushing to use records for mail-in voting to track people for mandatory vaccines,"" the robocall says. None of these claims are true. The top elections and legal officials in Michigan jointly denounced the robocall, labeling it a racist and inaccurate attempt to dissuade the use of mail-in voting. ""This is an unconscionable, indefensible, blatant attempt to lie to citizens about their right to vote,"" Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a news release. ""The call preys on voters’ fear and mistrust of the criminal justice system — at a moment of historic reckoning and confrontation of systemic racism and the generational trauma that results — and twists it into a fabricated threat in order to discourage people from voting."" ""This is an unfortunate but perfect example of just how low people will go to undermine this election,"" Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in the news release. After Nessel’s office received one complaint last week, the state set up a website for those to report receiving the call and has received approximately 20 reports so far. Authorities learned of the roughly 37-second call after someone who received it alerted radio station WWJ-AM (950). It's the only complaint received so far on this call, according to Nessel's office. The speaker on the robocall identifies herself as working for a civil rights organization founded by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, two right-wing provocateurs who are routinely accused of peddling misinformation. However, Nessel said the state is still working to confirm who recorded and orchestrated the distribution of the robocall. ""This robocall is fraught with scare tactics designed to intimidate Black voters — and we are already working hard to find the bad actors behind this effort,"" said Nessel. Michigan’s voter registration application asks individuals to provide some basic personal information. Applicants must share their driver’s license or Michigan-issued state ID card number, the last four digits of their Social Security number or an alternate form of identification unless they are hand-delivering their application to their clerk’s office, disabled or eligible to vote overseas. This is required by federal law. Applicants must also share their first and last name, date of birth and address. In Michigan, any registered voter can request an absentee ballot, which requires completing a form noting basic information voters would have already shared when they registered to vote. But the robocall falsely suggests otherwise, warning Detroiters that voting absentee means ""giving your private information to the man."" The call also falsely claims that when voters submit an absentee ballot, their personal information will become part of a public database. Voter registration records are available to the public and show a voter’s name, address and birth year. All other information, including the identification number used by the voter, month and day of birth, and phone number or email address if the voter included it are not publicly available. These details can only be accessed by the Michigan Secretary of State’s office as well as local election officials and workers. This is not information police departments, credit card companies or the Centers for Disease Control can access. It's a felony under Michigan law to deter or otherwise disrupt a person trying to vote, according to Nessel's office. Someone convicted of this offense could face a $1,000 fine and up to five years in prison. More than 1.6 million people successfully cast absentee ballots in the state's Aug. 4 primary election. In Michigan, mail-in voting and absentee voting are the same thing, and the method is a secure way to participate in the electoral process, Benson and other elections experts say. But President Donald Trump and other Republicans continue to repeat false claims about mail-in voting, arguing the process may lead to a rigged or corrupt election. Experts say vote-by-mail does not give an advantage to either political party and election fraud in any form is incredibly rare. This fall, more than 3 million Michigan voters — about 38% of registered voters in the state — are expected to mail in their ballots as the presidency is up for grabs and the pandemic rages on. Our ruling The robocall claims the personal information of those who vote by mail will be included in a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants, credit card companies to collect debt and the CDC to administer mandatory vaccines. There is absolutely no truth to the claims. While the robocall says that the personal information of those who vote by mail will be exposed, there is no information mail-in voting makes public that isn’t already included in public voting records. Voting by mail does not require voters to share personal information beyond basic identifying information already required when voters registered with the state, and this information is used only for the purposes of administering elections."
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3705
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Trump donates 3rd-quarter salary to help fight opioid crisis.
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President Donald Trump is donating his third-quarter salary to help tackle the nation’s opioid epidemic.
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true
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Opioids, Epidemics, General News, Politics, Health, Public health, Donald Trump
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A White House official says Trump has given the $100,000 he would be paid in the quarter to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, which oversees federal public health offices and programs, including the surgeon general’s office. The White House says the funds are being earmarked “to continue the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis.” Trump has made tackling the misuse of opioids an administration priority. More than 70,000 Americans died in 2017 from drug overdoses, the bulk of them involving opioids. Trump is required to be paid, but he has pledged to donate his salary while in office to worthy causes. Trump donated his second-quarter salary to the surgeon general’s office.
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23365
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"The new health care law ""will cut $500 billion from Medicare. That will hurt the quality of our care."
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Medicare 'cuts' in the health care law will hurt seniors, says 60 Plus Association
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false
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National, Health Care, Medicare, Message Machine 2010, 60 Plus Association,
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"Guess which member of Congress ""betrayed"" seniors by voting in favor of the 2010 health care law, a vote for ""Nancy Pelosi's health care bill which will cut $500 billion from Medicare"" and ""hurt the quality of our care."" Which member is it? Well, lots of them, according to the 60 Plus Association. The advocacy group bills itself as ""a conservative alternative to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)"" and supports"" a free-enterprise, less -government, less-taxes approach to seniors issues."" It has created substantially similar ads to run against Democratic members of Congress in districts around the country. In Florida, the group is targeting Rep. Allen Boyd, who represents the Panhandle area, and Reps. Alan Grayson and Suzanne Kosmas, both from central Florida. It is also running ads against Wisconsin members Steve Kagen, representing Green Bay and Appleton, and Ron Kind of western Wisconsin. Another target is John Boccieri of Canton, Ohio. Still other ads target House members from Arizona, New York, Indiana and Pennsylvania. It's true that all of these members of Congress voted in favor of the new health care law when it came up for a vote on March 21, 2010. But the ad gives a highly misleading impression about funding for Medicare. Here's the text of the ad running against Boyd, the Florida congressman who represents the northwest Panhandle area: ""Alan Boyd has betrayed Florida's seniors. Instead of voting to protect us, he supported Nancy Pelosi's liberal agenda. Boyd voted for Nancy Pelosi's health care bill which will cut $500 billion from Medicare. That will hurt the quality of our care. ... Florida's seniors can send Alan Boyd a message. He betrayed us, and this November, we'll remember."" Because of our previous fact-checks on the health care law, we knew this ad was leaving out important details on how the health care law, formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, changed Medicare. Medicare, a government-run health insurance program, provides health care coverage for the vast majority of Americans over age 65. It accounts for about 12 percent of the federal budget. It's important to note that the law does not take $500 billion out of the current Medicare budget. Rather, the bill attempts to slow the program's future growth, curtailing just over $500 billion in future spending over the next 10 years. Medicare spending will still increase -- the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects Medicare spending will reach $929 billion in 2020, up from $499 billion in actual spending in 2009. Next, we wanted to address how those reductions are expected to affect the quality of care. ""Some (changes) increase Medicare spending to improve benefits and coverage,"" said Tricia Neuman, director of the Medicare Policy Project at the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. ""Other provisions reduce the growth in Medicare spending to help the program operate more efficiently and help fund coverage expansions to the uninsured in the underlying health reform legislation. Other provisions are designed to improve the delivery of care and quality of care."" Neuman walked through the changes in an easily digestible tutorial on the Kaiser Family Foundation's website, a good non-ideological explanation for people interested in changes to Medicare under health care reform. Some of the savings are for relatively minor programs, such as $36 billion for increases in premiums for higher-income beneficiaries and $12 billion for administrative changes. The law directs a new national board to identify $15.5 billion in savings, but the board -- the Independent Payment Advisory Board -- is prohibited from proposing anything that would ration care or reduce or modify benefits. More significantly, there's also $136 billion in projected savings that would come from changes to the Medicare Advantage program. About 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Let's back-up for a minute and explain Medicare Advantage: There are two basic ways most people get Medicare coverage. They enroll in traditional Medicare and a prescription drug plan through the government and maybe buy a supplemental policy to cover most out-of-pocket costs. Or they enroll in Medicare Advantage programs (they include drug plans), which are run by private insurers. Medicare Advantage programs typically have more generous benefits such as dental and vision coverage. Some plans even pay the patient’s monthly Medicare premium, which can amount to about $100. The Medicare Advantage program was intended to bring more efficiency from the private sector to the Medicare program, but it hasn't worked as planned. A June 2009 analysis from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission said that the Advantage programs costs taxpayers on average of 14 percent more than the traditional Medicare plan. President Barack Obama has said repeatedly that the Medicare Advantage plan wastes public money that could be put to better use. The health care law that President Obama signed in March phases out extra payments for Medicare Advantage programs over the next three to six years to bring their costs in line with traditional Medicare and institutes other rules for the program. ""How these payment changes will affect beneficiaries remains to be seen -- but is expected to vary across the country,"" Neuman said. ""The Congressional Budget Office projects the law will result in fewer enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans, and fewer extra benefits for Medicare Advantage enrollees, on average. It is also possible that the number of plans available to beneficiaries will decline -- which may or may not be a concern. On average, Medicare beneficiaries have 30 plans available to them in 2010."" PolitiFact has waded into this argument about whether the adjustments to the Medicare Advantage option constitute a cut before. Most experts we talked to had the same answer: yes and no. On one hand, they might not be considered cuts because nowhere in the bill are benefits actually eliminated, experts said. And other parts of the bill expand coverage for seniors and ultimately make some components of Medicare less expensive for patients. (More on this in a bit.) Still, changes could be in store for Medicare Advantage participants, especially the extra benefits that people receive under Advantage, experts said. But basic benefits that mirror regular Medicare will stay the same. Finally, there's $220 billion in Medicare savings achieved by reducing annual increases in payments health care providers would otherwise receive from Medicare. The reductions are part of programs intended to improve care and make it more efficient, such as reducing payments for preventable hospital re-admissions. These adjustments are aimed at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies. The Office of the Actuary for Medicare and Medicaid Services questioned in an April 2010 report whether these levels of savings are realistic, saying that some health care providers would become unprofitable if payments were reduced. (The 60 Plus ad cites this report in its fine print.) The actuary's report suggests that Congress will intervene to change the payment formula to avoid health care providers dropping out of Medicare. The report also includes this caveat about how difficult it is to project the effects of the health care law: ""The legislation would result in numerous changes in the way that health care insurance is provided and paid for in the U.S., and the scope and magnitude of these changes are such that few precedents exist for use in estimation. Consequently, the estimates presented here are subject to a substantially greater degree of uncertainty than is usually the case with more routine health care legislation."" Finally, the 60 Plus ad also fails to mention new benefits for seniors under the health care law, such as a $250 rebate for prescription drugs purchased through Medicare Part D. (A statement on the 60 Plus website calls the drug rebate ""the senior suckup."") Currently, after an initial benefit period, enrollees are required to pay 100 percent of their prescription drug costs until they reach a level of catastrophic coverage. The rebate is meant to begin to close what is often called the doughnut hole in prescription drug coverage for beneficiaries. By 2020, Medicare will pay 75 percent of the total cost of generic prescription drug coverage in the gap, a marked improvement to the current program. Getting back to the Truth-O-Meter, the 60 Plus ad says that the new health care law ""will cut $500 billion from Medicare. That will hurt the quality of our care."" The ad loses points for accuracy because the $500 billion aren't actual cuts but reductions to future spending for a program that will still grow significantly in the next 10 years. The ad also says those cuts will ""hurt the quality"" of seniors' care. But we find that to be a highly contentious subject, and the 60 Plus ad doesn't hint at any of the ways that the reductions are ways to make Medicare more efficient. Finally, the ad doesn't mention any of the benefits to seniors, such as improved prescription drug coverage. The ad seems more intent on attacking the health care law than accurately describing this complicated piece of legislation."
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11917
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"Patrick Morrisey Says Evan ""Jenkins has the same positions on the issues as Joe Manchin: supporting Hillary (Clinton), supporting cap-and-trade, supporting Planned Parenthood, many tax increases."
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"Morrisey said ""Jenkins has the same positions on the issues as Joe Manchin: supporting Hillary (Clinton), supporting cap-and-trade, supporting Planned Parenthood, many tax increases."" We found that Jenkins doesn’t support any of the positions the ad mentioned, and in at least one case, Manchin didn’t either. Manchin supported Clinton in 2016, but besides attending a policy town hall Clinton hosted, we found no evidence Jenkins supported her as a candidate in 2008. Unlike the ad suggests, Manchin is against cap-and-trade legislation, even taking aim at the text of the cap-and-trade bill in a campaign video. Experts agreed the 2007 West Virginia bill Manchin and Jenkins supported was not in line with Obama’s proposed cap-and-trade legislation, nor was the 1997 bill Jenkins co-sponsored. Manchin supports Planned Parenthood legislation as long as it doesn’t fund abortions, whereas Jenkins has repeatedly voted against funding the group. Finally, we found no evidence of ""many tax increases"" by either Manchin or Jenkins, although Manchin supported two proposals that would have increased taxes."
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false
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Abortion, Environment, National, Candidate Biography, Corrections and Updates, Taxes, Patrick Morrisey,
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"In the West Virginia Republican primary for U.S. Senate, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey accused his opponent, U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., of aligning with the Democratic incumbent. ""Jenkins has the same positions on the issues as Joe Manchin: supporting Hillary (Clinton), supporting cap-and-trade, supporting Planned Parenthood, many tax increases,"" Morrisey said in a radio interview on Oct. 12. Does Jenkins, a Republican, align with Manchin, a Democrat, on support for Clinton, cap-and-trade, Planned Parenthood and tax increases? First, it’s important to note that Jenkins has changed his party affiliation multiple times. He was initially registered as a Democrat, switched to Republican, and back to Democrat when he sought a seat in the House of Delegates in Cabell-Wayne County, W.Va., in 1993. He remained a Democrat until July 2013, when he switched back to the Republican Party to successfully challenge U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. Manchin, on the other hand, is largely known as a conservative Democrat. We found that Jenkins doesn’t currently support the positions the ad mentioned, and in at least one case, Manchin didn’t either. Support? Manchin Jenkins Hillary Clinton Yes No Planned Parenthood Yes No Cap-and-trade No No Taxes Sometimes No In 2008, Manchin endorsed Barack Obama. He endorsed Clinton in 2016. Manchin even came out in Clinton’s support following her controversial comments that she would ""put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business"" if elected. ""I'm willing to take the flack because I believe in her,"" he said during a May 2016 roundtable. ""I know that's not in her heart, I know I've got two people I can count on, Hillary and Bill."" He took a step back in October 2017, calling her statement ""very harmful and very hard to justify or say."" ""It wouldn't be wise for Hillary to come to West Virginia,"" Manchin said. ""It wouldn't be a good thing for her or for me."" So while he took it down several notches, Manchin did support Clinton for president in 2016. Did Jenkins? Jenkins backed Trump in 2016. The Morrisey campaign said Jenkins supported Clinton in 2008 as evidenced by his attendance of a rally in her support. On July 27, 2007, Jenkins attended an economic policy town hall Clinton hosted at West Virginia State University. ""Any time you have a presidential candidate from any party come to the state, it's a time to rally the troops and energize those involved in the political process,"" Jenkins, then a Democratic state senator, said in the article the Morrisey campaign cited. ""It's important not to miss an opportunity to hear a candidate speak about the issues that matter to the people in this state,"" Jenkins added. The article did not mention Jenkins’ presidential preferences. Jenkins ""simply remarks that it is good for the state, and the civic engagement of its citizenry, when presidential candidates from any party come to West Virginia to talk policy,"" said Andy Sere, a spokesman for Jenkins. Jenkins attended a similar event for Bush in 2004, as a Democrat. ""Anytime you have a president in your hometown, when we have the national spotlight on West Virginia, on Huntington, on Marshall, that's a plus,"" Jenkins had told the Charleston Daily Mail. Morrisey’s campaign also said they believed Jenkins had voted for Clinton in the Democratic primary in 2008 because he had stated he didn’t support Obama but still voted. ""Evan skipped the presidential race on the primary ballot in 2008 because he didn’t support any of the Democratic candidates for president, which is why he voted for McCain in the general election,"" Sere said. ""In 2008 we had everything on the primary ballot, from the presidential primary all the way to county races,"" said Steven Adams, a spokesman for West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. ""Jenkins certainly could have skipped the presidential race if he wanted to."" With no proof of having voted for Clinton or any public endorsements, we can’t say Jenkins aligns with Manchin on support for Clinton. Does Manchin support cap-and-trade policies? Manchin has campaigned on his opposition to cap-and-trade, appearing in a 2010 campaign ad for the U.S. Senate that showed him shooting at the text of the cap-and-trade bill. ""I’ll take dead aim at the cap-and-trade bill,"" he says in the video. But Morrisey’s campaign pointed to the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act, a bill Jenkins voted for and Manchin passed as governor in 2009. Manchin came under fire for the act by his opponent in 2010, who called the law ""Obama’s cap-and-trade, West Virginia style."" However, as Factcheck.org pointed out, the act has little to do with the cap-and-trade legislation debated in Washington. Cap-and-trade legislation sets limits on emissions and then lets companies trade emission reduction credits. Energy portfolio standards, on the other hand, require utilities to get a certain share of their energy generation from different sources. This bill represented the latter, calling for 10 percent of the electricity generated by coal plants to come from ""alternative and renewable energy resources"" by 2015, and 25 percent by 2025. A variety of ""advanced coal technology"" processes actually fit under this umbrella, including electricity generated from waste coal and coal gasification and liquefaction. Bill Raney, the president of the West Virginia Coal Association, which represents most of the coal producers in the state and endorsed Manchin for Senate, found no issue with the law. When the law was repealed in 2015, the Charleston Gazette pointed out it had done little to hurt the coal industry or promote alternatives like wind energy or solar power. Morrisey’s campaign also used as evidence that in 1997, Jenkins sponsored HB 2476, a bill to create an emissions banking and trading program to incentivize better air quality. Patrick McGinley and James Van Nostrand, two environmental law experts at West Virginia University familiar with the law, disagreed. The 1997 bill lacks a cap on emissions, the critical feature of cap-and-trade legislation that generates scarcity in emission allowances, driving the market for trading emission credits. Manchin has gotten flack recently for his stance on Planned Parenthood, as he appeared in photos with constituents carrying both pro- and anti-Planned Parenthood signs. Manchin has voted both for and against defunding the group. Manchin says he’s personally anti-abortion but supports federal funding for Planned Parenthood contingent on the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funding for most abortion services. Jenkins, on the other side, has cast repeated votes to defund Planned Parenthood, including the ""No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,"" ""Defund Planned Parenthood Act"" and the ""Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act,"" among others. The Morrisey campaign’s evidence of Jenkins’ support for Planned Parenthood was a 2006 Project Vote Smart issue survey on abortion where Jenkins did not indicate as a principle he supported prohibiting public funding of abortions and to organizations that advocate or perform abortions. ""Jenkins had an opportunity to say he did not support the taxpayer funding for abortion, just like he did with other abortion related policies – but he did not,"" said Nachama Soloveichik, a spokeswoman for Morrisey. The Jenkins campaign called the attack ""bogus,"" noting that the Project Vote Smart website itself said that a lack of response did not indicate opposition to a policy. Jenkins did not respond to the most recent survey. ""If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item,"" the page reads. Morrisey’s campaign said Manchin had voted for higher taxes during his Senate tenure. Manchin’s campaign declined to comment. We found that in 2012, Manchin voted for the ""Buffett Rule,"" which would have imposed a minimum effective tax rate for high-income taxpayers. He also supported Bowles-Simpson, an attempt to balance the budget that raises taxes. The Morrisey campaign couldn't point us to any federal tax increases that Jenkins had voted for while in Congress. Morrisey’s campaign instead pointed to multiple votes against local tax cuts, for example, cuts to hotel taxes or ending fees on such things as real estate transfers or license renewals. Outside those categories, they found up-votes on a tax on cigarettes and on waste coal production -- but little else to show the ""many tax increases"" Morrisey described in the radio interview. Morrisey said ""Jenkins has the same positions on the issues as Joe Manchin: supporting Hillary (Clinton), supporting cap-and-trade, supporting Planned Parenthood, many tax increases."" We found that Jenkins doesn’t support any of the positions the ad mentioned, and in at least one case, Manchin didn’t either. Manchin supported Clinton in 2016, but besides attending a policy town hall Clinton hosted, we found no evidence Jenkins supported her as a candidate in 2008. Unlike the ad suggests, Manchin is against cap-and-trade legislation, even taking aim at the text of the cap-and-trade bill in a campaign video. Experts agreed the 2007 West Virginia bill Manchin and Jenkins supported was not in line with Obama’s proposed cap-and-trade legislation, nor was the 1997 bill Jenkins co-sponsored. Manchin supports Planned Parenthood legislation as long as it doesn’t fund abortions, whereas Jenkins has repeatedly voted against funding the group. Finally, we found no evidence of ""many tax increases"" by either Manchin or Jenkins, although Manchin supported two proposals that would have increased taxes."
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30036
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A New York man died after contracting an E. coli infection from performing analingus on his girlfriend.
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Despite its fictional narrative, the basic premise of the article may well be worth heeding. Medical experts confirm that E. coli bacteria (and other pathogens) can be transmitted via oral-to-anal contact. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend using a dental dam for oral sex that involves either vaginal or anal contact.
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false
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Junk News, huzlers
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Beginning in October 2018, social media users regaled one another with what appeared to be a news article reporting the death of a New York City man who supposedly contracted an E. coli infection by performing analingus (oral-to-anal sex) on his girlfriend. The story they were sharing originated on a disreputable website called Huzlers, who published the article on 5 October. The headline read (grammatical errors in the original): “Man Eats Girlfriends Booty for the First Time Dies from E. Coli.” The text of the poorly written article reported that: Michael Benson wanted to try something new in bed to spice things up in bed with his girlfriend who will remain anonymous. After listening to a few Kevin Gates songs he decide it would be a good idea to try this new craze. Benson admitted himself to the hospital after he felt ill he told doctors he felt fine the day before and had no change in diet or any serious illnesses. Doctors asked him several questions and the only thing he could think of doing differently in his daily routine was eating his girlfriends ass. Doctors took blood from Benson and after several test he tested positive for E. Coli by this time 21 year old Michael Benson had already died at his home. This article and information was made public to raise awareness “Not all booty is good booty.” Like everything else on Huzlers, however, it was a complete work of fiction. A blurb beneath the article described the site, which was founded in 2013, as “the most infamous fauxtire & satire entertainment website in the world.” Huzlers’ original catchline was “Because you love being lied to,” its founder said in a 2015 interview. The line was eventually revised to explicitly state that the site’s content was satirical “to avoid liability.”
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11633
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Joslin Researchers Conduct First Trial Directly Comparing Drugs for Diabetic Macular Edema and Find All are Effective
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This release was uncommonly thorough in explaining the results of the study and its implications. Benefits are accurately described in terms that are meaningful to readers. Costs for the different drugs are provided, and the study methodology is clearly communicated. Discussion of harms and the major alternative to these drugs (laser treatment) would have completed the picture for readers. Vision problems are significant in both type I and type II diabetics and about 750,000 Americans with diabetic retinopathy have diabetic macular edema, which causes blurred vision. The finding that that three drugs work equally well for people with mild vision impairment has significant implications, because why would anyone pay $17,000 more for a drug that doesn’t work any better?
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true
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Academic medical center news release
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The costs of the three anti-VEGF drugs evaluated in the study were listed as about $1960 for aflibercept (Eylea), $1200 for ranibizumab (Lucentis) and $70 for bevacizumab (Avastin), per injection. This is satisfactory, although since a treatment course involves multiple injections, we’d like to have seen the total cost of treatment compared without having to do the math ourselves. These drugs are already used for treatment of macular edema and the purpose of the study was to compare the three. In general, all three show good results, with aflibercept producing slightly better results for those initially exhibiting poorer vision. The release quantifies this clearly in terms of improved ability to read an eye chart. Nothing is reported about adverse effects either locally in the eye or systemically. While these drugs are standard treatments, a line about potential for infection or other potential harms should have been included. Information about completion rates and reasons for dropouts would also have been welcome. The release tells us that the results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. And while the story does not include the statistical comparisons of the three drugs, it does show, by vision improvement, the outcomes. Also included are the numbers of patients and the general study methodology. It’s clear from the release that this was a well-conducted study that has important implications for practice. Vision problems associated with diabetes are well known. There is no disease mongering in this story. The funding sources and the donation of drugs from the pharmaceutical companies are clearly stated. The Joslin researchers quoted in the article don’t appear to have any direct conflicts of interest with companies involved in the research. The release discusses three competing drug therapies, but there should have been some mention of the alternative to drugs — laser treatment. How do these results compare with laser outcomes? Two of these drugs are available specifically for macular edema and the third, although used off label, is also available in proper form and dosage. The story makes this clear. Since availability also relates to cost and who will pay for it — especially this era of high deductible health plans — some comment about the increased availability of the lower-cost option would not have been inappropriate. Novelty is established in the first line of the release, which states that this is “the first clinical trial directly comparing three drugs most commonly used to treat diabetic macular edema.” No claims that do not appear in the original paper are made in the release.
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30880
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Police have documented cases of people randomly distributing poisoned goodies to children on Halloween.
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Police have never documented actual cases of people randomly distributing poisoned goodies to children on Halloween.
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false
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Horrors, halloween, halloween candy, Parental Nightmares
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Tales of black-hearted madmen doling out poisoned Halloween candy to unsuspecting little tykes have been around for decades — they were part of my Halloween experience more than forty years ago. And every year sees the same flurry of activity in response to such rumors: radio, TV and newspapers issue dark warnings about tampered candy and suggest taking the little ones to parties instead of collecting goodies door-to-door. Even Ann Landers published a column in 1995 warning us against the mad poisoner, saying, “In recent years, there have been reports of people with twisted minds putting razor blades and poison in taffy apples and Halloween candy.” (Recent years? Poison?) It’s a sadness that a holiday so thoroughly and greedily enjoyed by kids is being sanitized out of existence in the name of safety. Sadder still is there appears to be little reason for it. Let’s set the criteria for what constitutes a Halloween poisoning and then examine the famous and not-so-famous cases often pointed to as examples of this horror: To qualify as a Halloween poisoning, poisoned candy has to be handed out on a random basis to children as part of the trick-or-treating ritual inherent to Halloween. The act cannot be targeted to any one specific child. By far the most famous case of Halloween candy poisoning was the murder of eight-year-old Timothy Marc O’Bryan at the hands of his father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, in Houston, Texas. The child died at 10 p.m. on 31 October 1974, as a result of eating cyanide-laced Pixie Stix acquired while trick-or-treating. To make his act appear more like the work of a random madman, O’Bryan also gave poisoned Pixie Stix to his daughter and three other children. By a kind stroke of fate, none of the other children ate the candy. The prosecution proved the father had purchased cyanide and had (along with a neighbor) accompanied the group of children on their door-to-door mission. None of the places visited that night were giving out Pixie Stix. Young Mark’s life was insured for a large sum of money, and collecting on this policy has always been pointed to as the motive behind this murder. Though the case was circumstantial (no one saw the father poison the candy or slip the Pixie Stix into the boy’s bag), Ronald O’Bryan was convicted of the murder in May 1975. He received the death sentence and was executed by lethal injection on 31 March 1984 (not on the poetically-just 31 October as is often recounted in off-the-cuff retellings of the case). The O’Bryan murder was an attempt to use a well-known urban legend to cover up the premeditated murder of one particular child. (Note that for this explanation of the boy’s murder to have been believed, the legend had to have been in wide circulation by 1974.) Though cold-blooded and horrible to contemplate, this crime still does not qualify as a genuine Halloween poisoning because there was nothing random about Timothy O’Bryan’s death. (The specter of the mad poisoner from the 1982 Tylenol murders was similarly employed by various murderers attempting to cover their tracks.) Another attempt to obscure the circumstances surrounding a little boy’s death by invoking this legend took place in Detroit in 1970. On 2 November 1970, 5-year-old Kevin Toston lapsed into a coma and died four days later of a heroin overdose. Analysis of some of his Halloween candy showed it had been sprinkled with heroin. This case was widely reported as a real-life example of Halloween sadism. Not nearly so widely circulated were the results of the police investigation, which concluded the boy had accidentally got into his uncle’s heroin stash and poisoned himself, and that the family had sprinkled heroin on the kid’s candy after the fact to protect the uncle. Antedating both these stories is the odd case of Helen Pfeil, a Greenlawn, N.Y. housewife who was arrested in 1964 for handing out arsenic-laced ant poison buttons as part of a self-evident Halloween joke. Annoyed that many of the trick-or-treaters were too old to be asking for free candy, she made up packages of inedible “treats” to give to the teenagers. The packages contained dog biscuits, steel wool pads and the ant buttons (which were clearly marked “Poison” and labeled with a skull and crossbones). She also took the precaution of telling the teenagers that the packages were a joke when she handed them out, and there is no record of anyone’s being harmed by her actions. Even so, the potential for harm was there so she was charged. She pled guilty to endangering children and eventually received a suspended sentence. What initially appeared to be a (non-Halloween) random poisoning attempt aimed at children occurred in Emerson, N.J. On 8 October 1988, The New York Times said traces of strychnine were found in a box of Sunkist Fun Fruits Dinosaurs purchased on September 23 in a New Jersey grocery. The suspicious powder the State Police lab had initially labeled strychnine was retested by the Food and Drug Administration and pronounced corn starch. The New York Times printed the updated version of the story on 14 October 1988, but not before Thomas J. Lipton Inc. (the manufacturer of Fun Fruits) destroyed 9400 cases of the product. The company maintained that the negative publicity surrounding this story had an adverse effect on their image. Though it’s impossible to accurately measure such things, I believe their claim has merit. It’s human nature to recall the destruction of the candy but forget it was a false alarm, and it is only reasonable to assume their image was somewhat damaged. (Those initial “Oh my god!” news stories do a fair deal of damage because bits of them stay in the average person’s memory whereas retractions or follow-ups do not. Since they lend apparent credence to a myth that’s already believed, these “facts” don’t get discarded when new information comes along.) After Halloween 1994, a three-year-old New Britain, Connecticut, child was diagnosed as suffering from cocaine poisoning. Though he’d been sick earlier in the day and also had a habit of putting anything he found in his mouth, the finger was immediately pointed at tampered Halloween candy (with all the usual attendant media hysteria). More than a week later the local police announced that no traces of cocaine or any other drugs had been found on the leftover piece of candy that was supposed to have poisoned the boy. In 1982 the police of Redford Township (Detroit) had to issue a similar statement after a youth there became ill and his doctor misread initial lab results and then went public with charges of cyanide poisoning and doctored Halloween candy. Tests done on the lad to determine what was wrong were inconclusive, and later FDA tests of the candy turned up no contamination whatsoever. Another suspected Halloween poisoning occurred in Washington, DC in 1991. 31-year-old Kevin Michael Cherry of Montgomery County coincidentally died of heart failure after eating some of his child’s Halloween loot. As told in the 2 November 1991 Washington Times, anxious parents dumped pounds of their kids’ candy before the true cause of death was determined by autopsy. A further Halloween scare case was that of Ariel Katz, a 7-year-old Santa Monica girl who died of congenital heart failure on 31 October 1990 while trick-or-treating. The police feared a mass random poisoning and acted immediately on what they suspected, as reported in the 2 November 1990 Los Angeles Times: Santa Monica police had conducted an intense door-to-door search on the street where the youngster collapsed. They feared that other children might have picked up tainted Halloween candy, and they blocked off the 700 block of 12th Street for several hours while they confiscated candy and interviewed residents and revelers. Seven-year-old Ferdinan Siquig of San Jose, CA. collapsed on 31 October 1996 after eating candy and cookies he was given while trick-or-treating. Initial urine analysis at the hospital revealed traces of cocaine. Subsequent tests done by outside labs came back negative, and it was further concluded that the initial test results were wrong, but this conclusion was reached at least a day after the media had picked up on the story and scared the bejeezus out of everyone yet again with tales of a poisoner on the loose. In 2001, four-year-old Tiffaney Troung of Vancouver died a day after ingesting candy she picked up trick-or-treating on Halloween. Police reacted by issuing an alert to area parents to dump whatever goodies their kids had collected. The cause of death was ultimately pegged as non-contagious sepsis-causing streptococcus bacteria (which can cause everything from strep throat to flesh-eating disease). The Halloween candy Tiffaney ate played no part in her death. An odd act of randomness occurred in the town of Hercules, California (near San Francisco) in 2000. Some trick-or-treaters came home with little packets of marijuana done up to look like miniature Snickers bars. Parents of the kids who received this beneficence quickly contacted the police, who just as quickly traced the giveaway to a particular house. There, a mystified homeowner was confronted about the find. Police investigated and were satisfied the homeowner had no knowledge of the special contents of certain bars that were handed out that night. The marijuana packets dressed up to look like Snickers bars had landed in the Hercules dead letter office because whoever had tried to mail a package containing them either didn’t use enough postage or had listed an incorrect address. A postal employee (the mystified homeowner) charged with transporting the bars plus various canned goods that had accumulated in the dead letter office to a local charity kept the candy for his own use. He brought the “candy” home to give out on Halloween, thinking the Snickers bars were, well, Snickers bars. The “trick” ended up being on him. Putting the crazed Halloween poisoner story to rest can be quite the task, as was outlined in a 9 November 1989 article in the Los Angeles Times. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Joel Best, a professor of sociology at California State University, Fresno, who has been trying to debunk this urban legend for more than thirty years: “We checked major newspapers from throughout the country from 1958 through 1988,” he said, “assuming that any story this horrible would certainly be well reported.” Well, they found a total of 78 cases and two deaths. [The two deaths Best was referring to were the O’Bryan murder and the accidental poisoning of Kevin Toston.] Further checking proved that almost all of the 78 cases were pranks. The deaths were tragically real, but they, too, were misrepresented in the beginning. The pranks, he said, were all of kids — after years of hearing similar stories — inserting needles or razor blades into fruit, not realizing (or maybe realizing) how much they frightened their whole town. “My favorite,” Best says, “was the kid who brought a half-eaten candy bar to his parents and said, ‘I think there’s ant poison on this.’ They had it checked and, sure enough, there was ant poison on it — significantly, on the end he had not bitten.” Of course, the youngster had applied the poison himself. Best has tried mightily over the years to destroy this particular myth, but obviously to no avail. “It’s the old problem of trying to prove a negative,” he says. Sad to say, foreign objects hidden in Halloween loot are part of the trick-or-treat experience, but these incidents are few and far between, and our fear of them is greatly out of proportion with the likelihood of their occurring. Acting on this out-of-control fear, some hospitals and police departments have taken to x-raying bags of Halloween plunder, as noted in the 31 October 1993 Washington Post: Of several contacted, only Maryland Hospital Center reported discovering what seemed to be a real threat — a needle detected by X-ray in a candy bar in 1988. But there was never an arrest or resolution in the case. In the ten years the National Confectioners Association has run its Halloween Hot Line, the group has yet to verify an instance of tampering, said spokesman Bill Sheehan. “These myths become truisms.” Sightings: This legend appears in a 1986 Jack Chick tract about the satanic influences of Halloween.
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7482
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U.S. states build stockpiles of malaria drug touted by Trump.
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State and local governments across the United States have obtained about 30 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Trump to treat patients with the coronavirus, despite warnings from doctors that more research is needed.
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true
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Malaria, Health, Business, General News, Virus Outbreak, AP Top News, Understanding the Outbreak, Local governments, U.S. News, United States
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At least 22 states and Washington, D.C., secured shipments of the drug, hydroxychloroquine, according to information compiled from state and federal officials by The Associated Press. Sixteen of those states were won by Trump in 2016, although five of them, including North Carolina and Louisiana, are now led by Democratic governors. Supporters say having a supply on hand makes sense in case the drug is shown to be effective against the pandemic that has devastated the global economy and killed nearly 200,000 people worldwide, and to ensure a steady supply for people who need it for other conditions like lupus. But health experts worry that having the drug easily available at a time of heightened public fear could make it easier to misuse it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned doctors against prescribing the drug, hydroxychloroquine, for treating the coronavirus outside of hospitals or research settings because of reports of serious side effects, including dangerous irregular heart rhythms and death among patients. It’s the latest admonition against the drug that Trump mentioned 17 times in various public appearances, touting its potential despite his own health advisors telling him it is unproven. Oklahoma spent $2 million to buy the drugs, and Utah and Ohio have spent hundreds of thousands on purchases. The rest of the cities and states received free shipments from drug companies or the U.S. government over the last month. Ohio received a large donation from a local company. Several states including New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas received donations of the medication from a private company based in New Jersey called Amneal Pharmaceutical. Florida was given 1 million doses from Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has sent out 14.4 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to 14 cities, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore, from the federal government’s national stockpile, a source that also provided South Dakota and California with supplies. The agency said earlier this month it had sent 19 million tablets and didn’t explain the discrepancy between the two figures. The U.S. government received a donation of 30 million doses from Swiss drugmaker Novartis on March 29 to build up the stockpile, which does not normally stock the drug. “If he (Trump) hadn’t amplified the early and inappropriate enthusiasm for the drug, I doubt if the states would have even been aware of it,” said Dr. Kenneth B. Klein, a consultant from outside of Seattle who has spent the last three decades working for drug companies to design and evaluate their clinical trials. Klein said it’s understandable that government and health officials looked into hydroxychloroquine — which is approved for treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus — as a possible remedy during a frightening pandemic, but the time and energy has been misspent. The potential side effects are worrisome, especially because many coronavirus patients already have underlying health conditions, he said. “The states and the federal government are reacting in light of that fear. But it’s not a rational response,” Klein said. Doctors can already prescribe the malaria drug to patients with COVID-19, a practice known as off-label prescribing, and many do. Medical and pharmacy groups have warned against prescribing it for preventive purposes. The FDA has allowed it into the national stockpile, but only for narrowly defined purposes as studies continue. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, has previously acknowledged that the drug is “not without controversy,” but defended the state’s efforts to build up a supply. As questions mounted Friday, though, he distanced himself from an $800,000 purchase the state made from a local company and said it would be investigated. Herbert also halted a plan to spend $8 million more to buy 200,000 additional treatments. “The bottom line is, we’re not purchasing any more of this drug,” he said. Other states have received it from the federal government. South Dakota, with a population of 885,000 people, received 1.2 million doses and is using the drug for a trial as well as doctor-approved prescriptions for COVID-19 positive patients. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican and Trump ally, said earlier this month she pushed the White House to provide enough hydroxychloroquine to give it to every hospitalized person, others who are vulnerable to the coronavirus and “front line” health care workers. As of Tuesday, Sanford Health said there were 200 patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in a registry, and that some of them may have taken hydroxychloroquine, but it was not a requirement. It is one of several states that say they are using some of the doses for clinical trials going on to assess whether the drugs has benefits for COVID-19 patients. Many states, however, have opted to steer clear over concerns about side effects and lingering questions about the drug’s effectiveness. At least one of those states is led by a Republican governor, Tennessee, where the state’s Department of Health sent a letter warning against using the drug or hoarding it. “We were seeing a flood of inappropriate prescribing and hoarding, quite frankly,” Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey told reporters. Kansas health director Dr. Lee Norman said the state has no plans to buy the drug because evidence is lacking that it helps treat COVID-19. Most states aren’t paying for the drug, and it’s not clear why Utah didn’t get it from the federal reserve or a donation from a business like Amneal Pharmaceutical. News releases from state governments show the New Jersey-based company has sent millions of doses of the drug free of cost to states, including 2 million to New York and 1 million to Texas. A company spokesperson declined to provide a list of donations or answer other questions from The Associated Press Pharmaceutical companies can often manufacture pills they already make fairly cheaply. The donations may have been done to earn good publicity while setting it up to make future sales if hydroxychloroquine ends up being a reliable treatment for the virus, Klein said. Controversy has swirled around the drug since Trump started promoting it in the White House briefing room on March 19. He mentioned the drug in briefings through April 14, and the White House distributed press releases praising Trump’s efforts to stockpile it for use in areas of the country hard-hit by the virus. But for the past week, as studies have shown mixed or even harmful results, Trump has gone silent on the drug. Asked about it Thursday, Trump said he hadn’t heard of the a study done at U.S. veterans hospitals with preliminary results that showed no benefit, and rejected the notion he had stopped promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure. “I haven’t at all. I haven’t at all,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens.” ___ This story was first published on April 24, 2020. It was updated on April 26, 2020 to correct that 200 patients in South Dakota who had recovered from COVID-19 were on a registry, and that some of them may have taken hydroxychloroquine, but it was not a requirement. ____ Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Darlene Superville and Matthew Perrone in Washington, DC, Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, Don Thompson in California, Melinda Deslatte in Louisiana, Gary Robertson in North Carolina, Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Ohio, Andrew Selsky in Oregon, Amy Forliti in Minnesota, Paul Weber in Texas, John Hanna in Kansas, Kimberlee Kruesi in Tennessee, Summer Ballentine in Missouri, Emily Wagster in Jackson, Mississippi, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma, and Marina Villeneuve in New York contributed to this story.
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13534
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"Say ""71 percent of doctors say Hillary's health concerns are 'serious' and 'could be disqualifying.' "
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"Prior to Clinton's current bout with pneumonia, bloggers reported that ""71 percent of doctors say Hillary's health concerns are 'serious' and 'could be disqualifying.' "" There was no national, scientific poll of doctors. The online poll surveyed physicians on the email list of a very conservative/libertarian medical group, which is significant information missing from the group's news release. The flaws are too serious for this survey to have credibility as an indication of how doctors feel about Hillary Clinton's health and how it affects her ability to be president."
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false
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National, Candidate Biography, Pundits, Bloggers,
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"Hillary's Clinton's physician said she's in good overall health, but that hasn't quelled speculation on the internet and elsewhere about the fitness of the Democratic nominee for president. That speculation was reinvigorated Sept. 11, 2016, when Clinton faltered while prematurely leaving a public event and her campaign revealed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia two days earlier. In most cases, pneumonia is a short-term health problem. But on Sept. 8, three days before that illness came to light, a series of headlines surfaced on the Drudge Report, InfoWars and other conservative-leaning sites which typically reported that ""71 percent of doctors say Hillary's health concerns are 'serious' and 'could be disqualifying.'"" The sites used words like ""Bombshell poll"" and ""Shock Poll!"" At first blush, that sounds like a strong physician consensus. As it turns out, it's not 71 percent of doctors at all. It's 71 percent of doctors on the email list of a small conservative/libertarian medical group. In our previous reporting on the health of both Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, we’ve noted the folly of trying to diagnose a candidate's physical or mental health without actually examining that candidate. In mental health circles, it's considered unethical. The poll being cited by the bloggers is based on a two-day online survey begun Sept. 5 by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a Tucson-based organization with a largely conservative or libertarian membership that's concerned about the intrusion of government into medicine. The AAPS spent decades trying to block the implementation of Medicare, according to documentation on its website, and it opposes Obamacare. It has publicized the discredited ideas that vaccines can cause autism and abortion increases the risk of breast cancer. The group claims about 5,000 members. To give that some perspective, the American Medical Association, the nation's largest, reported 224,503 members in 2012. When we contacted AAPS, executive director Dr. Jane Orient and the group's webmaster and business manager, Jeremy Snavely, said the email invitation to participate in the Survey Monkey poll went to 3,700 known physicians on its email list. The email was opened by 1,050 people; 250 responded during the two-day window. Orient said the six-question survey was simply designed to see how its members felt about allegations made about Clinton's health. It was not an attempt to survey a representative sample of physicians, which would have been prohibitively expensive, she said. In response to the second question, 91 percent said they were aware ""of questions raised about the impact of past and current medical conditions on Hillary Clinton's fitness to serve as President."" In the fourth question, 71 percent said their ""impression about the concerns"" was ""Serious — could be disqualifying for the position of President of the U.S."" And in the fifth question, asked if they were aware of health issues Clinton had reported in the past and, in the final question, 73 percent said that any of those health issues would influence their vote for president. The poll was poorly designed. For example, in Question 4, 21 percent said the concern was ""likely overblown."" But to give that answer, a doctor had no choice but to agree with the statement that the concerns ""should be addressed as with full release of medical records."" The survey did not ask about each respondent's medical specialty, so the evaluations of neurologists, who might have better training on concussion issues, were lumped together with the responses of gynecologists. It did not ask the respondents if they had read the letter from Clinton's doctor asserting she had fully recovered from her 2012 concussion and blood clot in the brain or inquire where they had gotten their information on Clinton's health. And the survey did not ask comparable questions about Trump, whose doctor did not offer as much detail as Clinton's doctor and, instead, boasted that, if elected, Trump ""will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."" Orient, who designed the survey, said it was not asking members to diagnose Clinton. ""We were just asking whether they thought the concerns that had been raised were serious or not,"" she said. She said members weren't asked about Trump because he hasn't been accused of having serious physical problems. The AAPS news release makes no reference to only offering the survey to its members, so it’s not entirely surprising that the bloggers would omit this detail, too. When we asked Orient about that significant omission, she said via email, ""This is what the press release said: 'Nearly 71 percent of 250 physicians responding to an informal internet survey by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS).' No other claims were made for it."" Our ruling Prior to Clinton's current bout with pneumonia, bloggers reported that ""71 percent of doctors say Hillary's health concerns are 'serious' and 'could be disqualifying.' "" There was no national, scientific poll of doctors. The online poll surveyed physicians on the email list of a very conservative/libertarian medical group, which is significant information missing from the group's news release. The flaws are too serious for this survey to have credibility as an indication of how doctors feel about Hillary Clinton's health and how it affects her ability to be president."
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8957
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Combo therapy of prostatectomy plus radiotherapy may improve survival in prostate cancer
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This news release describes an observational study that compared two common “combination” therapies for locally advanced prostate cancer — that is, cancer that is growing but has not spread to other parts of the body. The findings were published in the journal Cancer. The study showed that a more aggressive treatment option, which involves radiation and surgery to remove the prostate, was linked with a higher survival rate than treatment that consisted of radiation and hormone-blocking therapy without surgery. The news release provided clear data on the scope of the survival differences in the two groups of patients. It also pointed out the serious harms of incontinence and erectile dysfunction associated with prostate surgery. However, these strengths were offset by a significant omission: the release did not mention a major limitation of the study that prevents us from concluding that more aggressive treatment “may improve survival” as the headline suggests. It also did not address the costs of any of these procedures. Questions linger about how to best treat men with high-risk forms of prostate cancer. However, observational data from studies like this one cannot answer the question of which course of treatment is most effective. The problem is that patients and doctors didn’t randomly choose between the different treatment options examined in this study. And there are important factors that may bias these results to favor the surgery group in ways that have nothing to do with the treatment itself. The key thing that this study cannot adequately address is that patients and doctors are more likely to favor surgery in those who can tolerate such an invasive procedure. Irrespective of the cancer, if the patient has other health issues that make surgery more risky, they may choose the more conservative approach. The net effect is the same factors that may lead someone to choose surgery may also mean that they are in better overall health and will simply live longer because of this. The authors tried to control for these factors by adjusting for reported health issues, but we know that such methods are often insufficient. Only at the end of the release is there mention of other studies that are still to be reported. Those studies are likely randomized trials where the choice of treatment was determined by a flip of the coin. If they show a big difference in survival, THAT will be important. As for the current study, it may suggest a benefit, but it in no way proves that it is due the differences in the treatment itself.
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true
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Thomas Jefferson University
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There was no discussion of the cost of any of these treatments. One survey from 2014 found uninsured patients were charged an average of $34,720 for prostate removal surgery, plus an average of $8,280 for physician costs. Some hospitals provided discounts for prompt payment. Any comparison between these options could consider not only the costs of the initial treatment but also any subsequent costs associated with side effects or progressive disease. It’s also worth noting that Jefferson Health offers robotic surgery, which is substantially more expensive. The news release stated the survival difference in clear, absolute terms: “They found that 10 years after treatment, 89 percent of the prostate removal plus radiation group was still alive. That compared with the 74 percent survival at ten years in the group that received only radiation plus hormone therapy, amounting to a 15 percent survival advantage in the group that was treated with prostate removal.” This was a strength. The release stated: “Men who received the combination of surgery and radiotherapy had higher rates of erectile dysfunction (28 percent vs 20 percent) and higher rates of urinary incontinence (49 percent vs 19 percent).” The news release also stated: “The risks of prostate removal, or prostatectomy, are well known and include higher chance of developing incontinence and erectile dysfunction. There are some risks associated with radiation treatment and hormone therapy, but they are less common, and are typically thought to have a lower impact on quality of life.” Generally, observational studies — which draw inferences by looking back to see what’s happened in a sample population — are considered a weaker form of evidence than a randomized clinical trial. That’s because they are more commonly subject to forms of bias such as confounding variables, which can distort the true relationship of the variables under study and make it seem as if there’s a cause-and-effect relationship. (We discussed one of those key variables above in the Why This Matters section.) As result, the main finding touted in this news release — that patients live longer if treated with the combination of prostate removal and radiation therapy — is not something that can be proved in an observational study. But this news release did not mention such weaknesses. Instead, it interpreted the result as a definitive finding and put a positive spin on observational data by quoting a researcher who says it “reveals what happens in the real world, rather than the carefully controlled context of a clinical trial.” Only at the end does it mention that future studies may provide additional information, but this cautionary note was inadequate. The news release did not exaggerate the prevalence of prostate cancer, but it also did not provide data on how common prostate cancer is. In addition, readers may not realize that this finding applies only to some patients with prostate cancer — those with more aggressive appearing disease that falls short of metastatic disease. Most prostate cancer is lower risk. Stating this and providing some context would have helped, but we’ll give the benefit of the doubt here. The release stated that the study was funded by the New Jersey Health Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, and the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Biometrics Shared Resource. The point of the study was to compare two common treatment options, and both are adequately described in the release. It’s evident these treatment options are widely available. However, the news release said researchers found many men aren’t getting treatment that’s recommended in medical guidelines. The news release stated: “For the first time, researchers have shown that more patients live longer if treated with the combination of prostate removal plus radiation therapy.” It also called this “the largest population-based retrospective study to date” and mentioned that “several large clinical trials” on the topic are nearing completion. While some of these descriptions tend to inflate the importance of the study, those concerns have been addressed elsewhere. The news release refrains from unjustifiable language except by overselling the findings in the lead, saying researchers “have shown that more patients live longer if treated with the combination of prostate removal plus radiation therapy.” That language implies that those treatments caused patients to live longer even though the study was not capable of showing a cause-and-effect relationship. But since we’ve already addressed that issue elsewhere in the review, we’ll award a satisfactory rating here to avoid docking points twice for the same concern. Better language was contained in this quote from the researchers: “Our study suggests that removing the prostate followed by adjuvant radiotherapy is associated with greater overall survival in men with prostate cancer.”
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4641
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Lawsuit challenges Florida ban on smokable medical marijuana.
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The trial lawyer who led the effort to allow marijuana for medical uses in Florida filed a lawsuit Thursday against the state’s decision to ban smokable forms of the plant.
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true
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Tallahassee, Medical marijuana, Health, Florida, Lawsuits, Lou Gehrigs disease, Rick Scott, U.S. News
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Smoking marijuana is the best way to administer it to some patients with debilitating conditions such as Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, lawyer John Morgan said at a news conference outside the Leon County courthouse where he filed the suit. Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law last month implementing the constitutional amendment, but lawmakers banned smoking marijuana, saying that smoking isn’t healthy. Republican State Rep. Ray Rodrigues, who sponsored the bill, said he is confident the law will stand as is. He said lawmakers studied the science of medical marijuana and crafted a law that provides all the benefits without the health risks. “If smoking was their intent, they should have declared it,” Rodrigues said. The law does allow vaping and marijuana products sold as edibles, oils, sprays or tinctures. Morgan, who is considering a run for governor as a Democrat next year, scoffed at the idea that the state should be concerned about the health effects of marijuana smoke for someone who is on their deathbed. “For Ray Rodrigues to say he’s concerned about a cancer patient smoking a few hits of marijuana so that they can kill the nausea is ridiculous,” Morgan said. “Do we give a rat’s ass if a person dying from ALS smokes instead of vapes? I don’t, and I trust the doctors to figure out what’s best for that patient, not Ray Rodrigues.” Morgan spent millions of dollars to get the medical marijuana amendment passed. A 2014 effort fell just short of the 60 percent voter support it needed to pass. A second effort in 2016 was easily approved with 71 percent support. Morgan has taken his fight against the smoking ban to social media, where he is using the hashtag #NoSmokeIsAJoke. Scott’s office referred a request for comment to the state Department of Health, which wouldn’t comment other than to say the suit is being reviewed.
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11164
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Fighting breast cancer? Take your vitamin D
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"This story sensationalizes and inaccurately presents new research indicating that low blood levels of vitamin D at the time of breast cancer diagnosis are associated with poor prognosis. The information presented by the experts interviewed does not address any of the important scientific details of the research on which the story was based. The expert comments do not provide any interpretation of the research results or what they mean for women with breast cancer. The final comments by one of the cancer researchers interviewed -“I was very surprised at how low my vitamin D levels were. I thought I was doing everything right.” – are misleading. These comments are more hype than substance. For the story to conclude with the host saying, ""Now with daily vitamin D supplements, she just might be"", gives the false impression that women who are not taking vitamin D supplements are doing something wrong. Overall, this story is short on accurate information and based on inferences and speculation. For the story to conclude with a promotion of daily vitamin D supplements, based on the results of this recent abstract, is potentially harmful."
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false
|
"The cost of vitamin D supplements (unspecified amount) was cited as ""just pennies a day."" However, vitamin D is not currently used as a treatment for breast cancer. The quantification provided in the story ""…women deficient in vitamin D were 94% more likely to have their cancer spread and 73% more likely to die from their cancer"" is inappropriately portrayed. There is no mention of the comparison group (women with adequate levels of vitamin D), or that the time frame is approximately 10 years. No potential harms of taking vitamin D are mentioned. The headline says ""Take your vitamin D"" but provides no information on how much vitamin D is recommended or how much can be harmful. In healthy people the toxic effects of taking excess vitamin D include too much calcium in the blood, irregular heart beats, kidney stones, and gastrointestinal symptoms. It is unknown whether there are other harmful effects in cancer patients. The ""headline"" promoting this story is neither accurate nor evidenced-based. Virtually all relevant information regarding the research on which is was based was not provided. The story neglected to mention that it was based on preliminary prospective research that followed women with newly diagnosed breast cancer for 10 years. The objective was to determine if the level of vitamin D in their blood when they were diagnosed with cancer were associated with their long-term prognosis: distant disease free survival and overall survival. The story really should have emphasized that the researchers were reporting an association between vitamin D deficiency and breast cancer progression, rather than suggesting that it causes cancer. The story would incorrectly lead one to believe that the women were given vitamin D supplements. The results that vitamin D deficient women were almost 2 times as likely to have their cancer spread was accurately reported. Information indicated that they were 73% more likely to die left out important information that percentage was lessed or absent depending on the specific characteristics of the cancer. Non-disclosure of fact that the experts interviewed were not involved in the research was another significant omission. Unfortunately, this story capitalizes on a complex and serious cancer that can have devastating effects on women affected and their families. The story frames ""vitamin D deficiency"" as a cause of breast cancer, and exaggerates the potential harms associated with a low vitamin D level. The story that plays on emotion by giving false hope that taking vitamin D can help to fight breast cancer. Vitamin D may be a therapeutic option in the future, but current knowledge to support this claim is lacking. This article makes no mention of the source of the information, a research abstract that will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (May 30-June 3, 2008). It neglect to mention that none of the experts interviewed for this story were involved in the research. However, since it did use several different sources, we’ll give the story the benefit of the doubt on this criterion. This story does not provide basic information on treatment options for breast cancer except to mention the ""established drug Tamoxifen."" What it does present is inaccurate, ""The effects of vitamin D on breast cancer cells are very similar to the effects of the established drug Tamoxifen."" This overstates what the research on vitamin D and breast cancer in its early stage. The graphic described as ""This is a cluster of human breast cancer cells. Now add vitamin D and those cancer cells start to shrivel up and die"" is completely inappropriate and simplistic. Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that is is essential for bone development and health, is readily available as a dietary supplement. The research on which this story is based makes an important contribution to the growing body of scientific evidence which indicates that blood levels of vitamin D maybe associated with breast cancer prognosis. This story mis-states and overstates the novelty of this treatment. Because several sources were used, we can assume that the story did not rely solely or largely on a news release."
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28587
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Account of a 10-year-old boy's death explains dry drowning and its symptoms.
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One additional caution should be noted regarding drowning: It is a fallacy that those who lose their lives in such fashion will flail about wildly even as they are slipping beneath the water’s surface. Drowning generally occurs silently and smoothly, the victim quietly passing away wholly unnoticed as friends or family chatter nearby. Therefore, never mistake a lack of commotion for a sign that everything is all right; instead, keep your eyes on those you are supposed to be watching rather than trust that they will do or shout something to alert you if anything goes awry. Forget about trusting that old saw about drowners’ going down three times: they go down once, and they stay down.
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mixture
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Medical, Disease, dry drowning
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The following item was the text of an article titled “Boy’s death highlights a hidden danger: Dry drowning” that was posted to the TodayShow.com site on 5 June 2008 and circulated widely online: The tragic death of a South Carolina 10-year-old more than an hour after he had gone swimming has focused a spotlight on the little-known phenomenon called “dry drowning” – and warning signs that every parent should be aware of. “I’ve never known a child could walk around, talk, speak and their lungs be filled with water,” Cassandra Jackson told NBC News in a story broadcast Thursday on TODAY. On Sunday, Jackson had taken her son, Johnny, to a pool near their home in Goose Creek, S.C. It was the first time he’d ever gone swimming — and, tragically, it would be his last. [Rest of article here.] Although the account is essentially true, the article contains some confusing elements that could send parents scuttling to protect their children from one danger when they should be trying to guard them against a quite different one. A 10-year-old boy named Johnny (“Jon Jon”) Jackson died as described above on 1 June 2008 in Goose Creek, South Carolina, subsequent to swimming in the pool at the apartment complex where he lived. Although Johnny, a child who lived with autism and attention deficit disorder, was wearing flotation devices on his arms and was being monitored by his mother during his time in the pool, he did inhale some water while swimming; his mother described him as “taking a little bit of water in and coughing and then calming down.” He afterwards appeared fine, but less than two hours after leaving the pool he twice defecated in his pants and complained of being tired. After being bathed and dressing himself back at the apartment, the boy walked to his bed unaided, leaving his mother to believe he was simply worn out. Yet when his mother checked on Johnny a few minutes later, she discovered that white foam was issuing from his mouth, his lips were blue, and his tongue was sticking out. The family called 911, but the Johnny suffered cardiac arrest during transport to the hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival at Trident Medical Center. According to the coroner, water was found in Johnny’s lungs, and the cause of his death was listed as asphyxiation by drowning. While the article about Johnny’s death is factual, it contains one key element of confusion: Jon Jon Jackson was not technically a “dry drowning” victim, but rather a victim of “delayed drowning,” also termed “secondary drowning.” That distinction is important because numerous news articles that mentioned Johnny’s death and attributed it to dry drowning also supplied the information that dry drowning is responsible for ten to fifteen percent of all drowning deaths, thereby making it seem as though the tragic circumstances that swept away this one particular child loom as a huge risk to other children. This is not the case: The incidence of delayed drowning (which is what killed Johnny) is relatively uncommon; the incidence of true dry drowning is much greater. The latter is therefore what adult swimmers and the parents of juvenile swimmers need be more concerned about, but that form of drowning was not truly described in the article about Johnny’s death. Many news stories, by the way, indicate they drew the “ten to fifteen percent” figure from the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC denies this, distancing itself from that particular factoid with this statement: UPDATE: Recent media reports have incorrectly attributed to CDC data about incidents of “dry drowning.” CDC supports international consensus defining drowning as “the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid” and does not distinguish between “wet” and “dry” drowning. The primary difference between dry drowning and secondary (or delayed) drowning is the presence or absence of water in the victim’s lungs. In Jon Jon Jackson’s case, he died with water in his lungs, so his death was more typical of “ordinary” drowning victims (i.e., water in the lungs prevented those organs from transporting oxygen into the bloodstream) even though he lived for a couple of hours after leaving the pool. By contrast, true dry drowning deaths do not involve the presence of liquid in the lungs. There are two primary theories as to what causes dry drowning, and it may well be that both are correct and that this form of death can be brought on in two different ways. The first theory is that a sudden rush of water into the throat causes the airway to snap shut, a condition known as a laryngospasm. During this event, although no water enters the lungs, no air enters either, so the victim dies of asphyxiation. The second explanation posits that the shock of a swimmer’s suddenly entering extremely cold water causes the heart to stop. Dry drowning accounts for ten to fifteen percent of all drowning deaths. Considering that approximately 4,000 people drown in the U.S. each year, that means dry drowning kills about 400 to 600 U.S. victims annually. It therefore poses a significant enough mortality risk that those who swim (or who supervise swimmers) should know what can be done to decrease the chance of its happening to them or their loved ones. To help prevent dry drowning, keep your mouth closed when jumping or diving into water, thereby protecting the larynx from a sudden inrush of water that could cause it to spasm and cut off the airway. Also, do not dive or jump into extremely cold water; instead enter cold water gradually. Those who have a history of heart problems should avoid entering very cold water at all, even if they plan to go slowly. Drowning is the second most common cause of death in children in the United States. In addition to following the more usual cautions (e.g., watch them like hawks all the time), caregivers of young swimmers should try to head off dry drowning by training their charges to keep their mouths closed when jumping into water and to enter very cold water slowly. Caregivers should also guard against delayed drowning by monitoring very closely any child who has come out of the water coughing and sputtering (signs of water having been breathed in), especially keeping an eye out for any further difficulties in breathing, extreme tiredness, or marked changes in behavior, all of which are signs that a swimmer may have inhaled a dangerous amount of fluid. Should such difficulties be noted in a swimmer, that person should be taken promptly to an emergency room for medical observation and, if necessary, intervention.
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1806
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On Ebola's front line, doctor finds grief and inspiration.
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After a month on the front line battling Ebola in a hospital in Sierra Leone, the memories that both haunt and inspire British doctor Tim O’Dempsey are of the children.
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true
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Health News
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Many memories of children dying in isolation wards while their parents wailed outside. And one of a small girl who fought her way out of a coma and was reunited with her father. “Seeing a mother come in with a little baby, and within a few days the baby die - it’s very difficult,” he told Reuters. “What you do is just get on with it. There are lots and lots of patients that need to be attended to. Occasionally, entire families would be admitted. You can’t stop.” O’Dempsey, a doctor with three decades’ experience studying and fighting tropical diseases, was seconded to Sierra Leone by the World Health Organization to help battle the biggest outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever in history. He ended up as part of a team of between two and four doctors, plus a handful of nurses, caring for 40-60 patients a day with one of the most lethal known diseases. Kenema hospital’s three Ebola wards - one for suspected cases, the other two for confirmed infections - had barely 10 or 12 beds each, so patients lay on mattresses on the floors and in the corridors. Many of the staff themselves became ill, and many died, including the head nurse on the Ebola wards, Mballu Fonnie, and the doctor in charge of the unit, Sheik Umar Khan - declared a national hero by the government when he passed away last month at 39 after treating more than 100 Ebola sufferers. Amid the misery, it was the small triumphs that made the work worth doing, like that of a girl aged around six or seven. “Her father had brought her in, but because he wasn’t a suspect case he had to leave, so she was on her own,” O’Dempsey said. The girl was soon confirmed with Ebola and moved to the isolation wards. There, she had “a pretty stormy course” with high fever, vomiting and diarrhea. She slipped into a coma and was close to death. “But we managed her as best we could, and she came out of her coma, and very, very slowly we were able to encourage her to drink, and then begin feeding her,” he said. “Just before I left - four weeks later - I arranged for her to go into a side room so her father could see her and look after her again. I hear that she is getting stronger every day.” Such stories, he said, are important because they encourage people to come forward and seek the medical attention that can save lives and prevent the disease from spreading. They are also a blessing for staff who risk their own lives to provide succor. “It’s quite fantastic to see people convalescent and waiting to be discharged - walking around the place, joking, singing and looking remarkably well.” WHO Director General Margaret Chan said last week that one of the most important factors in being able to bring the outbreak under control was to ensure healthcare workers were cared for and respected. “Governments affected need to send a very strong signal that the local healthcare workers’ contribution is appreciated, they are properly paid, and security is provided to make sure they can work quietly and do what they are best at,” Chan said. O’Dempsey saw the struggle faced by local doctors and nurses at first hand. “When I arrived the nurses had been on strike since the previous day. There were no nurses inside the wards at all, so conditions were really pretty grim,” said O’Dempsey. “There was a high infection rate among healthcare workers and nursing staff. It was very difficult for people to see their colleagues becoming ill and in some cases dying.” The death toll in this Ebola epidemic - the largest and most deadly ever seen - reached 961 on Aug. 8 from a total of 1,779 cases, according to WHO data. In the four countries hit so far, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, the virus has infected some 140 or 150 healthcare workers, killing around 80 of them, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said last week. Many epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists - including O’Dempsey, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine - fear it could get far worse. “It’s unlikely we’ve seen the peak,” he said. A lot more needs to be done to improve and expand treatment facilities to ensure all patients who need to be contained and isolated can be, and to make sure fear and stigma were not made worse, he added. Nurses and other health workers were not only exhausted and fearful for their lives, he said, but are also shunned by family, friends, landlords and other members of the community, some of whose traditional beliefs lead them to see Ebola infection as a punishment for doing something wrong. “We need enough nurses who are properly trained and we need clinicians able to offer support and expertise,” he said. “You can’t have nurses working 12, 14 hours a day, seven days a week for months without a break.” (This version of the story was refiled to correct timing of Khan’s death in paragraph 7. The doctor died last month, not last week)
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14408
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Over the last 30 years, extreme poverty has been cut in half.
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Thousands of climate-change protesters took to the streets in cities around the world on Monday, launching two weeks of peaceful civil disobedience to demand immediate action to cut carbon emissions and avert an ecological disaster.
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true
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Global News Service, Foreign Policy, Poverty, Gayle Smith,
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In London, police arrested 276 activists from the Extinction Rebellion group as they blocked bridges and roads in the city center, and glued themselves to cars, while protesters in Berlin halted traffic at the Victory Column roundabout. Dutch police stepped in to arrest more than 100 climate activists blocking a street in front of the country’s national museum and there were similar protests in Austria, Australia, France, Spain and New Zealand. “SORRY that we blocked the road, but this is an emergency,” declared placards held by activists in Amsterdam. In New York’s financial district, protesters spattered the Wall Street Bull and themselves with fake blood and lay prone around the sculpture to evoke their fears of a deadly environmental catastrophe. The protests are the latest stage in an global campaign for tougher and swifter steps against climate change coordinated by Extinction Rebellion, which rose to prominence in April when it snarled traffic in central London for 11 days. Last month, millions of young people flooded onto the streets of cities around the world, inspired to take action by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Extinction Rebellion says it expects peaceful protests over the next two weeks in more than 60 cities from New Delhi to New York calling on governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and halt a loss of biodiversity. Banging drums and chanting, protesters in London took over Trafalgar Square and marched down the Mall, the avenue that leads to Buckingham Palace. They carried banners with slogans including “Climate change denies our children a future unless we act now”. “We’re here because the government is not doing enough on the climate emergency,” protester Lizzy Mansfield said. “We only get one planet and so we’re here to try and defend it.” Police chiefs said last week they would mobilize thousands of officers to handle the protests in London and that anyone who broke the law, even as part of non-violent civil disobedience, would be arrested. On Saturday, officers used a battering ram to enter a building in south London where activists had been storing materials to use during the protests. Eight people were arrested during the raid. Defying almost freezing temperatures in Berlin, activists singing “Solid as a rock, rooted as a tree” gathered at dawn at the Victory Column roundabout near Tiergarten park. At sunrise, some were sleeping in insulated bags in the middle of the roundabout as police on motorbikes drove by. No arrests were made and the protest remained peaceful. Police blocked the five avenues that converge on the roundabout to stop cars and buses reaching the demonstration, as this would have resulted in traffic chaos during rush hour. By midday, the protest had swelled to 4,000 people, a policeman said, and a second main roundabout was also blocked by activists sitting in the middle of the road. Police began removing chanting protesters from Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz later in the day after they had occupied the central artery for much of the day, singing, making speeches and fashioning a makeshift camp out of salvaged armchairs and tents. The rallies came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended climate protection measures her government is due to approve on Wednesday but which critics have condemned as unambitious. In Amsterdam, police were lining up empty city buses to take the arrested demonstrators away as they tried to clear a major thoroughfare in the afternoon. “The climate crisis is not being taken seriously enough by politics, and also not by the companies. That’s why I joined,” said one demonstrator, who gave his name as Christiaan. Meanwhile activists in London, some wearing yellow safety helmets with “Rebel at Work” painted on the side, glued or chained themselves to cars parked in the middle of roads or to street lamps, making it hard for police officers to detain them. “We are out of time, there is none left, we have to act now,” said a protester called Benjamin. In central Paris, dozens of Extinction Rebellion activists blocked a street and bridge in the Chatelet district. They also built temporary shelters or held impromptu concerts and workshops in a good-natured atmosphere. “This is clearly non-violent, it is human, we are not here with guns, we are here as human beings,” protester Francoise Loiseau said. With events like extreme weather, thawing permafrost and a sea-level rise unfolding much faster than expected, scientists say the urgency of the climate crisis has intensified since the signing in 2015 of the Paris accord on curbing global warming. Nearly 70 countries announced plans at a U.N. climate action summit last month to beef up their Paris pledges, but most major economies including the United States and China failed to announce stronger new measures.
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9985
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Diet drug Qnexa: Don’t get too carried away by new study
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We applaud the degree and clarity of the context and explanations provided by this story – about how this is not new info, how the FDA had problems with this kind of data when it reviewed it earlier, and how there were financial ties between the study authors and the drug maker. This is the kind of explanatory journalism we appreciate: seeing through the headlines and the trumpeting of benefits that may come through even in journal articles and their news releases.
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true
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Los Angeles Times
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Not applicable. There was no discussion of costs, but the entire story was about the troubled path of a drug that was denied FDA approval last Fall. This story didn’t quantify the benefits reported in the latest published study as well as the competing CNN.com story did. The story did make it clear that the journal article and accompanying news release “touted” benefits – but that “In its assessment of those improvements in a June 17 memorandum last year, the FDA’s scientists were not quite as breathless.” But by not giving the actual numbers seen in the study, the story deprives readers of the chance to assess the value of the combo pill for themselves. No discussion of potential harms. Excellent job. Readers should have no question after reading: No disease mongering in this story. Good job on this. The story stated clearly: “The study described in the Lancet was funded by Vivus. Three of its seven authors are employees of Vivus, a fourth was an employee of the contract research organization that coordinated the study for Vivus. The lead author has served as a consultant to Vivus, and the second author acknowledged receiving donations, honoraria, consulting fees or grants from Vivus (as well as several other pharmaceutical firms with interests in weight-loss drugs).” There was an adequate analysis of the drugs that were the focus of the latest published study. The story stated: This story was clear that the drug Qnexa was “investigational” and had been denied FDA approval last October. The story does a good job painting the picture of the landscape of Qnexa and two other drugs that have not won FDA approval. More importantly, while some other news organizations reported, for example, on the “significant promise” in “the new report,” this story emphasized: “this study is not so new — and its findings may be less weighty than might be concluded with its publication in this respected medical journal.” It’s clear that this story did not rely on a news release. In fact, it countered some of the claims in a news release.
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8787
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U.S. approves 6 flu vaccines for next season.
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U.S. health regulators have approved six versions of the influenza vaccine to help combat the virus during the 2008-2009 flu season later this year.
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true
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Health News
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The vaccines include GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Fluarix and FluLaval; Novartis AG’s Fluvirin; Sanofi Aventis SA’s Fluzone and CSL Ltd’s Afluria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday. The FDA also cleared the FluMist nasal spray flu vaccine made by AstraZeneca Plc unit MedImmune. Each vaccine contains the same three strains of the influenza virus, which experts choose every year after weighing which ones are most likely to break out. Experts include two strains from Type A, an H1N1 and an H3N2 version, and one for Type B. Outbreaks of the influenza virus can start as early as October and last through May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this year, the FDA chose to update the vaccine with three new strains rather than only one or two as it usually does. Vaccines for this past 2007-2008 flu season appeared largely ineffective in part because different strains than expected began circulating, experts have said. Still, a record 140 million doses were provided, the CDC has said. Both Sanofi Aventis and MedImmune have already begun shipping their products. MedImmune said earlier this week it plans to make 12 million doses of its nasal mist vaccine, which is approved for those ages 2 to 49. Sanofi, which made 40 percent of last year’s U.S. supply, last week said it had begun shipping an initial 1.3 million doses of its vaccine, which is approved for those at least 6 months old. It plans to double its U.S. capacity for the 2009- 2010 season. In past years, the United States has experienced flu vaccine shortages when just three companies made the shots. In 2004, a contamination at then-flu vaccine maker Chiron Corp prevented roughly one-half of the U.S. flu vaccine supply from hitting the market. Novartis now owns Chiron.
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8139
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Syria confirms first coronavirus case as fears grow it could spread.
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War-ravaged Syria on Sunday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus after weeks of rejecting opposition allegations that the disease had already reached a country with a wrecked health system and thousands of Iranian-backed militias and Shi’ite pilgrims.
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true
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Health News
|
Health Minister Nizar al-Yaziji told state media “necessary measures” had been taken regarding the 20-year-old woman, who he said would be quarantined for 14 days and given medical checks. There have been unconfirmed reports in recent weeks of coronavirus cases in Syria, whose health system, housing and infrastructure have been ravaged by nine years of civil war, but the authorities have denied any outbreak or cover-up. The virus has been spreading in neighbouring countries . U.N. officials and humanitarian workers fear a major outbreak in Syria could be particularly catastrophic. Damascus announced a ban on public transport on Sunday as it stepped up a lockdown introduced in recent days, including the closure of schools, parks, restaurants and various public institutions, as well as calling off army conscription. President Bashar al Assad issued a prisoner amnesty on Sunday, according to state media, which said it was a move to relieve congestion that risked the spread of the virus. In an unprecedented move, bakeries across the country would no longer open for citizens and bread would be delivered by distributors to homes to prevent mingling by customers during hours waiting in long queues, state media said. Medics say the country is also vulnerable with thousands of Iranian-backed militias fighting alongside Assad’s forces, who maintain a strong presence in Syria’s big cities and have their headquarters in the Damascus Shi’ite suburb of Sayeda Zainab. Thousands of Shi’ite pilgrims from Iran also visit Damascus. Iran, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic outside China, is Syria’s main regional ally and operates military and civilian flights that bring the militia fighters into the country. Iran’s Mahan Air still has regular flights from Tehran to Damascus, according to Western diplomats tracking Syria, even though other Syrian flights have been suspended. Iranian-backed militias also still enter Syria using the AlBukamal border crossing with Iraq, where the virus is spreading, according to local residents and Western intelligence sources. The army’s general command announced on Saturday it had raised the level of preparedness in military hospitals and gave orders to minimise gatherings, including military sports activities or any that take place in closed areas. “We have taken a number of steps ... to protect our sons in their residences in military units and formations and order the use of gloves and masks,” an army statement said. Military defectors say a number of senior officers had taken leave and in some units commanders have given orders to avoid mingling with Iranian-backed militias seen as higher risk of spreading the virus. Medics in the opposition-held northwest also fear the coronavirus could spread quickly in crowded camps for tens of thousands of displaced Syrians who fled months of relentless Russian-backed bombing of rebel held areas. U.S.-backed Kurdish led forces in northwestern Syria and Turkey-backed opposition groups also closed crossings for fear the infection could come from government-held areas.
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21276
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Current projections indicate that Medicare will go bankrupt by 2017, while Social Security will bottom out by 2037.
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Cain says Medicare, Social Security in financial trouble
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mixture
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Georgia, Health Care, Medicare, Social Security, Herman Cain,
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"You can’t accuse Herman Cain of lacking confidence. Metro Atlanta’s Republican hopeful for president ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004 without a lick of experience as an elected official. Now he’s running for president without ever having served in public office. His new book, ""This is Herman Cain! : My Journey to the White House,"" treats victory as a foregone conclusion. Already, he’s referring to himself as ""President Herman Cain."" It’s in more than a few places, including the title of Appendix A, ""The Major Issues of the Day, According to President Herman Cain."" And President Herman Cain does not like what he sees. Entitlements, he said, are compromising the nation’s financial stability. ""Current projections indicate that Medicare will go bankrupt by 2017, while Social Security will bottom out by 2037,"" Cain said. These figures -- especially the Medicare estimate -- seemed awfully pessimistic. 2017 is only six years away. We contacted the Cain campaign and received no response, so we did our own research. We found that FactCheck.org, another fact-checking group, looked at similar statements. Cain’s campaign website also offered some clues. His policy page makes an almost identical claim, citing a May 2009 article in Newsweek as support. The op-ed is by columnist Robert J. Samuelson, who argued that Medicare, which provides health care for seniors, and Social Security, which provides retirement income, will have to go bankrupt before lawmakers take funding problems seriously. Samuelson said current projections show those programs will go bankrupt in 2017 and 2037, the dates when the ""trust funds"" that back them are slated to run dry. Those are the same years Cain cited. First, we’ll deal with Cain’s statement that projections show Medicare will go bankrupt by 2017. FactCheck.org wrote in 2009 about a nearly identical claim made in a TV ad for Americans for Prosperity, where Mark Block, the Cain campaign’s chief operating officer, used to work. It checked another in April by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. As FactCheck.org concluded, Medicare does have big financial problems, but there’s no reason to think it’s going out of business. There are four parts to Medicare, and they’re funded by two separate trust funds run by the federal government. Part A covers inpatient hospital care, home health care, and services at skilled nursing facilities and hospices. It’s paid for by the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which collects most of its money from federal payroll taxes. Part B covers doctor visits and other outpatient costs, while Part D covers prescription drugs. The Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund pays their bills, which are mostly covered by the federal government’s general fund and premiums. Medicare Advantage, or Part C, gives recipients the option to receive care through private insurers. It doesn’t have a trust fund. FactCheck.org’s articles said that the SMI fund is in good shape, and we found it still is. It’s ""projected to remain in financial balance for all future years,"" according to a 2011 report by the fund’s trustees But the the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund? Not so much. As of this year, it’s expected to be exhausted by 2024, according to midrange assumptions. If conditions worsen, the trust fund will run out by 2016. This is better than the 2009 projections, where trustees expected funds to dry up by 2017, according to midrange assumptions. That’s the same date that Cain used. Still, as bad as the news is about the hospital insurance fund, FactCheck.org decided it didn’t truly signal bankruptcy. The fund is only a portion of Medicare. The remainder is solvent for the foreseeable future. It’s also worth noting that Congress has always pulled the hospital insurance fund from the brink of insolvency. According to a Congressional Research Service report, in 1970, the insolvency date was 1972. For the next 16 years, trustees expected its funds to be exhausted by the 1990s. Congress repeatedly changed legislation to lower fund spending and keep it from going dry. Now, let’s deal with Cain’s claim that Social Security will ""bottom out"" by 2037. There are two Social Security trust funds: Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, which pays for benefits to retired workers, their families and to families of deceased workers; and Disability Insurance, which pays for benefits to disabled workers and their families. In 2009, midrange projections by the Social Security Board of Trustees said these trust funds combined will be exhausted in 2037, while the Disability Insurance fund will be gone by 2020. The outlook worsened this year. The Disability Insurance fund will be exhausted in 2018. Combined, their assets will be exhausted by 2036. When those funds run dry, Social Security will struggle to pay out benefits as promised, according to trustees. Cain’s information was based on a 2009 op-ed. He got that year’s data correct, and projections have not changed dramatically since then. But while it’s fair for him to say that Social Security will ""bottom out"" by 2037, saying Medicare will go bankrupt by 2017 is a bit extreme. Only one of Medicare’s funds is expected to be exhausted by that date, and Congress has never let it run dry. Lawmakers have bailed out the fund without fail for 40 years. Since Cain’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details about the Medicare trust fund, it meets our definition of ."
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9327
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Study suggests more older women may benefit from bone drugs
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This article covers a six-year study of 2,000 women in New Zealand ages 65 or older who had a scan indicating osteopenia, or moderate bone loss. Half received up to four infusions of the bisphosphonate zoledronate acid (brand name Reclast), administered in 18 month intervals. The other half received placebo infusions. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the women who received zoledronate had a lower risk of developing a fracture than those on the placebo. This finding could be used to recommend broader use use of bone-building drugs in people with moderate bone loss. The story addressed the significance of the findings, the size of the benefit, the quality of the evidence, and conflicts of interest. It also mentioned potential major adverse effects that the study could not rule out. We think the coverage could have been improved by mentioning side effects and alternative strategies for bone health. Bone breaks and fractures become more common as people age. At age 65, most women receive their first DEXA scan, a test that uses low-dose X-rays to measure the amount of calcium and other minerals inside the bone. The test results score bone as normal thinning (osteopenia) or very thin (osteoporosis). It is widely recommended that women with osteoporosis make a type of bone-building drug called a bisphosphonate. This study looked at the effects of one bisphosphonate — Reclast — in women with osteopenia, which is believed to be a much larger population. New stories about studies that might encourage wider use of any medication should include ample information about potential benefits and harms. In this case, bisphosphonates have a fraught history that should inform news coverage. As this NPR article from 2009 explains, the diagnosis of osteopenia was created in 1992 to describe women with thinning bones based on a scan. That opened up a new group of potential patients for bisphosphonates, despite little research to show the drugs could prevent fractures and uncertainty about long-term safety. More recently, growing concerns about the harms of overdiagnosis and overtreatment has shifted the focus to lifestyle changes to improve bone health.
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true
|
osteoporosis,Reclast
|
The article states that a generic version of Reclast costs $200 to $500 per infusion, “depending on insurance and other factors.” The article explains that the study found that 122 women in the group assigned to receive the drug had broken a bone compared to 190 of those in the placebo group, amounting to a 37% lowered fracture risk. It also explains that the results show 15 women would need to be treated to prevent one woman from getting a fracture. The story states that the study wasn’t large enough to rule out two rare complications that can occur with bisphosphonates like the one used in this study — deterioration of the jaw and a crack in the thigh bone. However, we think the story should have also discussed potential side effects. The researchers reported that 62 women declined the second infusion because of side effects — either changes in blood proteins associated with inflammation, known as an acute phase response, or inflammation of the iris, known as irisitis. That compared with five women in the placebo group who declined a second treatment based on an acute phase response. No women in the placebo group had irisitis. It also would have been nice to see a mention of the history of harmful overtreatment of women with osteopenia and osteoporosis, which continues to be a concern. The story includes details about the size and scope of the trial and important caveats. For example, the article quotes the doctor who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, pointing out that the findings don’t necessarily apply outside of the group that was studied, which is women 65 and older. The article does not include specific statistics on how many people in the U.S. have osteopenia or osteoporosis, but it does get across that there are millions with moderate bone loss, the group who would be interested in the findings. It also describes broken bones as “a scourge of aging” that can land someone in a nursing home, and mentions that the risk is “most common in women after menopause.” The story included one physician’s view that a patient’s risk should be based on age and previous broken bones, not just the bone mineral density score, which was the criteria for patients enrolling in the study. The article quotes Ian Reid, MD, the researcher who led the study, Michael Econs, MD, the president of the bone society hosting the meeting, and Clifford Rosen, MD, who wrote an editorial published along with the study. It notes that Reid — who’s quoted saying the study suggests women with osteopenia “may benefit from treatment” — consults for Novartis and other drugmakers. The article doesn’t explain that women diagnosed with osteopenia are encouraged to make lifestyle changes that can help reduce bone loss. These include not smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, exercise to strengthen bones and muscles, and eating a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. The story makes it clear that this treatment is available. The story mentions a lack of evidence about whether bisphosphonates benefit women with moderate bone loss and says this study’s results “suggest these medicines might help more people than those who get them now and can be used less often, too.” This study is not based on a news release.
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13884
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We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.
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"Obama said, ""We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book."" There’s little doubt that in some lower-income and high-crime neighborhoods, it is strikingly easy for even teens to acquire a handgun. On this, there is ample anecdotal evidence. But buying a gun is not likely to be cheaper than buying -- or borrowing -- a book or securing access to a computer, even for teens in poor neighborhoods. On multiple levels, Obama’s comparison is flawed."
|
false
|
National, Guns, Barack Obama,
|
"President Barack Obama attracted attention for a bold assertion about how easy it is to obtain a gun during his speech at an interfaith memorial service for five officers slain by a sniper in Dallas, Texas. ""As a society, we choose to underinvest in decent schools,"" he said. ""We allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment. We refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs. We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book, and then we tell the police, ‘You’re a social worker, you’re the parent, you’re the teacher, you’re the drug counselor.’"" Critics pounced on the Glock remark, saying Obama was making a misleading — or even outright false — comparison. But the White House said it had evidence to back up Obama’s line. So we decided to take our own look. What the White House says The White House offered PolitiFact several news reports to back up Obama’s case. The gist of these reports was that there are lots of guns to be found in low-income urban areas, but comparatively few books and relatively little access to the Internet. However, much of the evidence these articles provided was anecdotal, and none of the articles directly compared guns to computers or books --- not to mention Glocks, the specific make of handgun Obama cited. And none of the articles offered a rigorous academic comparison of the specific claim Obama made. For example: • One study by New York University researchers found a scarcity of children’s books in low-income areas of Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington. But the study looked at stores that sold books without taking into account public libraries or school libraries, which make obtaining books easier. More importantly, the study didn’t compare the availability of guns. • Several articles offered quotes by people familiar with low-income communities that included observations similar to what Obama said in Dallas. For instance, one Chicago resident told Al Jazeera America that getting a gun in her neighborhood is as easy as buying a pack of gum. ""If you want a gun, you can just go get a gun,"" she said. ""You got the money? You can get a gun."" And D. Watkins, a young, African-American writer from Baltimore who wrote The Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black in America, told public radio host Terry Gross that he bought his first gun ""from some dudes in the neighborhood that sold guns. It was simple. ... (It was) Business as usual. And it's still like that."" None of these accounts offered a direct comparison of guns’ availability compared with books or Internet access. • One link referenced an academic study about a lack of access to food in low-income areas, but it did not address either guns or books. • A news report cited research about the relative lack of Internet access in low-income households. But another article the White House provided said that while teens in families making less than $50,000 a year are less likely to have access to a desktop or a laptop computer than teens in higher income groups, the rate even for the lower-income group is still pretty high: All told, eight of every 10 of these lower-income teens had access to a computer. In all, we find the White House’s evidence unpersuasive on Obama’s specific claim. There’s no hard data making his comparison. And on the question of access to computers, we found data showing a relatively high rate of Internet access even among lower-income teens. Problems with the comparisons We considered the meaning of Obama’s remark a few different ways — but none provide a slam dunk for his argument. He said it was easier for a teen to obtain a Glock over a book or a computer. It might be easier for some people in some places, but it’s still against the law. ""It is already against federal law for someone under the age of 21 to buy a handgun, such as a Glock, from a licensed firearms dealer,"" said John R. Lott, Jr., president of the generally pro-gun Crime Prevention Research Center. And federal law on handguns also makes it unlawful for anyone ""to sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer (a handgun) to a person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe is a juvenile"" — that is, under 18. That means that any teen would have to break the law to make such a purchase. Alternately, they could barter for a handgun or steal one, which might be practical but would also be against the law. So let’s now consider the case of teens who are willing to break the law. One interpretation is whether a gun is cheaper to get than a book. Experts said the price of a ""street"" handgun can range between $50 and $500, depending on the local vagaries of supply and demand. Glocks in particular ""are very expensive,"" said Alan Lizotte, a criminal justice professor at the University at Albany. Street Glocks without a criminal history would be especially tough, he said. That would make them easily more expensive than books purchased at a store, and certainly more expensive than books borrowed for free from a library. ""There are 80 public libraries in Chicago and 95 public high schools and 92 private high schools in the city,"" Lott said. The second interpretation of Obama’s remark is the ease, or accessibility, of locating a gun. This is perhaps the most favorable interpretation for Obama, since credible research shows that there’s both a relative shortage of books and a relative surplus of guns in low-income neighborhoods. But it’s worth remembering that there don’t appear to be any studies that compare books and guns directly. In addition, there’s a lot of variation, neighborhood by neighborhood, across the country. ""If there’s lots of street-gang activity where you live, you may know someone who can get you a gun,"" said James Alan Fox, interim director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. ""If you live in a middle- or upper-middle class suburb, a gun may not be as accessible for a teenager. I wouldn’t know who to ask to buy a street gun."" Some points for Obama Experts acknowledged, though, that Obama had a point with his remark, even if he made an imperfect comparison. ""It is pretty easy for a teen to get a handgun at little cost and very quickly, at least in some places, including urban places,"" Lizotte said. That said, Jay Corzine, a sociologist and gun-policy expert at the University of Central Florida, called Obama’s framing ""weird."" ""The most credit I can give the president is that the statement may be true in a very small number of cases that are dependent on the context -- location, day of the week, time of the day, cash in hand,"" Corzine said. Our ruling Obama said, ""We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book."" There’s little doubt that in some lower-income and high-crime neighborhoods, it is strikingly easy for even teens to acquire a handgun. On this, there is ample anecdotal evidence. But buying a gun is not likely to be cheaper than buying -- or borrowing -- a book or securing access to a computer, even for teens in poor neighborhoods. On multiple levels, Obama’s comparison is flawed."
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26335
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Regarding the risks of coronavirus transmission on an airplane, “It’s as safe as an environment as you’re going to find.”
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Studies show that infectious disease transmission can occur on airplanes, particularly if you are seated next to someone who is carrying an illness. Some research suggests that airplanes’ highly effective ventilation systems make them safer than other enclosed modes of transportation, like subways. But it is difficult to maintain social distancing on an airplane — especially compared with being at home, in an office or at a grocery store.
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false
|
Texas, Health Check, Coronavirus, Gary Kelly,
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"During an appearance on ""Face the Nation,"" Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said that he believed it was safe for Americans to fly during the coronavirus epidemic and that a plane is as safe as any other space. ""I don’t think the risk on an airplane is any greater risk than anywhere else, and in fact, you just look at the layered approach that we use. It’s as safe as an environment as you’re going to find,"" said Kelly. We thought it was important to check this claim. After all, as states lift stay-at-home orders and summer weather starts to roll in, Americans are bound to start thinking about travel and whether it’s safe to fly in the COVID age. We contacted Southwest Airlines to ask for the evidence to back up Kelly’s claim. A company spokesperson pointed us to this statement -- the Southwest Promise – which outlines steps taken by the airline to protect employees and customers from COVID-19. The spokesperson also said that all of Southwest’s flights are equipped with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, which also are used in hospitals to provide patients with clean air. All in all, it seems Kelly has some valid points about the safety of airplanes right now. But he also overplayed his hand. So, how might someone contract COVID-19 on a plane? As with any setting that holds many people at the same time, there is a risk of virus transmission through the air as well as from high-touch surfaces. On an airplane, that could be a bathroom door handle. And it is easy to picture how this risk can be amplified on a long flight with other travelers. Case studies have shown that disease transmission occurs on flights. In 2003, for instance, 16 people tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS – a coronavirus closely related to COVID, after flying on a plane with a symptomatic passenger. The H1N1 virus, or swine flu, has also been documented as having spread between plane passengers. COVID-specific research is ongoing. There are specific issues concerning air travel. Qingyan Chen, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University who led Federal Aviation Administration-sponsored research examining infectious disease transmission on airplanes, said his team focused on certain specific ways an illness could spread on an aircraft: by direct contact with sick person, and by inhaling large droplets or aerosols expelled from a sick person. Large droplets are caused by forcing air out of your mouth, such as by breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing. A lot of the droplets are too large to stay airborne long, while others are very small and can stay airborne for hours. The small droplets are called aerosols. Though the air in an airplane is highly circulated, Chen said aerosols can still hang in the air for about three to four minutes before being sucked up by the ventilation system. Aerosols ""can be really dangerous. They have the highest risk,"" said Chen. ""The small droplets can get to the seven rows around a sick passenger within four minutes."" However, Chen was quick to point out that his studies were focused on other airborne diseases, like flu, tuberculosis and SARS. Airlines maintain that there is little evidence that COVID-19 transmission has occurred on planes and that their ventilation systems are 99.9% effective at filtering out microscopic particles. There are also studies that suggest aerosols have a more limited reach, just two seats laterally and one row in front of and one row behind an infectious passenger. The International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 airlines from 120 countries, sent us details of a May 5 presentation by the group’s medical adviser in which he referred to three ""studies"" — actually two academic journal research letters and a news article — that showed little or no transmission of COVID-19 on flights that contained passengers who had the coronavirus. One of the letters, though, discussed a case in which a person flew from the Central African Republic to France and ""likely got infected on the plane."" ""The research that’s been done over the years is that there’s really not any significant difference in what you would have in a building such as we’re sitting in today, in terms of air quality,"" FAA chief Steve Dickson said at a March Capitol Hill hearing. Airlines for America, a U.S.-focused industry trade group, said the industry is ""taking substantial, proactive steps to protect passengers and employees,"" including requiring that passengers and employees wear masks, implementing intensive cleaning protocols and changing policies such as the boarding of passengers from back to front and the reduced frequency of food and beverage services. (Kelly is on the board of directors for Airlines for America.) But is that enough to justify Kelly’s statement that airplanes are as safe as just about any other environment? Not really. The key difference is that you are able to make decisions about how much space to put between yourself and other people in almost all other locations, said Karen Hoffmann, the immediate past president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. ""There are levels of what you can and can’t do in an airplane,"" said Hoffmann. ""If you’re in your home, you can maintain no one else coming into your space. In the grocery store you can walk away from other people."" Chen agreed. ""In offices, you have ample space to stay far apart and keep your social distancing,"" he said. ""But in the airplane, you cannot keep your social distance or else the airliners will not be profitable."" How do the infection-transmission risks of airplanes hold up in comparison with other modes of mass transportation? ""Compared to more cramped and less ventilated settings like subways and buses, the risks of getting sick on an airplane are lower overall — though you still face risk from whatever infections the people in your row may be carrying,"" wrote Rachel Vreeman in an email. She is the director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. But the research on this comparison predates COVID-19 and the impact of social distancing. The longer average length of time passengers spend on airplanes versus mass transit could also make it less safe, Vreeman added. With all of those factors taken into account, Kelly’s statement unravels. Is an airplane potentially carrying an infectious passenger safer than your own home, where the only contact with a stranger you have is grabbing the takeout dinner order left on your porch by a delivery person? Clearly not. It’s clear that airlines do carry a transmission risk for illnesses like COVID-19, especially if you end up seated close to an infectious person. And people have less control over social distancing on airplanes than in other spaces. Overall, Chen said he thought it could be reasonably safe as long as every passenger and crew member wore a mask. He also suggested that passengers wipe down the surfaces around them and wash their hands, but said there would still be a risk. In late April, unions representing pilots and flight attendants sent letters to the U.S. Transportation Department , the Department of Health and Human Services, Congress and the White House detailing the risks faced by airline workers — as well as the number of infections and even deaths they have suffered — and urging increased safety protections. Shortly after, most major U.S. airlines, including JetBlue, Frontier, American, Delta, United and Southwest, announced they would now require customers to wear face masks during check-in and boarding, in flight and while deplaning. Hoffmann said that for a flight to be safe it would be crucial for social distancing rules to be in place, such as blocking out seats to space out travelers. ""Can you maintain that level of separation in an airplane?"" she asked. ""I question whether that is something which can be accomplished."" Delta has started blocking out its middle seats. Some airlines are blocking the seats near where the flight attendants sit. United is not allowing customers to select seats next to each other or the middle seats. Both Southwest and JetBlue have said they will limit the number of passengers to ensure space between them. Vreeman pointed out, though, that there are times on an airplane or in an airport where it might be impossible to maintain the appropriate distance from others. ""When someone is walking in the aisle to the bathroom, for example, you might be stuck in close proximity — and that would increase the risks to both of you,"" she wrote. And while all major U.S. airlines have announced increased efforts to disinfect and sanitize planes and eliminate or reduce food and beverage service, there is still a danger. ""Any time you are removing your mask or putting anything in your mouth, the risk of transmitting or being exposed to the virus will be higher,"" wrote Vreeman. And, Vreeman argued, we are still in the containment stage of the pandemic, which means moving from one place to another is itself a public health risk. ""At this moment in American history, it is still very possible that someone infected with this very contagious virus could be in that space on the airplane with you — or that you could be carrying the virus yourself to a new location,"" she wrote. The CEO of Southwest Airlines said during a TV interview that the risks of COVID-19 transmission on an airplane are no greater than anywhere else and that ""it’s as safe as an environment as you’re going to find."" Research shows that airplanes’ strong ventilation systems do filter out virus particles. However, studies also indicate that some level of risk regarding the transmission of an infectious disease persists, particularly if you are seated near a contagious person. And passengers’ ability to take steps to mitigate that risk is limited. Kelly’s statement contained an element of truth regarding planes’ air filtration and mitigation steps taken by the industry, but he took it a bit too far and left out key pieces of information and context."
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4110
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Health Dept: Plague case reported in a Quay County ranch dog.
|
The New Mexico Department of Health is reporting a case of plague in a ranch dog from Quay County.
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true
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Wildlife, Animals, Health, Plague, Pets, Infectious diseases, New Mexico, Dogs
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It’s the first case of plague in the state this year. Authorities say the dog has recovered with treatment from his veterinarian. Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by bacteria that’s usually transmitted through the bite of an infected flea. Pets can also be exposed after eating an infected animal after hunting or scavenging it. Humans can contract plague by direct contact with the tissues of infected animals including rodents, wildlife and pets. There were no cases of human plague in New Mexico last year and four cases in 2017. All survived the illness. There were three cases of animal plague last year and 28 in 2017.
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10956
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First-in-Canada Implant of Novel Sensor Device for Heart Failure Patients
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This news release covers the first implantation of a device called CardioMEMS in a Canadian heart failure patient. The wireless device includes a butterfly-like sensor, which sits inside the patient’s pulmonary artery and sends pressure readings to a secure website. No other context or data are given. Although CardioMEMS is “novel” in Canada, the US has implanted the device in patients since 2007, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for market in 2014. We would have liked to have seen some outcome data from the CHAMPION trial, which followed 550 heart failure patients for around 15 months to see whether patients with CardioMEMS devices would require fewer heart failure-related hospitalizations. Instead, we are told that this one Canadian patient’s implantation procedure in March was “successful,” without any further information on how the patient is doing now and may do in the future. Finally, the news release uses terms like “big game-changer” for the device and refers to heart failure as an “epidemic.” In these types of announcements, we like to see more neutral and cautious wording for medical stories, especially since the news release doesn’t mention the costs and harms associated with this device. Invasive procedures and surgery should be used as last resorts, after all other interventions — such as lifestyle changes and medications — have failed. The list of potential adverse effects associated with the implantation procedure is long, and patients should think long and hard and understand the risks before undergoing such treatments. Although many media outlets like medical technology stories, news releases also have the responsibility to caution reporters and patients on the device’s harms, as well as any relevant data and information from clinical trials. The results (outlined in the benefits section) of the CHAMPION trial were clear, but it’s also important to note that all authors had some kind of financial interest or tie to CardioMEMS, as seen by the disclosures statement in the original journal article.
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false
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cardiovascular disease
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Although this implant was a first in Canada, the news release could have cited costs of existing alternatives and given a ballpark estimate of the new intervention. For example, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a battery-powered device placed under the skin to keep track of heart rate. If an abnormal heart rhythm is detected, the device will deliver an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat. ICDs alone range from $25,000-$32,000, but costs vary widely depending on insurance or financial assistance. Procedure costs depend on the physician and medical facility. Like ICDs, it’s probable that CardioMEMS will also cost tens of thousands of dollars for US patients. Since there is no discussion of costs in this news release, we give it a Not Satisfactory rating here. We only know that one heart failure patient in Canada underwent the implantation procedure. “The device…was successfully implanted by interventional cardiologists,” the news release states. No other data were given. We don’t know how other patients have fared after the fact, including the one mentioned in the news release. Although this is a first for Canada, the US has been treating heart failure patients with the CardioMEMS system since 2007. The US FDA approved CardioMEMS after reviewing results from the CHAMPION clinical trial (CardioMEMS Heart Sensor Allows Monitoring of Pressure to Improve Outcomes in NYHA Class III Heart Failure Patients). Clinicians followed 550 heart failure patients and looked at heart failure-related hospitalizations in the treatment group versus the control group at 6 months. At this point in time, there was a 28 percent reduction in heart failure hospitalizations, with 84 hospitalizations in the treatment group, compared to 120 in the control group. Researchers also observed a 37 percent reduction in heart failure-related hospitalizations in the treatment group during the entire follow-up period of approximately 15 months. Since none of this data were given. No intervention is risk-free, especially ones that are invasive. On page 9 of the CardioMEMS user’s manual, a slew of potential adverse effects is associated with this implantation procedure, including infection, bleeding, arrhythmias, blood clots, heart attacks, stroke and even death. Since the news release doesn’t address harms, we give it a Not Satisfactory rating. The news release presents this one heart failure patient as if it were evidence of the device’s benefits. Instead, this patient represents the only case in Canada to undergo this implantation procedure for CardioMEMS. Since the medical team implanted the device in March, we don’t know at this point whether the patient will have fewer heart failure-related hospitalizations in the future. As we mentioned above in the benefits section, the CHAMPION trial’s efficacy endpoint was at 6 months, with the average follow-up time being 15 months. In an expert analysis by the American College of Cardiology, doctors write, “Little is revealed in the CHAMPION trial on potential side effects of aggressive diuresis or vasodilation that were used to reduce pulmonary artery pressures.” (Diuresis refers to excessive production of urine, and vasodilation refers to dilated blood vessels, subsequently lowering blood pressure.) This may be particularly relevant for elderly patients with heart failure in the real world, and it is unclear how this strategy applies to patients with more (or less) severe forms of heart failure, they add. Detailing a single case or an anecdote is not real evidence, which is why we give the news release a Not Satisfactory rating here. There is no disease mongering in the news release per se, but the lead scientist refers to heart failure as an epidemic, which could give the wrong impression. However, this is addressed in the unjustifiable language section. We also wish the news release could have given us the sources for its heart failure numbers, as they vary widely across agencies. We give the news release the benefit of the doubt and a Satisfactory rating. We found no conflicts of interest associated with this news release. The release discloses the fact that the CardioMEMS implantation procedure was funded by the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. We give the news release a Satisfactory rating here. Heart failure is treated in a variety of ways and depends on the type and severity. Clinicians first treat its underlying cause, whether it be high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or diabetes. This may include lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity, reducing weight, quitting smoking and eating more heart-healthy foods. Physicians may prescribe medications, such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and diuretics, so that the heart won’t work as hard and that fluid won’t build up in the lungs. In severe cases, heart failure is treated with surgery, such as a heart transplant, or with the implantation of a device, such as a pacemaker, a left ventricular assist device or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Since the news release doesn’t touch upon any of these alternatives, we give it a Not Satisfactory here. The news release makes it clear that this device is not widely available in Canada, since it’s a “novel” sensor and not yet approved by Health Canada. In the last sentence, it states that CardioMEMS was approved by the US FDA, implying that the implantation procedure is more widespread there. CardioMEMS may be a novel procedure in Canada, but it’s been around in the US since September 2007, when patients were first enrolled in a clinical trial looking into the device’s effectiveness. In 2016 the Lancet published the results of the CHAMPION trial, which followed 550 heart failure patients. Participants were then randomized to receive CardioMEMS heart failure sensors or traditional heart failure therapies. The news release points out that CardioMEMS was approved by the US FDA, but is awaiting approval by Health Canada. We wish this information would have been higher up in the story, along with more context on the device’s history and clinical trial. The term “novel” in the headline may also be misleading to readers, since it refers to the novelty of CardioMEMS in Canada. Despite this, we feel the news release did a good enough job for a Satisfactory rating here. The leading quote includes terms such as “epidemic” and “big game-changer.” First of all, heart failure is not an infectious disease, and only one person has undergone this therapy at the Cardiac Centre. The headline and leading sentence also talks about the device being a “first” in Canada without any mention of previous implantation procedures in other countries. These word choices could be misleading and raise red flags in our eyes. Therefore, we give the news release a Not Satisfactory rating.
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15600
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"Ron Fournier Says Mike Huckabee appeared in diabetes infomercials to endorse ""cures and treatments that no health agency supports."
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"Fournier said ""no health agencies support"" the ""cures and treatments"" that Huckabee endorsed in an infomercial promising diabetes reversal. Health groups and physicians that specialize in diabetes told us they do not support the approach to ""reversing diabetes"" outlined in the Diabetes Solution Kit that Huckabee used to endorse."
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true
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Candidate Biography, Health Care, Science, PunditFact, Ron Fournier,
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"Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is distancing himself from the unusual ways he earned money before announcing his White House run May 5, but journalists aren’t letting the former Arkansas governor off the hook. Huckabee, who shed about 100 pounds after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, filmed TV and radio infomercials advertising a program to ""reverse"" diabetes in February and March. Huckabee also lent his email list to carry ads about a looming food shortage and a cancer cure found in the Bible. CBS’ Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer tried to pin Huckabee down on his business dealings during a May 10 interview that followed a critical column about ""Huckabee’s Hucksterism"" by National Journal’s Ron Fournier. Huckabee got testy as he explained the program he endorsed is more about healthy eating than dietary supplements. A bit later, Schieffer moved on to Fournier during a pundit panel discussion for a response. ""As you know, there was more to that, and I really like the way you kind of put him on his heels and he had to filibuster you,"" Fournier said. ""He -- his endorsing -- the infomercials that are endorsing cures and treatments that no health agency supports. He's linking cancer to cures to the Bible verse."" In other words, he said, not very presidential behavior. PunditFact wanted to dig into Fournier’s claim about Huckabee’s past. Did he shill for a shoddy diabetes ""cure"" that ""no health agency supports""? ‘Diabetes Solution Kit’ Fournier’s column references a March New York Times story about Huckabee’s ""highly unconventional income streams."" In a since-deleted video (though you can see one on the Daily Mail), Huckabee encouraged viewers to buy the Diabetes Solution Kit made by the South Dakota company Barton Publishing. In the video, Huckabee promises diabetes can be reversed (""I should know because I did it"") and condemns ""mainstream"" treatment methods of insulin injections and prescriptions. ""Prescription drugs aren’t going to cure you,"" Huckabee tells viewers. ""They’re only going to keep you a loyal pill-popping, finger-pricking, insulin shooting customer so Big Pharma and the mainstream medical community can rake in over $100 billion a year annually."" After explaining how he used ""the same techniques"" outlined in the Diabetes Solution Kit, Huckabee asks viewers to ""sit tight, because in a moment a free presentation is coming up that’ll show you everything you need to know about the Diabetes Solution Kit so you can discover all the natural secrets that are backed by real science that really work."" That free presentation lasts more than 30 minutes, kicking off with a spokesman named Lon showing a picture of cinnamon rolls that ""contain a real ingredient that reverses diabetes"" and going on to berate insulin, diabetes pills and other injectables as treatments. (We sat through it so you don’t have to.) The kit turns out to be booklets offering tips for eating, exercise, and yes, formulating dietary supplements — for the low, low price of $19.97. ""We don’t sell pills,"" said Barton Publishing chief marketing officer Marty Fahncke. ""We sell books that do, in fact, teach people how to reverse their diabetes."" However, the video discusses at length the ""Double C Diabetes Remedy"" of cinnamon and chromium picolinate, which is described as a ""weird, spice, kitchen cabinet cure"" that ""will allow you to live life just like when you didn’t have diabetes at all."" Lon the narrator calls this precise combination of cinnamon and chromium picolinate a ""cornerstone"" of the system. Huckabee’s campaign did not return an email seeking comment for this story. Huckabee told Schieffer that he is no longer doing the infomercials as a presidential candidate. The Barton Publishing press release about Huckabee’s endorsement deal says he was ""given just 10 years to live"" by a doctor who diagnosed him with Type 2 diabetes in 2004. This contradicts Huckabee’s own account of his diagnosis as documented by the media. According to the Associated Press, Huckabee was diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes in 2002. He lost 50 pounds within about two months after following a diet created by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. By 2004, he had lost 100 pounds through healthy eating and fitness. Newspaper accounts contain no mention of a cinnamon and chromium compound helping Huckabee through, and Huckabee is careful in the video to avoid saying he followed the Diabetes Solution Kit. The closest he gets is saying the he ""used the same techniques to lose 110 pounds of fat, get my own blood sugar under control, and completely reverse my Type 2 diabetes."" Position of diabetes associations So that’s the diabetes solution Huckabee was being paid to promote. The question is: Do health agencies say it works? The New York Times story describes the American Diabetes Association and Canadian Diabetes Association as warning that dietary and herbal supplements ""are ineffective for treating diabetes,"" linking to a page of only the American group’s website. The ADA’s Diabetes.org page is slightly more nuanced than outright calling the supplements ineffective, but nowhere does it signal support for herbal remedies: ""It is best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat. In fact, research has not been able to prove that dietary or herbal supplements (including omega-3 supplements, cinnamon, and other herbs) help to manage diabetes."" The organization cites a National Health Interview Survey that acknowledges use of herbal therapy or dietary supplements among one-fifth or one-third, respectively, of people with diabetes, especially in minority ethnic groups. The Canadian Diabetes Association was more straight-forward: It ""does not support the use of the dietary supplements advertised in these infomercials."" Fahncke of Barton Publishing sent PunditFact links to various Web pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Diabetes Association, Mayo Clinic, and a journal called Nutrition Research. The links either talk about the importance of a healthy diet to control diabetes (and don’t mention herbal supplements at all) or discuss small studies in China and Pakistan that showed cinnamon supplements might reduce risk factors in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Still, none of the links offer strong support for the cinnamon-chromium mixture recommended in the Diabetes Solution Kit — much less the endorsement of a reputable health agency. Other expert opinions Other endocrinologists we contacted were more blunt: The promised kitchen cabinet remedy does not work. ""There is no scientific support for herbal treatments in the care of diabetes,"" said Dr. Domenico Accili, Columbia University professor medicine and director of the Columbia University Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center. ""The concoction of cinnamon and chromium has been sold for many years, and it’s pure quackery."" Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, a past president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and attending physician in the endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease division of New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, said even though chromium and cinnamon are ""associated with salutary effects on glucose and insulin physiology in animals and in vitro,"" there are insufficient clinical data to back up a recommendation for the product. Even though consuming either the spice cinnamon or mineral chromium picolinate is inherently low risk, Mechanick said, there are several reasons to avoid the combined product, including insufficient regulation and a lack of strong science. ""The philosophy of using (dietary supplements and nutraceuticals) to manage diabetes instead of proven lifestyle and pharmacologic therapies is harmful,"" he said. Food and Drug Administration spokesman Eric Pahon said people who ""rely on products which have not been reviewed by FDA for safety and efficacy"" — e.g. Diabetes Solution Kit’s cinnamon and chromium picolinate recommendation — ""may place themselves at increased risk of poorly controlled diabetes and other risks."" Our ruling Fournier said ""no health agencies support"" the ""cures and treatments"" that Huckabee endorsed in an infomercial promising diabetes reversal. Health groups and physicians that specialize in diabetes told us they do not support the approach to ""reversing diabetes"" outlined in the Diabetes Solution Kit that Huckabee used to endorse."
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18340
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Half of all hospitalized seniors are suffering from malnutrition so severe that it either caused their illness or it prevents them from getting better.
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"Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, in a fundraising letter, said: ""In fact, half of all hospitalized seniors are suffering from malnutrition so severe that it either caused their illness or it prevents them from getting better."" To determine a ruling, we broke the statement into three parts. First, are half of all hospitalized seniors suffering from malnutrition? We found papers and studies that included malnutrition rates among hospitalized elderly of about 40 percent to 60 percent, either at admission to the hospital or during their stays, in the range that Meals on Wheels cited. (Other studies and papers, many of them conducted in Europe, gave a wider percentage range). Second, is the malnutrition so severe it caused their illness? We found nothing to support this. Third, is their malnutrition so severe it prevents them from getting better? We found research showing that malnutrition can make someone susceptible to other illnesses and contribute to longer hospitalization. But we found nothing to support the claim that the malnutrition prevented them from recovering. Malnutrition among the elderly is clearly a serious problem. But this statement goes beyond what the evidence shows."
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false
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Rhode Island, Health Care, Poverty, Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island,
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"In Rhode Island and around the country, Meals on Wheels gets food to elderly people who cannot get it for themselves. The elderly, especially those on a constricted budget or unable to get to a store or a pantry, are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition. A recent fundraising letter sent out by Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island included this statement making note of the problem: ""In fact, half of all hospitalized seniors are suffering from malnutrition so severe that it either caused their illness or it prevents them from getting better."" A reader who received the letter wondered about that claim and forwarded it to us, asking: ""Is this true? If yes, it is an appalling statistic."" We found the statistic disturbing as well, and decided to check it out. First, we contacted Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island. Its executive director, Heather Amaral, said the letter was written by an outside firm. Amaral checked with the firm and got back to PolitiFact, providing us links to several sources. One was an undated article in the Journal of Nursing -- published post 2010 -- that said ""malnutrition is becoming increasingly more common among the elderly population"" and ""about 60 percent of hospitalized older adults (age 65 or older) … are experiencing malnutrition."" It cited as its source a 2006 article in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. The Journal of Nursing article also stated that ""malnutrition impacts morbidity, mortality, hospital length of stay, functional disabilities, and physical complications. Malnutrition can cause increased infection, electrolyte imbalances, altered skin integrity, anemia, weakness, and fatigue."" Another source provided by Meals on Wheels was an online information sheet by the National Resource on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Aging, called ""Malnutrition and Older Americans,"" which, according to the online sheet, was based at Florida International University in Miami. It said that ""as many as 65 percent of the elders in hospitals may be malnourished."" The sheet said ""studies have shown that older adults at nutritional risk tend to make more visits to physicians, hospitals and emergency rooms,"" have hospital stays twice as long as well-nourished patients and are re-admitted more frequently. The website, which was partially supported by a grant from the federal Administration on Aging, did not give a source for its information. And phone numbers listed for the organization no longer work. A call to the university in Florida found that it no longer has the National Resource on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Aging. A third source was a July 1995 New York Times article that said ""one half of elderly hospital patients are malnourished,"" though the article did not list a source for the figure and did not address whether malnutrition caused their sickness or kept them from recovering. None of the sources supported the key part of Meals on Wheels’ claim that half of hospitalized seniors have such severe malnutrition that it either caused their illness or prevented them from getting better. Those strong assertions go well beyond the information Meals on Wheels provided. On our own, we found several studies and medical journal articles about malnutrition in hospitalized elderly people. They showed malnutrition is more common in that age group, but they offered varying estimates for the extent of the problem. Ellen Furman, an assistant professor of nursing at American International College, in Springfield, Mass., pointed us to what she said was some of the most current literature on the subject -- a 2010 article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. That study used a pool of about 4,500 people, with a mean age of 82 years old. It found that about 40 percent were malnourished. ""What is so frustrating when trying to quote prevalence rates for undernutrition in hospitalized older adults is that every study has different rates dependent upon setting and population samples,"" Furman said by e-mail. We also contacted experts who worked on a ""consensus statement"" about adult malnutrition, published in 2012 by a joint research group for two national nutrition organizations. The statement said there is a wide range of estimates of malnutrition among adults. We reached out to Rhode Island Hospital and Lifespan, the state’s biggest hospital group (which includes Rhode Island Hospital.) Spokeswomen for both said they couldn’t confirm the 50-percent rate cited by Meals on Wheels. But they said nutritionists for the hospitals agreed that malnutrition leaves patients vulnerable to other illnesses. We also contacted state and federal agencies that deal with health care and the elderly but none had firm statistics on the extent or severity of malnutrition in the hospitalized elderly. Our ruling Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, in a fundraising letter, said: ""In fact, half of all hospitalized seniors are suffering from malnutrition so severe that it either caused their illness or it prevents them from getting better."" To determine a ruling, we broke the statement into three parts. First, are half of all hospitalized seniors suffering from malnutrition? We found papers and studies that included malnutrition rates among hospitalized elderly of about 40 percent to 60 percent, either at admission to the hospital or during their stays, in the range that Meals on Wheels cited. (Other studies and papers, many of them conducted in Europe, gave a wider percentage range). Second, is the malnutrition so severe it caused their illness? We found nothing to support this. Third, is their malnutrition so severe it prevents them from getting better? We found research showing that malnutrition can make someone susceptible to other illnesses and contribute to longer hospitalization. But we found nothing to support the claim that the malnutrition prevented them from recovering. Malnutrition among the elderly is clearly a serious problem. But this statement goes beyond what the evidence shows. The judges rule it ."
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5550
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India’s worst-hit state for encephalitis turning a tide.
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Seven-year-old Aryan Singh could have met the same fate as his cousin, who died seven years ago because the nearest hospital was too far.
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true
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Health, General News, India, Asia, International News, South Asia, Asia Pacific
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When Aryan returned home from school with a low-grade fever in mid-September, his mother initially dismissed it as seasonal, worrying only when his temperature shot up overnight. She hopped on her husband’s motorbike with her son clinging to her, riding through the rutted roads of their village in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh before reaching a rural government health care center at around 2 a.m. Doctors hospitalized Aryan after he was diagnosed with scrub typhus, a bacterial infection spread by rats and mites that accounts for nearly 40% of identifiable causes of encephalitis — potentially fatal brain swelling that is rare globally but prevalent in parts of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. A vaccine for one strain of the disease, Japanese encephalitis, is available, but there is no guard against the strains caused by bacteria. The survival rate is high if the disease is treated early. “The boy is on the path of recovery,” said Dr. K.P. Yadav, in charge of primary health at the center. “The credit goes to the parents who did not wait till morning and brought the child to the hospital.” His mother said Aryan’s cousin wasn’t so lucky. He died because the closest well-equipped hospital was 85 kilometers (53 miles) from their village. Acute encephalitis syndrome, including Japanese encephalitis, is caused by several different viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, spirochetes, chemical and toxins. The outbreak of Japanese encephalitis coincides with the June-October monsoon season and the post-monsoon period when the density of mosquitoes increases. It typically spreads from pigs to people via mosquitoes, and is easily identified through testing. It infects many people in childhood. Years of recurring outbreaks and high fatality rates among children in some of India’s poorest regions have revealed the cracks in the country’s health care system. Between 2007 and 2016, almost 75,000 cases were reported from 22 states and union territories in India, according to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program. Nearly 25,000 children in India have died from encephalitis since 1978. By contrast, there were about 7,300 children admitted to U.S. hospitals with encephalitis from 2004 to 2013, according to a 2016 study of a national pediatric health database. Of those, 230 children died. But things are changing in Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populous state, with millions of rural poor. Encephalitis cases in have dropped sharply because of a new network of rural clinics, doctors and state government officials told The Associated Press. Uttar Pradesh’s eastern portion experienced India’s worst encephalitis outbreak in 2005, with over 1,500 deaths reported at state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, 230 kilometers (143 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital. But a massive immunization and cleanliness drive launched in 2017 in the seven districts with the highest caseloads is sharply bringing down the fatality rate, said Yogi Adityanath, the state’s top elected official. In the past, the patients had to travel at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) to reach a well-equipped government hospital, with a large number of them dying on the way. Small hospitals are now being set up within a distance of 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the most disease-prone villages, said Dr. Mahima Mittal, head of the pediatrics department at the public BRD Hospital. Before taking over the state’s top state position two years ago, Adityanath, who is also a Hindu monk of a revered temple in Gorakhpur, represented the region in India’s Parliament for 25 years. He faced flak for not doing enough to control the outbreak of the dreaded disease. When his Bharatiya Janata Party won state elections in 2017, he rose to power. Adityanath immediately ordered the strengthening of health services in seven encephalitis-endemic districts. More than 100 encephalitis treatment centers and pediatrics intensive care units were set up close to villages. More than 100,000 doctors and paramedics were given special training to treat encephalitis patients. Over 4 million children were given vaccines against Japanese encephalitis between January and March this year. Last year, 3.5 million children were vaccinated against the disease, Adityanath said. The state government claims a steady decline in encephalitis fatalities in the last two years. In 2017, encephalitis took the lives of 748 people. The death toll dropped to 278 in 2018. Up to Aug. 31 of this year, only 38 children had died of the disease. Dr. R.N. Singh, who has battled the disease in the state for the last 25 years, said there was no way to independently verify the government’s claims, but that a decline in encephalitis cases was visible. “Earlier, I used to examine two to three encephalitis cases in a week, but now one case comes in a month or so,” he said. His nongovernment organization targeted Holiya, a village in Gorakhpur district, providing access to toilets and safe drinking water, vaccinations, mosquito spraying and mosquito nets. Garbage disposal has been taken up by local elected bodies. Tens of thousands of toilets have been built in the region to stop people from defecating in the open, according to state officials. Dr. Shishir Roy, a pediatrician in a rural dispensary, said besides massive immunizations, the state government also launched a campaign called “Dastak,” or “Door-Knock,” in the same seven encephalitis-prone districts. State government workers knock at the doors of every village, educating residents about the symptoms of encephalitis, the need for clean drinking water and how to keep their living spaces free from mosquitoes and other insects. “If you ask me, it is the knock on the door project which has knocked the encephalitis out of this endemic region,” Roy said.
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7321
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ACLU files 1st coronavirus curfew lawsuit in Puerto Rico.
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The ACLU said Sunday it is seeking an injunction to block part of Puerto Rico’s strict curfew against the new coronavirus, arguing that some of its restrictions are unconstitutional.
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true
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Health, General News, Latin America, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Virus Outbreak, Lawsuits
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The curfew imposed March 15 has shuttered non-essential businesses in the U.S. territory and ordered people to stay home from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. and remain there even outside those hours unless they have to buy food or medicine, go to the bank or have an emergency or health-related situation. Violators face a $5,000 or a six-month jail term, and police have cited hundreds of people. “There’s been no martial law declared, and there are no circumstances for it,” the ACLU argued. “As such, emergency states cannot be used to suspend fundamental rights.” Kelvin Carrasco, a spokesman for Puerto Rico’s Justice Department, said there was no immediate comment. It is the first time the ACLU has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. jurisdiction related to a coronavirus curfew. In a statement last month, the ACLU said it will keep monitoring the use of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “History teaches that our government is most prone to committing abuses in times of crisis, and we must ensure that broad presidential powers are not misused beyond legitimate needs,” it said. Puerto Rico has reported 20 deaths and more than 470 confirmed cases, and many expect the island’s curfew to be extended. The government’s executive order bars people who aren’t part of a “family nucleus” from getting together for meetings, parties or other gatherings. The ACLU suit filed Saturday argues that the state cannot decide who forms part of a family nucleus, nor determine who should be kicked out and fined inside a home. The lawsuit names three Puerto Ricans who say exemptions to the ban are confusing and that they worry about being arrested as they leave their homes daily to care for elderly mothers, including giving insulin injections. While the order allows people to leave their homes for emergencies or health-related situations, the ACLU argues the order is too vague and leaves too many interpretations in the hands of police officers who haven’t been properly briefed. “The (executive) order pretends that constitutional rights be handed over blindly to the government, and that is unacceptable. The government cannot interfere with who you interact with within your home or define your family nucleus,” the lawsuit states. Fermín Arraiza, legal director of Puerto Rico’s ACLU chapter, said in a phone interview that another issue is the creation of new misdemeanors, an action that under the Constitution requires approval from the legislative branch. The ACLU filed the lawsuit in Puerto Rico’s Court of First Instance.
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5859
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Oklahoma suffers largest syphilis outbreak in recent history.
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State health officials say Oklahoma County is in the midst of the largest syphilis outbreak in recent state history.
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true
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Sexually transmitted diseases, Oklahoma City, Health, Oklahoma, Syphilis
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The state Health Department’s manager of HIV and sexually transmitted disease services, Kristen Eberly, said this is the largest number of cases connecting to the same infection she’s seen in her 13 years with the department. The outbreak comes as Oklahoma is also seeing a rising number of residents dying from heroine and methamphetamine overdose. Health officials said drug abuse is one of the main contributing factors for the syphilis outbreak. Other risk factors associated with the outbreak include exchanging sex for money or drugs, and having multiple sex partners. Eighty residents between the ages of 14 and 47 have been infected over the past few months, The Oklahoman (http://bit.ly/2nh1lSE ) reported. The majority of those identified used drugs, including heroin and methanphetamine. Health officials said it’s important for residents to get tested for syphillis. “We just want to help everybody, regardless of whether you’re on drugs or not, we don’t care,” Eberly said. “We want to help get you treated and make you as healthy as we can.” Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease passed through direct contact with a syphilitic sore, known as a chancre. ___ Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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33231
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Cups of instant noodles pose a deadly danger to consumers due to the cups' wax linings.
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Cups of instant noodles do not pose a deadly danger to consumers due to the cups' wax linings.
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false
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Food
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E-mailed warnings against a non-existent lurking threat regarding cups of instant noodles made their Internet debut in early October 2000, although the belief that eating instant noodles causes a waxy internal buildup is actually older than that: [Collected via e-mail, 2000] For our health concern, pls pass on the msg to those you know who loves Instand Noodles. This is what I heard from a fellow colleague. Her nephew, who was studying in UK for about one and a half years, likes to eat cup-a-noodle. And guess what! His doctor has found that there is a layer of wax lining the walls of his stomach. Seems that instand noodles that comes with foam containers contain an edible layer of wax. However, regular consumptions make it hard for our livers to clear the toxic. This person died when he went for an operation to try to remove the layer. Pls do not boil the noodles in the container. Transfer to a glass bowl before you put the hot water. [Collected via Facebook, 2012] Styrofoam does an excellent job all on its own in keeping a hot liquid hot, and the thicker “heat ‘n’ serve” containers made from styrofoam stand up very well to microwave heating. There’d be no need to use a wax lining in such a container, because any use it could possibly serve is already well handled by the styrofoam. As well, coating with wax the interior of a styrofoam container one knows will be used to heat a product would be rather pointless, because heat will melt wax, thus incorporating what was supposed to be part of the package into the foodstuff. Manufacturers of instant foods have a hard enough time convincing consumers that their stuff tastes good enough to eat without introducing melted wax into the equation. Even if wax were used in the styrofoam containers, and even if some of it did get into the food, it wouldn’t adversely affect the average person. (It might possibly cause a problem for infants or those with damaged or impaired digestive systems, but not ordinary, healthy adults.) Though it’s not generally known, a number of candies routinely contain wax products. (Rowntree’s “Smarties” and Just Born’s “Peeps” immediately come to mind: carnauba wax is used in these products, as it is in candy corn.) In some confections, the wax is more upfront, as countless children who’ve indulged in wax lips and wax “soda” bottles will happily attest. To the best of our knowledge, none of the indulgers in these products have had to have the wax scraped out of their stomachs or developed cancer as a result (including my husband, who in the Halloweens of his childhood happily ate several pieces of wax lips a day). This badly-constructed scare would have us believe someone’s unnamed nephew in the United Kingdom died from a buildup of wax in his stomach. Wax, like just about anything else one swallows, is pushed through the digestive system and exits the body as part of a bowel movement. Nothing inherently special in wax would turn it into a permanent coating clinging forever to the stomach lining. In October 2010 we spotted a similar e-mail about the supposed danger of using wax-lined paper cups for hot liquids: Beware of paper cups Varun, an IT professional working in Technopark, was finding himself with an upset stomach every night. While normal medical checks revealed nothing wrong in him, deeper probes revealed the reason – his stomach was collecting significant amounts of wax. And doctors identified the villain – the ordinary paper cups he used for drinking his tea at his office pantry. Disposable paper cups have become quite popular in office pantries due to the convenience it offers. What many overlook is the fact that these paper cups are coated with a tiny layer of wax, which is essential to prevent water from seeping into the paper. When very hot liquids are poured into this cup, the wax may disintegrate and a little may come off, which will promptly be sent along with the drink into our stomachs! While our body can discard minor amounts, over the long-term, it does become a problem. So what can be done about it? You can try to bring your own glass cups. Glass is one of the least reactive materials in the world (remember acids are stored in glass vessels, blood samples are collected in glass plates – these are for a good reason). But glass does have the problem of breaking easily, so it requires good care. Ceramic cups are probably the best bet. Of course, you can also use your ordinary stainless steel cups, but never use plastic ones – its dangers are even worse than wax.
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9951
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Debate over cognitive, traditional mental health therapy
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This is an important enterprise story examining the debate among mental health professionals over cognitive behavioral therapy versus traditional psychoanalysis. This is not a story that was done simply in reaction to a news release or a journal article or a talk at a scientific meeting. Rather, it is an exploration of a trend in patient care, and it’s the kind of evidence-based exploration we need more often. Should we base treatments/interventions on science, on science tailored to the individual, or on experential approaches? (The middle option is best.) Are clinicians paying attention to the latest science or walking to their own drumbeat – not listening to or incorporating the scientific data?
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true
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"The story does not discuss the cost of CBT compared to other therapies. The story notes it is seen as a cost-effective treatment when compared to older modes of treatment that can stretch over many years (e.g. psychoanalysis) which may not have a target date or specific goals for making behavioral changes. However, cost effectiveness is a relative term; a consumer needs to know real costs – cost/session and how many sessions on average, if possible, whether insurance covers the treatment, etc. Looked at this way there may be a big difference in cost between CBT and long-term psychotherapy. The story notes the potential benefits of CBT as improving mental health outcomes for patients with mainly mood disorders. The story does not provide any data regarding this comparison. We are told that patients using CBT sometimes do better than medicated peers, but this may be complicated by patients in a ""real-life"" clinical setting who do a combination therapy (meds and CBT). A clinician makes the case that many peoples’ suffering could be avoided if a therapist ""provided the right kind of treatment."" This is not the case. Certain evidence-based therapies like CBT may help people identify thought processes that perpetuate depression, anxiety and other mood disorders, but peoples’ mental struggles and struggles of life cannot be avoided by psychological treatment. The story notes that in clinical practice the drop-out rate for strict CBT therapy is high, but does not really explain why this is the case. The story notes that evidence from research studies that CBT is valuable treatment for all may be biased toward people who are motived to stick with this therapeautic apprach. The story does not mention that CBT requires a great deal of homework and motivation on the part of a patient. Some patients may prefer a more passive approach to therapy or a more relational approach with their therapist. Other patients may not be capable of the homework required in many CBT protocols. We are not told what the next step is for patients who do not do well with CBT. This is a difficult area: The harms of meds are often pretty clear – but what harms can one expect from a therapy? This requires some unconventional thinking – what are the effects on employability if you’re taking off work regularly for treatment? Or what are the effects on interpersonal relationships? The story interviews clinicians who provide different perspectives and cite their rationale (and in some cases, their own research) for preferred evidence-based therapies. The story cites clinicians who state that case studies establish other forms of psychotherapy, but then the story misses the opportunity to ask critical questions about this statement. Are case studies, case-series a convincing form of evidence? Rarely – we wouldn’t want public policy shaped by this type of evidence and if better evidence is available. The story does not engage in disease-mongering. However, the story notes that ""in the last 20 years the treatment rate for mental disorders has nearly doubled"". The story doesn’t note that diagnostic criteria for many mood disorders had broadened, so many people with milder symptoms are included in epidemiological surveys; people with milder symptoms may now be encouraged to seek professional treatment, whereas in the past they may have relied on social/family support. The story cites many clinicians and researchers who provide their perspective on the most appropriate evidence-based psychological therapies. The interview material helps to create a balanced overview and places CBT in the context of other available and tested therapies. CBT is useful, but it may not be a panecea for all patients with mental illness. The story does discuss different treatment approaches used by psychotherapists. Some of these approaches are supported with a larger body of scientitic evidence than others. Other empirically based psychotherapies were missed – problem solving therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy and even short-term psychodynamic. CBT is not the only evidence based psychotherapy. The story focused on psychotherapy but it would have been useful to give more direct comparisons to alternatives.The story does not mention that many patients may use medications in combination with therapy, which can further muddy the research outcomes evidence for any therapy. CBT is not a novel treatment. The novel aspect of the story is the question of whether clinicians are using evidence based treatment. The focus of the story is the suggestion that too many therapists are using clinical experience rather than evidence-based, tested therapies to inform their clinical practice. The story notes that there are many variables in treating emotional problems (and people!) and one therapeutic approach does not fit all. The story notes new outcome questionnaires as a way to drive a more collaborative therapy process and provide data on cost-effectiveneness for certain therapies as effective for certain conditions and personalities. The story does not appear to be taken from a press release. There is a great deal of independent reporting."
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11201
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New Data Establishes Image Guided Treatment Option for Prostate Cancer as an Alternative to Surgery by Reducing Recovery Times and Lower Side Effects
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There is much interest in the treatment world about the area of irreversible electroporation (IRE), which is a new way to damage cancer cells inside solid tumors, including prostate cancer tumors, by using an electric current. IRE, marketed as the NanoKnife, is a “new minimally invasive surgical technique that selectively kills tumor cells by using electrical fields to make holes in cell membranes,” according to Stony Brook School of Medicine which has begun using the method to treat certain types of pancreatic cancer. As exciting as the topic may be, this news release drops the ball on several levels. The Germany-based study claims to show that results from 265 patients showed fewer side effects with an image-guided IRE therapy for their prostate cancer than they would have had with other methods. But the claim is never backed up. Cost, valid evidence, alternatives and context are all missing from the release — hence the 1-star score. Note: We’ve previously reviewed a different news release about the NanoKnife and covered the fascinating dispute that ensued between University of Louisville employees over the source of that news. Estimates put prostate cancer as the fifth-highest expenditure of all cancers in the United States, with a yearly cost of about $10 billion in 2010. Any treatment that would lower costs (such as hospitalization and surgery) and decrease side effects, such as impotence and incontinence, would make an enormous difference. This news release missed its chance to educate the public and practitioners in two ways: by promoting ahead of peer-review publication and by failing to include some context about the size of cost burden.
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false
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Cancer,Diagnostic tests,Imaging,Prostate cancer
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The release does not discuss costs. The release does give a list of outcomes, and uses quantitative language to describe them, but there’s nothing to substantiate the claim that these outcomes are better than what would be achieved with a more conventional treatment approach. The release doesn’t mention outcomes like survival time that are obviously of critical importance to patients. And because this research has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the data cannot be judged as credible and acceptable by typical professional standards. The release does not tell us anything about the study protocol. It does state it was “an analysis of clinical data” so it wasn’t a controlled trial. Randomized and controlled trials are needed to achieve high standards in research. The release makes several different claims about the superiority of this treatment method to others — but never brings up the potential of harm. “The patients we have treated in the Prostata Center have had their cancers destroyed without the need for surgery, with a low incidence of side effects and in most cases have been back on their feet the next day,” the release states. [Italics ours]. The word “destroyed” is not typically used in medicine. Even if there is a “low incidence” of side effects, we would like to know what those rare side effects are. Further, the news release provides no information about how side effects were measured (e.g., standardized measures completed by patients, physician assessments–which is not considered reliable), how many men actually completed reports of complications, the median length of follow-up–saying “up to 4 years” is very imprecise. (They could have been followed just 6 months, 1 year, and so on.) Another problem is that the recurrence group included men who had already been treated with surgery or radiation–which do cause erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. To interpret complication data the reader needs to know the level of urinary control and sexual function before the IRE treatment. The release also does not describe how recurrence was defined, whether all men were evaluated, and–again–the median length of follow up. The release describes a study with data from 265 patients, and includes some details about their stage of cancer and their results in a follow-up of up to 4 years. But the release does not describe how the study was conducted which weakens the credibility of the data provided. While we know the study was not randomized and controlled, we then looked for credible evidence about benefits. A big problem with the study is that T3 and T4 tumors (and the report does not indicate how many of the tumors were in these categories) have spread beyond the prostate and are not curable. This makes it very difficult to understand what the authors meant by “tumor control” and “recurrence.” The release does not use disease mongering language. The release did not identify funding sources for the research. Frehling is the director of a for-profit treatment center, Prostata. We would have liked to see the release outline the typical alternatives for a patient presenting with prostate cancer, and explain how this image-guided IRE therapy compares to other therapies. The release states: “Unlike other treatment procedures for prostate cancer therapy, image guided or IRE only destroys cells; vital tissue structures are not affected.” But it doesn’t outline side-by-side the alternatives for patients. Currently, cryotherapy or other local therapies are not recommended as therapy for primary or recurrent prostate cancer due to lack of long-term data comparing these treatments with radiation and surgery, according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). For patients with recurrent cancer, the typical treatments include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiopharmaceutical therapy. Treatment choice for recurrent cancer would depend upon the initial stage and whether “recurrence” meant biochemical progression (PSA increase) or clinical evidence of progressive or metastatic cancer. In this release, the group studied was not described well enough to know which alternative therapies would have been appropriate. A common problem with early-stage primary cancers is overtreatment. An appropriate option for many men with low-risk cancers is “active surveillance” — not receiving any active treatment because there is no evidence for benefit. We do not know how many of the study subjects had low-risk cancers. When a release is all about a “new” therapy, it is important to establish whether this technology and expertise is available only in academic centers or more widely in the community or hardly at all and only in clinical research. This release does not tell us anything about when and where this might be made available. If the investigator is just now reporting up to 4 years of data on only 265 subjects then this is not widely available. The release does not provide context about the use of IRE for prostate or other cancers. Readers could easily come away from this release thinking that this is the first time outcomes have been reported on the use of IRE for prostate cancer. But other researchers have been looking into this. Also, IRE has a longer track record of use in pancreatic cancer that wasn’t mentioned. There are a few sentences in this release that we can’t confirm and sound unjustifiable. Here are two examples, with our comments in italics. “Dr. Stehling has treated the most prostate cancer patients in the world using this image-guided treatment.” We would have preferred the number of patients he has treated, rather than “most in the world.” “Data found that the most common side effects are either eliminated or greatly reduced using image-guided treatment.” We believe you can’t claim both “eliminated” and “reduced” at the same time. It is one or the other.
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21976
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I did not say that I would not have them [Muslims] in my Cabinet.
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Cain denies claims he said he would not appoint Muslims
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false
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Georgia, Islam, Religion, Herman Cain,
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"Former pizza CEO and talk show host Herman Cain loves to say he’s not politically correct. Now, his brash words have pushed him to correct the political record. On ""The Glenn Beck Program"" radio show May 24, the Republican presidential hopeful tried to rebut accusations that in March he said he would not appoint Muslims to Cabinet positions or federal judgeships in a potential Cain administration. ""I did not say that I would not have them in my Cabinet. Because if you look at my career, I have hired good people regardless of race, religion, sex, gender or orientation and this sort of thing,"" Cain told Beck. This statement, made just three days after Cain’s May 21 announcement that he is running for president, was only his latest attempt to put the controversy to rest. Reporters have dogged him on the issue for two months. ""People are trying to push me in a corner,"" he groused in April to The Daily Caller, a news website founded by conservatives. No one puts Herman Cain in a corner. But fact-check him? We can’t resist. What did he say in March about appointing Muslims to his Cabinet? We called and emailed the Cain campaign for comment. It did not respond, so we proceeded without it. Metro Atlantans are accustomed to Cain as an agitator. He’s been goading liberals for years as a conservative talk show host on AM 750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB. Cain’s comments about Muslims barely made news locally, but with the growth of his support, he faces more scrutiny than ever before. Now we’re learning whether what plays with metro Atlanta conservatives works on the national stage. The controversy began in February in a Milner church. Cain talked about his bout with stage four liver and colon cancer and suggested he was uncomfortable when he learned his surgeon’s name was ""Abdallah."" The evangelical publication Christianity Today asked Cain about his comment in a March 21 article. Cain replied that Muslims should stop trying to convert others. ""And based upon the little knowledge that I have of the Muslim religion, you know, they have an objective to convert all infidels or kill them,"" Cain said. Five days later, a blogger for liberal ThinkProgress.org questioned him at the Conservative Principles Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. ""Would you be comfortable appointing a Muslim either in your Cabinet or as a federal judge?"" the blogger asked. ""No, I will not,"" Cain replied. ""And here’s why. There is this creeping attempt, there’s this attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government. It does not belong in our government."" By that Monday, Cain was explaining his comments to national media outlets. He’s been at it ever since. This brings us back to Beck’s radio show, where Cain said his statement was ""misconstrued."" ""[The reporter] said, would you be comfortable with a Muslim in your Cabinet?"" Cain told Beck. ""And I immediately said, without thinking, ‘No, I would not be comfortable.’ I did not say that I would not have them in my Cabinet. Because if you look at my career, I have hired good people regardless of race, religion, sex, gender or orientation and this sort of thing. "" Indeed, the question the ThinkProgress.org blogger asked Cain was whether he would be ""comfortable"" with a Muslim in his Cabinet, not whether he would appoint one. If you take the video on its face, the explanation Cain gave on Beck’s show seems reasonable. The problem is that it contradicts what Cain said about his own comments. The Monday after the news broke, Cain recounted what he said on Fox News’ ""Your World with Neil Cavuto."" ""A reporter asked me ‘Would I appoint a Muslim to my administration?’ I did say ‘no,’ "" Cain told Cavuto. ""And here’s why ... I would have to have people totally committed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. And many of the Muslims, they’re not totally dedicated to this country,"" he said. In April, Cain repeated he would not hire a Muslim to radio host Bryan Fischer, who is also a conservative. We found an excerpt from the show on a website critical of the political right: ""[T]he comment I made that became controversial, and my staff keeps hoping will die, is that I wouldn’t have Muslims in my administration. And it’s real simple. The Constitution does not have room for Sharia law ... and to introduce that element as part of an administration when we’ve got all of these other issues, I think I have the right to say that I won’t,"" Cain said. Cain’s opposition to Muslims in his Cabinet is not ironclad. After some prodding, he told Cavuto he might consider a Muslim who’s loyal to the Constitution but never met one he would choose for his Cabinet. Still, contrary to his claim on Beck’s program, Cain did say he would not have Muslims in his Cabinet. Not once or twice, but three times in as many weeks to ThinkProgress.org, Cavuto and Fischer. When scrutiny grew stronger, Cain backtracked. During Beck’s program, he parted ways with the truth."
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13470
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"Patrick Murphy Says ""Marco Rubio would take away a woman’s right to choose for victims of rape or incest."
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"Murphy said, ""Marco Rubio would take away a woman’s right to choose for victims of rape or incest."" Rubio has been a staunch opponent of abortion for years, but his position is subtly shaded. He thinks abortion should not be allowed unless the mother’s life is endangered. But he is willing to support legislation that contains exceptions allowing the procedure for victims of rape and incest. He has backed measures both with and without exceptions. Rubio has said if he had his way, he’d prefer to ban almost all abortions. But his record shows he’s willing to give at least a little ground on the issue, which Murphy has obscured in his ad."
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true
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Abortion, Voting Record, Florida, Patrick Murphy,
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"U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy said Sen. Marco Rubio has a zero-compromise position on abortion. In a new campaign ad that started appearing Sept. 20, 2016, Murphy’s campaign said Rubio, the Republican incumbent, refuses to give ground on the issue, even in extenuating circumstances. ""Marco Rubio would take away a woman’s right to choose for victims of rape or incest,"" the ad said. It included video of Rubio saying, ""I don’t require there to be an exception for rape or incest."" Murphy has faced criticism that he’s a conservative in Democrat’s clothing, so his ad touted his own support for abortion. The ad goes on to say Rubio wouldn’t allow the procedure for pregnant women with Zika. Rubio has previously confirmed he would oppose allowing a woman who has contracted the virus to abort a fetus that potentially had severe microcephaly. He said he preferred ""to err on the side of life"" rather than allow the procedure. But what has Rubio said about allowing exceptions for rape and incest victims? We checked his record and found that even though Rubio strongly opposes abortion, his stance on granting exceptions is a bit more nuanced than Murphy described. Rubio’s record Rubio’s history against abortion is well documented. He has advocated for further restrictions on abortion, including banning the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy. But allowing abortions for rape and incest victims is a trickier subject, which came up while Rubio was running for the GOP presidential nomination. During an Aug. 6, 2015, Republican debate in Cleveland, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly pointed out Rubio favored a rape and incest exception to abortion bans, which Rubio refuted. ""I have never said that. And I have never advocated that,"" Rubio said. ""What I have advocated is that we pass law in this country that says all human life at every stage of its development is worthy of protection. In fact, I think that law already exists. It is called the Constitution of the United States."" Rubio reiterated this view after that debate on Glenn Beck’s radio show, saying he personally supported banning abortion unless the mother’s life was endangered. ""Now I recognize that other people don’t hold that view, and in order to save lives in this country, I have supported bills that had to have exceptions in them,"" he told Beck. Now back to running for re-election to the U.S. Senate, Rubio has supported legislation that contained rape and incest exceptions at least twice. Back in November 2013, he was one of 40 cosponsors for a Senate bill called the ""Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act."" The bill, which stalled in committee, banned abortions at 20 weeks or greater but includes exceptions, including rape and incest. Rubio also cosponsored a similar version in 2015 that required adult women to obtain counseling or medical treatment for the rape 48 hours before the abortion, with separate criteria for minors about reporting the rape to law enforcement. We also found examples of bills Rubio supported that did not appear to contain a rape exception. In 2000, then-state Rep. Rubio voted for a Florida ban on late-term abortions. The original version of that bill didn’t contain a rape exception, though it allowed a doctor to take steps to save the life of the mother. It became law in May 2000, but court decisions ended state enforcement of the ban. Another example is a 2013 U.S. Senate bill Rubio cosponsored that was similar to those earlier proposals but pertained to the District of Columbia. That bill made an exception to save the life of the mother, but not for rape or incest. Rubio’s own ""Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act,"" which he introduced in 2015, would have made it illegal for a minor to cross state lines for abortions to get around parental notification laws. Rubio’s bill included an exception in order to save the mother’s life, but not if the mother was a victim of rape or incest. Recent rhetoric Rubio’s clear preference is that an abortion not be performed, but he is willing to support anti-abortion legislation that includes an exception for rape and incest. He says as much in the very soundbite Murphy’s ad uses. The clip is from a November 2015 event with pastors in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. If you review it in full context, Rubio says he prefers essentially all abortion to be illegal, but is willing to vote for legislation containing exceptions. It begins with Rubio stating his position, referring to the aforementioned Cleveland debate (the words plucked out by the Murphy campaign are in bold): ""I’ve taken great criticism for it. You know, I stood up on a debate stage and was challenged about the fact that I don’t require there to be an exception for rape or incest, and this is a tough position,"" he said. Rubio stresses the word ""require,"" and then continues: ""And I’ve said, listen, I will vote for bills that have exceptions, because they save lives, and (a) 20-week abortion ban has exceptions. And I’ll vote for anything that saves lives. But I don’t require. That is not a majority position, even in the Republican Party. But I just don’t feel this is a political issue, I really don’t, but I will support those that have exceptions, because I’m in favor of anything that protects life."" That same month, he told the Associated Press,""I, as president, will sign a bill that has exceptions,"" he said. ""I've supported bills that have exceptions."" Rubio has often repeated similar statements, sometimes turning the subject to falsely accuse Hillary Clinton of supporting late-term abortions. But his Republican primary opponents continued to attack him on the issue into 2016. In February, he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that as president, ""if they pass a law in Congress that has exceptions, I’ll sign it because I want to save lives."" But he still thought the unborn always deserved protection, even in the event of a ""crisis pregnancy."" Still, he understood that was not the popular position among the general electorate. ""That’s why any law that limits abortions that passes will almost certainly have exceptions. And I’ll sign it with exceptions,"" he said. Our ruling Murphy said, ""Marco Rubio would take away a woman’s right to choose for victims of rape or incest."" Rubio has been a staunch opponent of abortion for years, but his position is subtly shaded. He thinks abortion should not be allowed unless the mother’s life is endangered. But he is willing to support legislation that contains exceptions allowing the procedure for victims of rape and incest. He has backed measures both with and without exceptions. Rubio has said if he had his way, he’d prefer to ban almost all abortions. But his record shows he’s willing to give at least a little ground on the issue, which Murphy has obscured in his ad."
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7877
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Exclusive: UK's worst case coronavirus toll is 50,000 dead but UK is not on course for that - source.
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The British government’s worst case scenario envisages a coronavirus death toll of 50,000 if self isolation is not fully adhered to, but the United Kingdom is not right now on course for a toll of that scale, a source familiar with the government’s emergency discussions said.
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true
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Health News
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According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, the worst day for deaths is projected to be April 12, which this year is Easter Sunday. The worst case death toll would be based on partial adherence to quarantine by the population at a level of about 50%, according to the government scenario, the source said. A so-called “good” outcome in the circumstances would be a death toll of fewer than 20,000 in the United Kingdom, according to the source. A Downing Street spokeswoman declined immediate comment. “Sadly the coronavirus continues to grow,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. “The best scientific analysis is that the rate of infection has been doubling every three to four days.” The United Kingdom’s coronavirus death toll rose 24 percent in one day to 2,921, as of April 1. As of 0800 GMT on April 2, a total of 163,194 people had been tested of which 33,718 tested positive, the British health ministry said. Stephen Powis, the national medical director of National Health Service England, said at a Downing Street briefing on Thursday that a high death rate would continue to be seen for “a few weeks yet”. “There are still reasons to be hopeful,” Powis said. “We do see early academic evidence that the transmission rate in the community may have fallen below 1.” Powis said on Sunday that the United Kingdom would be doing well if it kept the coronavirus death toll below 20,000. According to a study by Imperial College last month, if no measures had been taken by governments then the outbreak would have caused more than half a million deaths in Britain and 2.2 million in the United States. Global coronavirus deaths topped 50,200 on Thursday as the pandemic ravages the United States and Europe, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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4016
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Lamont seeks to end religious exemption to vaccinations.
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Gov. Ned Lamont recommended Monday that Connecticut join a growing number of states in eliminating the religious exemption for childhood vaccinations.
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true
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Ned Lamont, Health, Measles, General News, Connecticut, Public health, United States
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Lamont, a Democrat, and Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell proposed that the General Assembly do away with the exemption by the start of the 2021-22 school year. The decision follows the recent release of statistics from the state Department of Public Health showing the percentage of Connecticut kindergarteners who were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella dropped from 96.5% in the 2017-18 school year to 95.9% in the 2018-19 school year. There have been 1,241 cases of measles reported in the United States this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday, but just three in Connecticut. “Sometimes legislatures like to wait until the emergency and then act,” Lamont said. “Wait for the bridge to go down, wait for that measles epidemic. And that’s not the way you deal with public safety.” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1905 that states have the right to enforce compulsory vaccination laws, but opponents argue it should be up to parents to make health care decisions for their children. “NO EMERGENCY HERE,” the anti-vaccination group called Informed Choice CT tweeted Monday. “NO NEED FOR (governor Lamont) TO DENY OUR CHILDREN A CIVIL RIGHT.” But Coleman-Mitchell said that unvaccinated children pose a risk to classmates who have compromised immune systems or other health problems that prevent them from receiving vaccinations. “As public health commissioner, I have the responsibility to protect the public health and to protect those who cannot protect themselves,” she said. “Children going to school are entitled to learn in a healthy environment, safe from disease.” Lamont and Coleman-Mitchell were joined by leaders of the legislature’s Democratic majority, who said expect the legislation to pass in next year’s regular session of the General Assembly. “This is not a religious issue,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney. “This is a public health issue, and there is no valid reason for children not to be vaccinated except for health-related reasons.” New York and Washington state both recently removed religious or philosophical exemptions to vaccines, joining California, Mississippi and West Virginia. Maine will remove them in 2021. All states allow medical exemptions.
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10131
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Anti-obesity surgery for youths triples
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This story reported on a recently published scientific article documenting an increase in the number of children having weight loss surgery. The story mentioned that rates of surgical complications were lower in children than in adults, and that their hospital stays were shorter. But it gave no estimates of weight loss that might be obtained, no estimates for the incidence of side-effects or adverse outcomes that might be associated with the surgery, or what the long term effects of the procedure might be. This story represents another example of a newspaper shortening an original Associated Press story, and, in the process, leaving out some important information. We've addressed this practice before and will continue to do so. We give an unsatisfactory score to the editing done by the Baltimore Sun, which shortened the original AP story. The Sun story did not mention any harms associated with weight loss surgery in children. The full length AP piece, from which the story was taken, did mention that obesity surgery during teen years could be associated with psychological risks. In addition it mentioned that the question of how teens fared after leaving the hospital was left unanswered. However, neither the full AP story nor the shortened Sun story explicitly mentioned any medical complications or long-term concerns.
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mixture
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"The story provided an estimate of hospital charges associated with weight loss surgery in children. The story did not quantify the benefits associated with the treatment. There was no estimate of average weight loss observed, though there was discussion of one young man who lost 200 pounds in the 18 months following surgery. The longer AP version of this story mentioned that ""the benefits outweight the risks for most patients,"" but still without quantifying those benefits or risks. We give an unsatisfactory score to the editing done by the Baltimore Sun, which shortened the original AP story. The Sun story did not mention any harms associated with weight loss surgery in children. The full length AP piece, from which the story was taken, did mention that obesity surgery during teen years could be associated with psychological risks. In addition it mentioned that the question of how teens fared after leaving the hospital was left unanswered. However, neither the full AP story nor the shortened Sun story explicitly mentioned any medical complications or long-term concerns. The story mentioned that the information it reported on came from a recently published article analyzying a database of hospital patients. The story did not engage in overt disease mongering. The sources of information for this story appear to be the scientific article, one of its authors, and one patient. The story would have been improved by having someone comment on the significance of the results reported on. This is a controversial issue and there are other experts who could have raised more concerns about the long-term health consequences. This was a story about the change in rate of weight loss surgery in children. Although it did not contain mention of other treatment options for weight loss, this was really not its focus. The entire basis for the story was the growing number of children having obesity surgery, but the story could have given some indication about the number of hospitals that performed these procedures in children. The story failed to mention that this procedure in adolescents is still considered very much ""experimental"" by most experts when applied to this population. The story underemphasized the lack of long-term follow-up data on these kids which leaves the reader with the impression that it is pretty routine when it is not. The uncertainties surrounding the ""newness"" of the procedure in adolescents is very important. (Again, the Baltimore Sun story cut out the only reference to this issue.) Does not appear to rely solely or largely on a press release."
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1585
|
Heads up: intact skull sheds light on big, long-necked dinosaurs.
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A beautifully preserved fossil skull unearthed in Argentina is giving scientists unparalleled insight into the sensory capabilities and behavior of a group of dinosaurs that were the largest land animals in Earth’s history.
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true
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Science News
|
Scientists announced on Tuesday the discovery of the skull as well as neck bones of a newly identified dinosaur called Sarmientosaurus that roamed Patagonia 95 million years ago. CT scans of the skull revealed its brain structure and provided close understanding of its hearing, sight and feeding behavior. Sarmientosaurus, about 40-50 feet long (12-15 meters) and 8-12 tons, belonged to a group called titanosaurs, plant-eating dinosaurs known for long necks, long tails and huge bodies. Sarmientosaurus was a medium-sized titanosaur. The largest species exceeded 100 feet (30 meters) and 50 tons. Of the 60 known titanosaur species, only four, including Sarmientosaurus, have been found with complete skulls. “The head is key to understanding an animal’s biology. It’s home to the brain, sense organs, jaws and teeth - food-gathering mechanisms - and more,” said paleontologist Matt Lamanna of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Titanosaurs were part of a larger group of similar dinosaurs called sauropods. “As for its brain, Sarmientosaurus, bless its heart, was not the sharpest tooth in the jaw,” Ohio University anatomist Lawrence Witmer said. “Sauropod dinosaurs in general are famous for having the smallest brain size relative to body size, and Sarmientosaurus was no exception. Its brain was about the size of a lime yet its body weighed as much as two or three elephants.” Its skull provided the best information on brain structure for any sauropod, Witmer said. Its hearing organ, the cochlear duct, was long, indicating good hearing of low-frequency sounds transmitted over long distances, perhaps to keep track of other members of the herd when they were out of sight, Witmer said. Its eye sockets and eyeballs were relatively large, suggesting vision was particularly important for Sarmientosaurus, Witmer added. Its inner ear orientation on the skull indicates Sarmientosaurus had a nose-down head posture and that it fed mostly on ground plants rather than cropping leaves from tall trees, Witmer said. “It makes sense to envision Sarmientosaurus standing with its feet planted and moving that long neck around like the wand of a vacuum cleaner while the head vacuums up all the low-growing plants in the area,” Witmer said. The research was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
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10086
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Study finds tree nut consumption may lower risk of cardiovascular disease
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This release summarizes observations drawn from a review of dozens of previous studies concerning the consumption of tree nuts and its impact on cardiovascular risk factors among healthy adults. While an impressive number (61) of studies were examined, just 21 dealt specifically with walnuts as opposed to the wider family of tree nuts. The study concerns eight types of tree nuts and does not single out walnuts as being superior over the others. The release contains a lot of good information that suggests tree nuts can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, while it steers the reader toward choosing walnuts. But in the end, and as the published report suggests, any tree nut might do the same job. Many people in the U.S. and other Western countries, particularly, are interested in reducing their risk for cardiovascular disease — and rightly so. People consuming Western diets face a higher proportion of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack, stroke, heart valve issues, arrhythmia, many of which stem from atherosclerosis or plaque build up in the arterial walls. If consuming tree nuts can help reduce the risk of heart disease it is good to present new evidence supporting that idea. It is important for the public to understand the dietary patterns that may help prevent cardiovascular disease. It is also important for them to understand that no one item “added on” to a poor diet is going to result in improved health or clinical outcomes. News releases such as this perpetuate the “add on” idea that adding a supplement rather than adopting a healthy dietary pattern will improve one’s health.
|
mixture
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cardiovascular disease,industry/commercial news releases
|
We won’t ding the story for not mentioning costs, although walnuts certainly are expensive. Each one of us passes by bags of walnuts every time we go to the grocery store and probably have at least a vague idea of what they cost. While in most cases the release carefully states that the study analysis included “tree nuts, such as walnuts” without claiming the focus of the research was walnuts alone, in one paragraph the release says that decades of research have shown that walnuts can help reduce cardiovascular disease risk by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol by 9 to 16% and diastolic blood pressure by 2 to 3 mmHg. But according to the study: “Conclusions: Tree nut intake lowers total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, ApoB, and triglycerides. The major determinant of cholesterol lowering appears to be nut dose rather than nut type. Our findings also highlight the need for investigation of possible stronger effects at high nut doses and among diabetic populations.” The release could have done a better job giving and explaining absolute risk reduction for the cholesterol findings. From the study: Of 2,582 volunteers involved in one of 61 studies, lowered total cholesterol was −4.7 mg/dL; 95% CI: −5.3, −4.0 mg/dL. A brief mention of nut allergies and high caloric content of nuts might be appropriate here since walnuts are being recommended as a daily health supplement for people with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetics and cardiovascular disease are often comorbidities of being overweight. The release doesn’t clue readers in to important limitations in the data. Although the study was an expert, professional analysis, it still relied heavily on computer modeling and extrapolation to come up with data. For example, in the dozens of studies, volunteers consumed nine different types of tree nuts and they had “doses” ranging from 28 grams to 100 grams a day. The trials ranged from 3 weeks to 26 weeks in duration. In addition, the outcomes assessed were all surrogate or intermediate outcomes like cholesterol levels. The study didn’t look at the outcomes that truly matter to people such as heart attacks and strokes. The release should been more clear about this. No disease mongering here. The release clearly states that the study is sponsored and funded by the California Walnut Commission with additional funding from the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation. No alternatives are mentioned such as exercise, medications, lifestyle changes and so on. In fact, other research points to olive oil, for example, as being helpful in modifying cholesterol and risk for cardiovascular disease. A brief mention of this would have been appropriate. Walnuts are widely available so we won’t ding the story for not saying so. It’s not really clear from the release what’s new about this study, beyond the fact that the meta-analysis conducted involved more studies than previous research. The study itself includes an extensive discussion of what’s new here, including the fact that previous studies looked only at specific types of nuts and not all tree nuts. The release uses a measured, professional tone and no unjustifiable language.
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3583
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Hearing on medical pot for ailing pets delayed in New Mexico.
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A pubic hearing has been delayed on a petition to open up New Mexico’s medical marijuana program to ailing pets.
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true
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Medical marijuana, General News, Marijuana, Pets, New Mexico
|
New Mexico’s medical cannabis advisory board declined to hear the proposal Tuesday because a quorum of board members was not in attendance or available by phone. Chairwoman Laura Brown was the only board member to attend the meeting in person and apologized when several agenda items were postponed for at least 30 days. An anonymous petition would allow marijuana prescriptions for dogs with epilepsy. The petitioner contends that authorizing cannabis for animals would minimize the danger of animal abuse by regulating the use of medical marijuana with pets and provide new treatment tools to veterinarians. No state has expressly authorized medical pot for pets, though regulatory proposals have been discussed in New York and California. Cannabidiol-infused products derived from hemp and marijuana are widely marketed to pets. About 78,000 people participate in New Mexico’s medical marijuana program for conditions ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease. The state Legislature is expected to consider new proposals to legalize recreational marijuana in January. Discussion also was postponed Tuesday on a petition to allow marijuana for attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome, anxiety disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.
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35054
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"A photograph posted on social media in March 2020 shows an authentic image of U.S. President Donald Trump's speech notes with the word ""Corona"" scratched out and replaced in handwriting by ""Chinese."
|
Those images were authentic. The original, official photograph was taken by Botsford himself and published by the Getty Images agency on March 19. The website described the image as follows:
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true
|
Politics, COVID-19
|
In March 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump faced widespread scrutiny for various aspects of his administration’s response to the economic and public health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other points of criticism was his repeated insistence on referring to the disease as the “Chinese virus,” despite widely-accepted public health authority guidelines that warn against naming disease outbreaks after nations or regions of the world, due to the unfounded stigmatization such names can cause. The president used that name again during a White House briefing on March 19. Afterwards, social media users shared a photograph purportedly taken at the event, which appeared to show that Trump was even ignoring the guidance of his aides in insisting on referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus.” Washington Post photographer Jabin Botsford tweeted the following:
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14068
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The presence of gorillas calls into question the concept of evolution.
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Limbaugh said the presence of gorillas calls into question the concept of evolution. Limbaugh hit on a common misconception that humans evolved from modern-day apes. In reality, modern-day humans and modern-day gorillas are cousins, having both evolved from a common, but now extinct, ancestor.
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false
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Science, PunditFact, Rush Limbaugh,
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"A question for the ages: Why is a gorilla a gorilla, and not a human? Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh wondered aloud about primate evolution while discussing the case of a boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at a Cincinnati zoo. Limbaugh said the zoo keepers did the right thing when they made the difficult but necessary choice to shoot and kill Harambe, a 400-pound male gorilla, to protect the toddler in the May 28 incident. But some animal activists are outraged at the death of a critically endangered animal. One dimension of this outrage, Limbaugh said, is people think they’re related to gorillas. ""A lot of people think that all of us used to be gorillas, and they're looking for the missing link out there,"" Limbaugh said. ""The evolution crowd. They think we were originally apes. I've always had a question: If we were the original apes, then how come Harambe is still an ape, and how come he didn't become one of us?"" Limbaugh has delivered mixed messages on his belief in evolution in the past. In 2004, he asked why chimpanzees and baboons ""got stuck being idiot gorillas"" instead of becoming humans. Then in 2010, he said, ""clearly things evolve,"" while still expressing skepticism about the progression of human and primate evolution. We thought we’d take the opportunity to answer Limbaugh’s question and explain why the presence of gorillas doesn’t negate the concept of evolution. Humans are apes, as members of the taxonomic family hominidae, which also includes the great apes — orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas. Humans, the great apes, monkeys and more are all primates. However, humans didn’t evolve from gorillas or other apes, as Limbaugh suggests. Rather humans, gorillas and all other apes evolved from a common ape-like ancestor (now extinct) around 5 million to 8 million years ago. See the primate family tree to the left. Scientists know this from studying the comparative anatomy and DNA for humans and other creatures, said Blythe Williams, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. ""Each species has changed over time,"" Williams said. ""For reasons that are not clear, our own species has changed in some very dramatic ways, such as becoming bipedal and getting really big brained."" Some experts believe this common ancestor was chimp-like, while others think it might have been different from anything currently living, said David Pilbeam, professor of human evolution at Harvard University. Williams said the question Limbaugh poses — why gorillas and humans coexist despite evolution — is akin to asking why Rush Limbaugh hasn’t evolved into his cousin, Stephen, or vice-versa. The two share a common ancestor, but they’re not the same person. ""They are different people, with some shared DNA,"" Williams said. ""But because of the introduction of other genes into their gene pool, via parents, they are not exactly the same as one another or their shared grandparent."" So it’s not that there was a linear progression from gorillas to humans, and some gorillas just didn’t evolve. It’s that over some 6 million years, descendants of a single, common species became gorillas, and others became humans. ""Evolution, including human evolution, doesn't have a goal beyond survival and reproduction,"" Pilbeam said, making the argument that becoming human isn’t the end-all-be-all in evolution. Homo sapiens are the only remaining human species, having emerged about 200,000 years ago, though there used to be numerous human species, including our closest extinct relative, the neanderthal. Certain genes differ just 1.8 percent between humans and gorillas. The difference in those genes is about 1.2 percent between humans and our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee. Our ruling Limbaugh said the presence of gorillas calls into question the concept of evolution. Limbaugh hit on a common misconception that humans evolved from modern-day apes. In reality, modern-day humans and modern-day gorillas are cousins, having both evolved from a common, but now extinct, ancestor.
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35275
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A chart accurately shows the effectiveness of wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
What's true: The CDC recommends wearing a cloth face mask in public to help slow the spread of coronavirus. What's false: However, the percentages displayed in this chart cannot be accurate because no scientific consensus exists on the efficacy of homemade masks in stopping the spread of COVID-19. What's undetermined: The efficacy of face masks against the spread of COVID-19 is unknown.
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false
|
Medical, COVID-19
|
Wearing a face covering in public during the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic is sound advice (and in some circumstances a legal requirement) that could help slow the spread of the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But just how effective are these masks? In April 2020, many social media users encountered a simple chart that supposedly showed how effective face masks could be at preventing coronavirus infections: We’re skeptical about the accuracy of this chart. It doesn’t appear to have originated with a reputable source; this meme does not specify the type of mask (homemade cloth mask, surgical mask, or N95 mask) used in the chart; and we were unable to find any studies that confirm these specific percentages. We’ve seen this chart posted by a variety of accounts on several different platforms but have yet to come across any information about who created it. While we’re not certain if this chart was created by an anonymous social media user (social media has been a hotbed of bad medical information during the COVID-19 pandemic) or from a reputable organization, the evidence indicates that it came from the former. We were not, for instance, able to find this chart on the CDC website. The CDC even has a page dedicated to “Respiratory Protection Infographics,” but the above-displayed chart is not included on that page. This chart is also absent from the CDC’s page that recommends the use of cloth face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. We reached out to the CDC and will update this article if more information becomes available. The punctuation in this chart may provide a clue about its origins. While the percent sign is commonly placed after the number in English and many other languages, this symbol comes before the number in Turkish. As luck would have it, we found a variation of this chart in Turkish that has been circulating on Facebook since April 10: In addition to this chart’s unknown origins, another reason to be skeptical of these numbers is that this social media post does not identify the type of mask being used. Is this chart about homemade cloth masks? Surgical masks? Or the N95 respirator mask? These masks all provide different levels of protection against the spread of disease, with the N95 being the most effective. The FDA explains the differences: CDC Recommends Cloth Face Coverings for Use by the General Public: The CDC recommends that members of the public use simple cloth face coverings when in a public setting to slow the spread of the virus, since this will help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Surgical Masks: … If worn properly, a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain germs (viruses and bacteria), keeping it from reaching your mouth and nose. Surgical masks may also help reduce exposure of your saliva and respiratory secretions to others. While a surgical mask may be effective in blocking splashes and large-particle droplets, a face mask, by design, does not filter or block very small particles in the air that may be transmitted by coughs, sneezes, or certain medical procedures. Surgical masks also do not provide complete protection from germs and other contaminants because of the loose fit between the surface of the face mask and your face. N95 Respirators: An N95 respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles. The ‘N95’ designation means that when subjected to careful testing, the respirator blocks at least 95 percent of very small (0.3 micron) test particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators exceed those of face masks. However, even a properly fitted N95 respirator does not completely eliminate the risk of illness or death. The CDC elaborated on the purpose of wearing homemade cloth masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC writes that since many people with coronavirus may be “asymptomatic,” meaning that they don’t show any symptoms, wearing a cloth mask can prevent these contagious individuals from unknowingly spreading the disease: CDC continues to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States. We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. The numbers provided in the above-displayed viral social media post are also suspiciously specific. While there have been studies regarding the efficacy of masks during COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are still learning about how this disease spreads and how to best prevent it. For instance, Live Science noted that two recent studies regarding the efficacy of face masks during this pandemic came to slightly different conclusions. Live Science writes: For the first time, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that even seemingly healthy people wear masks over their mouths and noses when venturing out of their homes into places where it is difficult to maintain distance from other people. But there is still major debate over how much masks — particularly the homemade fabric masks that the CDC recommends for the public — can slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers, writing in two new papers, attempt to tackle the efficacy of masks, one more rigorously than the other, and come to differing conclusions. One study examined the effect of masks on seasonal coronaviruses (which cause many cases of the common cold) and found that surgical masks are helpful at reducing how much virus a sick person spreads. The other looked particularly at SARS-CoV-2 and found no effect of either surgical or fabric masks on reducing virus spread, but only had four participants and used a crude measure of viral spread. The bottom line, experts say, is that masks might help keep people with COVID-19 from unknowingly passing along the virus. But the evidence for the efficacy of surgical or homemade masks is limited, and masks aren’t the most important protection against the coronavirus.
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10364
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Calcium Scan Can Predict Premature Death Risk, Study Says Noninvasive look at arteries may benefit people without obvious heart symptoms
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This story reports that testing generally healthy people for the presence of calcium deposits on the walls of their coronary arteries may provide clues about who is more likely to die over the following 15 years. That’s an interesting finding that was well worth writing about. However, the story then runs beyond the evidence to feed speculation that coronary artery calcification (CAC) scans could help improve treatments, something this study did not look at. We also have some concerns about the story’s description of the physiological aspects of heart disease. Tests are really only useful when the results make a difference, such as by matching people with appropriate treatments. While this study indicated that, in one group of patients, those with high coronary artery calcification scores were more likely to die over the following 15 years, it did not (and was not capable of) showing that such testing could make any difference in their treatment. News reports should make clear the vital distinction between a test result that can lead to useful action (such as fecal occult blood testing that can help identify treatable colon cancer) and a number like age, that merely predicts the risk of death without offering anything people can do about it.
|
false
|
HealthDay,heart disease
|
The story helpfully notes that the CAC test costs about $100, which matches price quotes from other sources, though the price may be higher in some parts of the country. The story would have been even more useful had it noted that the cost of the test may not be covered by insurance. The story reports that CAC testing can provide health benefits, but that’s not what the study looked at. The story includes a claim by an expert that this study confirms the usefulness of CAC testing for determining the best treatment of people who do not have symptoms of heart disease, but do have high cholesterol or a family history of heart problems. However, the research article cautions that, “Despite evidence of increased risk, current effectiveness evidence does not support targeted treatment of patients with high-risk CAC scores to improve outcomes.” In other words, even if people in this study who had higher scores were more likely to die, this study does not provide any evidence that more or different treatment would extend their lives. The story also quotes a researcher saying that telling someone they have a high CAC score “can be a very potent motivator” for changing lifestyle or sticking with treatment. However, once again, the actual text of the research article undercuts this claim, noting that any effect of CAC test results on patient behaviors “cannot be quantified”. What’s more, health behavior literature generally indicates that test results by themselves tend to have little effect on people’s behavior, unless ongoing support is provided. Lastly, the story describes a 68% increase in risk of death for those with small amounts of CAC and a risk that was “6 times greater” for those with another group. But these are relative comparisons that are difficult to interpret. It would have been easier and more informative to simply give the absolute rate of death in each group as the study did — these rates were 3% in the zero CAC group, 6% for those with small amounts of CAC, and 28% for those with large amounts of CAC. The story does not discuss any potential harms of CAC testing. It fails to tell readers that the researchers noted in their article that for every 10,000 people screened, about 12 would develop cancer. That means that subjecting 100 million adults to this test would be expected to result in 120,000 additional cancers. Even if that cancer burden were deemed acceptable, patients sent for additional testing (such as catheter imaging) or prescribed drugs or procedures would be exposed to the risks and costs of those tests and treatments. The story portrays the study as more ambitious and powerful than it actually was. The study compared results from a single test to death records. There was nothing in the study that would support conclusions about how to improve treatment or whether the results could be used to improve health outcomes, yet the story tells readers that the study points the way to such benefits. The story needed a nod to the fact that more research is needed to show that CAC scores can be used clinically to provide these health benefits. As the researchers pointed out, “Because we are presenting observational data, causality with regard to influencing outcome cannot be inferred.” There was also no discussion of other study limitations. For example, because all the patients in this study came from a single center connected to a military healthcare system, the results may not apply to the general population. The story blurs the line between a risk factor and a disease. This study merely documented that people with very high CAC test scores have a higher risk of death over the next 15 years. It does not prove either that coronary artery calcium deposits caused those early deaths or that testing and treatment could extend lives, yet the story portrays high CAC scores as a health problem that demands action. Of course, we’ve already mentioned this concern, and we might have given the benefit of the doubt here if the story had better connected the calcium deposits to the study outcomes. Instead, there are several errors in the description of what happens in heart disease that may serve to mislead or confuse readers about the impact of coronary calcium: 1) Coronary arteries carry blood to the heart muscle (they feed the muscle), not away from the heart as the story states; and 2) The problem with coronary plaque buildup isn’t that it causes the heart to “work harder to pump blood through the body” as the story states; it is that narrowing in the coronary arteries deprives the heart muscle of blood, causing angina (chest pain), and 3) Clots in coronary arteries don’t break off and cause strokes in the brain; the rupturing of plaque leads to blockage in the coronary arteries, again depriving the heart muscle of blood (causing a “heart attack” or myocardial infarction). The story goes a long way toward satisfying this criterion by including comments from an expert who was not connected to the research. But it fails to tell readers that some of the researchers receive funding from General Electric Healthcare, which sells scanners used for CAC tests, or from pharmaceutical companies who stand to garner more patients if CAC testing is expanded. The story mentions the importance of eating right, exercising, and taking medication to treat heart risk factors for improving heart health — which is important to reiterate. However, treatment of heart disease was not the primary point of the study. One of the main reasons for doing this study was to compare the predictive power of CAC tests to some other risk factor assessments, and the story does not mention those other methods. It is clear from the story that CAC testing is widely available. The story specifically notes that CAC testing is not new, and that previous research hasn’t assessed long-term health risks associated with CAC. The story includes an independent expert and has quotes not included in the Emory University news release about this study.
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8521
|
Some Spaniards head back to work in face masks as country loosens lockdown.
|
Spaniards at the country’s main transport hubs were handed face masks on a rainy Monday morning as the government relaxed some of the tough lockdown measures designed to rein in the coronavirus health crisis which has claimed nearly 17,000 lives.
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true
|
Health News
|
As Spain enters its second month of lockdown, some businesses that cannot operate remotely, including construction and manufacturing, were allowed to reopen on Monday, sparking criticism from some regional leaders who fear a resurgence of the outbreak. However, the majority of the population are still confined to their homes, while shops, bars and public spaces will remain closed until at least April 26. Interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told Cadena Ser radio station that Spanish police started handing out millions of masks early in the morning across regions that are not observing a public holiday. “The health of workers must be guaranteed. If this is minimally affected, the activity cannot restart,” he said. One company reopening, Burgos-based industrial group Nicolas Correa, said it would take measures to prioritise the health of its staff. “We will continue to work in shifts, with staggered entries and exits to avoid concentrations of staff,” it said, adding that all workers would be provided with protective equipment. Reuters TV footage showed only a few commuters coming in and out of the main entrance of Madrid’s usually bustling Atocha train station. Road traffic was light too, with mainly public buses passing by, in contrast to the customary morning jams seen just a month ago. Spain’s cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 16,972 on Sunday with confirmed cases totalling 166,019 although the lockdown restrictions have helped slow a spiralling death rate that reached its peak in early April. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday the decision to restart some sectors of the economy was taken after consulting a committee of scientific experts and any further winding down would depend on gains made against the virus.
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10613
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Pediatric sickle cell study stopped early due to positive results
|
The national sickle cell study described in this news release from the Medical University of South Carolina could have a significant impact on the future treatment of children with sickle cell disease. We’re told in the lede that the drug hydroxyurea is as effective as blood transfusions in reducing blood flow speeds in the brains of some children with sickle cell anemia, but it doesn’t tell us on what evidence that conclusion was based. It also falls short in explaining other key details of the study, doesn’t give us any indication of the potential cost savings and doesn’t disclose any of the potential conflicts-of-interest between some of the investigators and drug companies. Sickle cell anemia is a debilitating disorder with limited treatment options. It affects about 100,000 Americans, and disproportionately affects African Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Hydroxyurea is already widely used for treatment so evidence that would support its additional effectiveness for stroke prevention in children with sickle cell disease would be significant, especially if this meant replacing tedious and resource-intensive treatment with frequent blood transfusions.
|
false
|
Academic medical center news release
|
The news release does not cite costs. This is unfortunate because hydroxyurea treatment would likely be less costly than standard treatment with blood transfusion. The news release discusses benefits in only the broadest of terms, citing “positive preliminary results,” and fails to quantify those results. The news release makes no mention of possible side effects related to the use of hydroxyurea. The NIH notes that those risks include a drop in white cell count or platelet count and, in rare cases, a worsening of anemia. According to NIH, “those side effects usually go away if a person stops taking the medication.” There were other adverse events measured in the study that should have been described as well. The news release says the study shows that some children can be moved from transfusion to medication after at least a year, but it offers no evidence to support that assertion. The news release should have said more about the study design (non-inferiority, so it was only designed to show that hydroxyurea was not worse than transfusions), the number/rate of stroke in each study arm (although, importantly, this was not the main outcome of the paper so talking about stroke benefit so directly is misleading), and the difference in blood velocity in each group. The news release doesn’t promote disease mongering. It didn’t oversell the disease’s impact but it perhaps missed an opportunity to inform readers about the disease’s characteristics and rates of stroke in the sickle cell population. The news release makes no mention of funding sources or conflicts of interest. The study itself states that it was funded by the NIH and notes that 13 of the authors, including the primary investigator, have ties to drug companies. The news release notes that hydroxyurea is the only drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat sickle cell disease. There are no other drug alternatives to name. It’s understood that the drug is already being used in sickle cell treatment and is FDA approved. The study authors say that their work is unique: “So far, no study has prospectively compared blood transfusions with hydroxycarbamide [hydroxyurea] for children with sickle cell anemia and abnormal TCD [transcranial doppler] velocities, even though this is the largest group of children with sickle cell anaemia who currently receive chronic transfusions, and no alternative treatment to transfusions is currently available.” It concludes that the trial results “allow for a major conceptual shift in the long-term management of children with sickle cell anaemia and established cerebrovascular disease.” The news release contains none of that context. We didn’t observe any unjustifiable language in the release’s description of the study.
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4509
|
Houses passes Alzheimer’s Bill backed by Maine senator.
|
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill co-authored by Maine’s Republican senator that promises to improve Alzheimer’s disease prevention, treatment and care.
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true
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Tim Kaine, Catherine Cortez Masto, Susan Collins, Legislation, Health, Bangor, Maine, Alzheimers disease
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Sen. Susan Collins authored the bill along with Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. The bill passed the House Dec. 19 after passing the Senate earlier. Collins says the legislation would use a “public health approach” to fight Alzheimer’s, which millions of Americans live with. It would authorize $20 million every year for five years to establish the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Public Health Centers of Excellence. It would also create new cooperative agreements between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments.
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37195
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A forwarded email with an open letter to President Barack Obama from author Lou Pritchett. In it Pritchett lists many of the unanswered questions about the President’s background which raises concerns.
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"""Obama, You No Longer Scare Me, You Terrify Me"" by Lou Pritchett"
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true
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Obama, Politics
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Lou Pritchett is the author of this opinion and told TruthorFiction.com that he submitted this to the New York Times under the title of “Obama, You Scare Me” but they never published it. Pritchett did say that his article managed to make it to the world wide web where circulation went ballistic. Pritchett is a former vice president of Procter & Gamble and wrote “Stop Paddling and Start Rocking the Boat” as well as numerous books and periodicals. Sometime in April 2012, Pritchett wrote a follow up to his opinion saying that President Obama “no longer scares me, he terrifies me.” I was born in year two of the Great Depression (1931) and spent the first 10 years of my life influenced by the extreme hardships of the depression. By today’s standards my family was about a mile below today’s so-called ‘poverty level’ but if you never ‘had,’ doing without was not so ‘bad.’ Borrowing shoes to graduate from the 8th grade didn’t seem at all demeaning because most of the 8th graders did the same thing. In June 1944, my only brother, Joe, was killed in action on Utah Beach in Normandy, France during the D-Day landings. Exactly one year later, my father died and left me, my mother and my sister to go it alone… and alone we went. My mother went to work at a department store, my sister dropped out of school and joined her and I went to work shining shoes on the streets of Memphis for a dime a shine. Government assistance was not available, and if it were, I am confident my mother would have refused it because she never wanted the government involved in our lives. I mention this bit of personal history to help you understand that millions of Americans, including your parents and grandparents, grew up like me during the Great Depression and never expected nor wanted the government to offer them anything other than an opportunity. And now to see what Obama is trying to do to our country, can make you crazy. As some of you know, my “Scare Me” letter went viral with millions of hits on the internet during the past three years. I have now written a follow-up letter which I will now share with you: In April 2009, I sent President Obama and the New York Times a letter titled “You Scare Me” because, as a candidate, he promised to “fundamentally transform America.” Now, after observing his performance for over three years, he no longer scares me—he terrifies me for the following reasons: FIRST: He has done more to damage America’s standing in the world, to lower the standard of living in America, to impoverish future generations and to shake our faith in the country’s future than any other American president in history. SECOND: With a compliant Democrat congress, a lapdog media and a weak, almost nonexistent Republican opposition, he has shattered the American dream of job security, home ownership and rugged individualism for millions of Americans and has poisoned and divided our civil society with his politics of envy, class warfare, race warfare, and religious warfare which he is using as fundamental building blocks for his ‘socialist’ agenda. THIRD: Culturally, he remains totally out of touch with traditional American values. This has absolutely nothing to do with race or where he was born, rather it has everything to do with where, how and with whom he was raised, schooled, educated, trained and associates with still today. FOURTH: He has surrounded himself with naive academicians, lawyers, politicians, bureaucrats and socialist-leaning czars who arrogantly think and behave exactly as he does. People who offer no balanced suggestions or devils advocate positions and think in lock-step with him that big government is the answer to all our problems. FIFTH: He not only encourages but aids and abets in the unionization of all American industry, the albatross around the neck of the free market. In turn, they provide the money and muscle to intimidate his opponents. SIXTH: He has increased the national debt by over 30% in just three years. If re-elected and this rate of increase continues, America will be burdened with an unsustainable $20 trillion dollar debt which will result in the country’s financial death. Recovery will be impossible – America will be the Greece of 2016. SEVENTH: Given his fanatical adherence to the ‘environmental’ and ‘man-caused global warming’ fringe, he has deliberately discouraged U.S. fossil fuel exploration and production while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on solar, wind and algae experiments. He refuses to accept that oil, gas and coal are not America’s enemies, they are America’s assets which, if properly managed, could make us energy independent within a generation. EIGHTH: He views the U.S. as a power in retreat which abused its World dominance. Therefore, he systematically apologizes round the world. Last March he whispered to Russian President Medvedev “… this is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.” Just what is the secret that Obama and Putin are concealing from the American people until after the election? With what other leaders has he made similar secret agreements? NINTH: And finally, after all his missteps, bad decision making, poor management, and zero leadership, the fact that he has the audacity to seek re-election should terrify every American. I predict that if re-elected, future historians and political interpreters will look back at the eight year period 2008-2016, and conclude “the 44th President of the U.S. allowed the takers to overpower the payers which resulted in the greatest economy in history vanishing from the face of the Earth.” Farewell, America. The World will really miss you!” It is my hope and prayer that this letter will also go viral and serve as a ‘wake up’ call to Americans of all political leaning, convincing them that never before in U.S. history has so much depended on Americans understanding that we are facing one of the greatest crises in U.S. history. Convincing them that this election will be won not by letters to the editor, political speeches or radio and TV soundbites. No!!! it will be won by those with a conviction, with a belief and with a willingness to pay the price in helping put the most enlightened voters in the polling booth on November 6. Let me end on my favorite quote which I think is very appropriate for each of us today: “TO EVERY MAN THERE COMES IN HIS LIFETIME THAT SPECIAL MOMENT WHEN HE IS PHYSICALLY TAPPED ON THE SHOULDER AND OFFERED THE CHANCE TO DO A VERY SPECIAL THING, UNIQUE TO HIM AND FITTED TO HIS TALENT; WHAT A TRAGEDY IF THAT MOMENT FINDS HIM UNPREPARED OR UNQUALIFIED FOR THE WORK WHICH WOULD BE HIS FINEST HOUR.” Those words, spoken by Winston Churchill over 70 years ago, are very appropriate for the Tea Party Movement today. For if each of us is prepared and is qualified then November 6, 2012, just might be our and our Country’s finest hour as we reclaim this “shining city on the hill” from the ravages of Obama Socialism. IT IS NOW OR NEVER FELLOW PATRIOTS –GOD HELP US IF WE FAIL! updated 07/18/12
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10112
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New Way to Treat Inoperable Lung Cancer
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"Lung cancer is a devastating diagnosis. Few tumors are caught early; those that are can be successfully treated with surgery. However, some patients are not eligible for surgery for various reasons. For them, radiation may not cure the cancer but may control it for some time. A new type of radiation, Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) provides targeted, highly-focused radiation treatment to the tumor while leaving the surrounding tissue intact, important for those whose lung function may already be compromised. A small pilot study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association found that SBRT provided improvements in 3-year survival compared to what other studies have shown is achieved with conventional radiation. However, because this was a small, single-institution study with no direct comparison to other treatments, some caution must be taken in interpreting the results. This story could have been improved in the following ways: By discussing costs – given how experimental the treatment is, insurance may not cover the procedure. By commenting on the quality of the evidence – while the results are compelling and encouraging, this was a small, single-institution, non-controlled trial, meaning there was no comparison made to any other treatments. This makes the interpretation of the results very difficult. By further describing the harms of treatment – the story indicates that 16% experienced significant but non-deadly side effects of treatment. What side effects? How significant? By quoting independent experts – the story does not quote any sources other the lead author of the study. Independent experts could have provided some much-needed perspective on the importance of the new findings. This story narrowly avoids some of the pitfalls of a common scenario in contemporary health care reporting – preliminary results about a potentially better treatment for a bad disease – this time a new form of radiation for lung cancer. The key words here are ""preliminary"" and ""potentially"" – the best this article did was insert the tiny word ""may"" in the first line when referring to the fact that this treatment ""may control"" this cancer better than currently available treatment. Readers shouldn’t have such a hard time seeing the reality. Without it, one can see desperate patients and families clamouring for insurers or the government to pay for this lifesaving treatment. Only by making the facts clear, not sensationalized, can they see that hope isn’t proof, and that the clamour should be to get the definitive study under way."
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mixture
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"The story does not mention costs or insurance coverage. Likely given how experimental the treatment is, insurance will not cover the procedure. Given that it is not an approved treatment, a simple statement about its cost relative to current therapy could have been helpful. For desperate patients and families struggling with the treatment options, uNPRoven treatments that are likely not to be covered by insurance would require out of pocket coverage. The story adequately quantifies the benefits of treatment by providing the number and percentage of participants who had complete or partial response to the therapy. However, the story should have defined what ""complete"" or ""partial"" response means. More importantly, the story was not explicit about the fact that the observed results can only be compared to historical data, not concurrent ""best"" standard care. We know what happened to the study patients, but what would have happened if they got standard therapy can only be speculated on. The story indicates that 16% experienced significant but non-deadly side effects of treatment. But what were those side effects? How serious were they? Did they occur more or less often with SBRT than conventional radiation? The story describes one small study but does not comment on the strength of the evidence. While the results are compelling, this was not a controlled trial, meaning there was no comparison made to any other treatments. This makes the interpretation of the results very difficult and a follow-up study is needed that directly compares a larger number of individuals randomly assigned to SBRT or conventional radiation. The story does not exaggerate the seriousness of lung cancer. The story is clear that the study was in the context of early-stage lung cancer, however it could have pointed out more clearly that the results can’t be applied to later-stage cancer patients. The story does not quote any sources other than the lead author of the study. Independent experts could have provided some much-needed perspective on the importance of the new findings. The story describes surgery and conventional radiation as possible alternatives to SBRT. The story states that SBRT is not FDA approved and is still ""experimental"" and in clinical trials. The story could have provided some information on how someone with inoperable lung tumors could get access to the clinical trial. While radiation is not a new idea, stereotactic body radiation therapy is relatively new and has not been evaluated in lung cancer. There is no way to know if the story relied on a press release as the sole source of information."
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27242
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In 45 states, doctors and medical students are legally allowed to practice pelvic exams on patients who are under anesthesia without being granted explicit consent to do so.
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The practice is explicitly outlawed in Hawaii, California, Illinois, Virginia, and Oregon, but it is legal in the remaining 45 states. In 2019, however, multiple states introduced legislative bills aimed at requiring that women undergoing gynecological surgeries give explicit approval to pelvic exams beforehand
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true
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Politics
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On 19 September 2018, Bust magazine highlighted the disturbing fact that doctors and medical students regularly, and legally, give anesthetized patients non-consensual pelvic exams. The practice was described in detail in an account critical of the practice written by then-medical student Shawn Barnes and published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2012: In obstetrics and gynecology, I encountered the first act of medical training that left me ashamed. For 3 weeks, four to five times a day, I was asked to, and did, perform pelvic examinations on anesthetized women, without specific consent, solely for the purpose of my education. Typically this would unfold as follows: I would be assigned a gynecologic surgery case on which to scrub in. I would be required to go meet the patient beforehand and introduce myself as “the medical student on the team” or some such vague statement of my role in the procedure, without mentioning a pelvic examination. I then would follow the patient into surgery. Once anesthesia was administered and the patient was asleep, the attending or resident would ask me to perform a pelvic examination on the patient for educational purposes. To my shame, I obeyed. An essay published on the XOJane website recounted the unease one woman felt attempting to find out if someone had performed such an exam on her during a recent surgery: I called my gynecologist’s office, and I tried to calm my rising panic as I explained my concerns that I had been given pelvic exams by random medical students while I was unconscious in the operating room. The receptionist seemed as alarmed as I did, and she reassured me that my doctor would never have allowed such a thing and that he would contact me as soon as possible. I scoured the papers I’d received from the hospital to see if anything hidden in the fine print gave them permission to do such things without express informed consent, which they did not … A few hours later, [the doctor] called me back. He asked me what my concerns were, so I explained that I was concerned that a med student or two or three had performed non-consensual pelvic exams on my unconscious body. As I recounted, I tried to stay as calm as possible, fighting back the tide of hysteria that threatened to drown my sanity. As soon as I finished speaking, he responded brusquely that he does so many surgeries that he could not say for sure whether or not it had happened … Okay, I said, then I have one final question: have you done this in the past? Have you had medical students perform pelvic exams on unconscious patients? Yes, he replied gruffly, and it’s a commonly accepted practice. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the Association of American Medical Colleges has each condemned the practice, but it remains legal in the vast majority of American states. While teaching hospitals do provide consent forms indicating that medical students may be involved with their care, these forms do not necessarily require the explicit disclosure of pelvic exams, and often times multiple students will perform the same exam on a patient or perform it in cases when is medically unnecessary: Ordinarily, consent forms at teaching hospitals will include language to inform the patient that medical students may be involved in their care. Patients are informed that (1) they are receiving care from a teaching hospital and (2) that medical students may be involved in their care … But there are cases where an instructor or attending doctor wants more than one student to examine the same patient or to have students examine patients for whom the particular pelvic examination is not indicated. According to a 2018 review paper, several scholarly efforts have demonstrated that the practice is common: In 2003, Ubel et al surveyed 400 medical students from five medical schools in Philadelphia, 90% of whom admitted to having performed a pelvic exam on an anesthetized woman, although it was not clear how many of the women had consented to the exam. A similar survey at the University of Oklahoma in 2005 found that a large majority of medical students had given pelvic exams to gynecologic surgery patients who were under anesthesia, and that in nearly three quarters of these cases the women had not consented to the exam. Coldicott et al published findings from a medical school in the United Kingdom in which students anonymously reported that at least 24% of intimate examinations they performed on anesthetized patients occurred without any consent and that ‘on many occasions, more than one student examined the same patient’.
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10539
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Statins May Provide Treatment Alternative for Chronic Liver Disease
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This release from the American Physiological Society summarizes a review of 50 studies on the effects of statins on liver function. The release suggests that statins may be a good treatment for chronic liver disease. However, the release doesn’t explain that the review article’s focus is on the basic biological effects of statins, not actual outcomes following statin treatment for people with advanced liver disease. The potential benefits named in this release overshadow the very real and important harms statins have on the body, including the liver. Outside of transplantation, there are few treatments for end-stage liver disease so if a simple, inexpensive, well-tolerated and highly prescribed drug class such as statins can prevent progression towards liver failure, this would be a true medical advance. The release suggests that statins, which have mostly been studied for their effects on prevention of cardiovascular diseases, may also reduce inflammation, fibrosis, and otherwise improve chronic liver diseases. There are ongoing concerns about the adverse effects of statins, however, including their potential risk for increasing liver failure, and so this review attempts to address, specifically that literature. Even if there appear to be explanations for the physical effects of statins on liver disease, it remains an open question if all the other related adverse effects not mentioned in this article (including muscle-weakening and breakdown as well as cognitive difficulties) make them a worthwhile preventative treatment. Most studies of statins and liver disease consider whether statins cause side effects rather than benefit. A large amount of data suggests that statins do cause liver inflammation but that the risks are relatively small. However, most doctors wouldn’t consider using statins to treat liver disease, especially those with advanced liver failure.
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mixture
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Association/Society news release
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There is no information about the cost of statin therapy. This class of medicines includes a number of generic formulations that are relatively inexpensive. The release refers to statins as cost-effective. This reference to cost probably refers to their use for preventing heart disease. Whether these agents are cost-effective for treating liver disease is unknown. Multiple benefits are mentioned, as well as what may take place biologically in the body when taking stains, but there are no numbers illustrating an advantage for such treatment. A measurement of the benefit would only come from high quality randomized trials. What may take place biologically in the body when taking statins is not an adequate substitute for trials that show an actual cause and effect. If statins can reduce inflammation in chronic liver disease one has to ask: Do the statin patients live any longer? If there is no observable benefit on quality or quantity of life, does statin therapy make any sense? The researchers acknowledge that statin drugs can contribute to liver damage in some people, but the statement that “statins are cost-effective, generally well-tolerated by patients and the benefits of statin treatment in most patients outweigh their potential hepatotoxic risk,” doesn’t seem to adequately address the potential harms. People who are prescribed statins must undergo liver function tests since this class of drugs can cause rare but serious liver dysfunction. Deciding to give someone with advanced liver disease a statin as a means to help the patient’s liver is unproven and has the potential for real harm. We aren’t provided any context on how significant the damage can be to those with advanced liver disease, or even in otherwise healthy people. Review articles involve an extensive literature search to identify pertinent studies on a specific topic. The collected research is then reviewed, assessed for quality, and the results summarized according to question the review hopes to answer. Many review articles are of very high quality but they are not the gold standard of evidence like randomized controlled trials. It would have been good if the release included this in a discussion of the limitations of the research. The release focuses on underlying physiologic mechanisms or processes described in the articles reviewed that could be beneficial in patients with underlying liver disease due to inflammation from a variety of causes. However, the release doesn’t explain the transition from basic biology to clinical application. What data exists to support this basic biology? What types of studies were included in the review — were they randomized controlled trials, observational studies or case studies? Different types of studies yield different degrees of reliable evidence. Is the data sufficient to warrant treatment recommendations? If clinical studies are needed, what specifically will be tested? Answering these questions would help put the evidence into context that would be meaningful for readers. Chronic liver disease is serious and there is no evidence of disease mongering here. Some context about the disease would have been useful for readers. Since this was based on a review article we don’t require a named funding source to rate this satisfactory. Nor do we have any evidence that the authors have any conflicts of interest. If there was, we would expect the news release to include them. Other than the mention of organ transplantation, there was no mention of other treatments or preventative measures to prevent liver failure. For a number of liver conditions, there are specific treatments. Whether statins are effective and how they compare to existing treatments is an unanswered question. It’s pretty obvious that statins are everywhere in America. The concept of using statins to treat underlying liver disease as part of routine clinical care would be considered novel. The study’s novelty (as well as its limitations) could have been described with more clarity. There are no notable examples of unjustifiable language here.
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5245
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Smoking ban at Philly-funded drug programs starts next week.
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Philadelphia says recovering addicts will have to stub out their cigarettes before checking into a city-funded inpatient drug treatment program starting next week.
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true
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Health, Smoking bans, Philadelphia, Addiction treatment
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Philly.com reported Friday that the smoking ban covers staff and patients at 80 programs receiving city funding and goes into effect Tuesday. City officials say the move is related to growing research that shows quitting smoking while undergoing addiction treatment means patients have a greater chance at not relapsing. Patients will be offered cessation treatments including some medications, as well as nicotine replacements and counseling. Philadelphia previously banned tobacco use at its mental health facilities in 2016 despite concern it may deter people from seeking treatment. Two years into the policy, officials say it hasn’t affected patients’ decisions to seek help. ___ Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com
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22567
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"Oregon Health Plan rations ""covered procedures under certain circumstances"
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One pundit says Oregon Health Plan rations “covered procedures under certain circumstances”
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mixture
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Oregon, Health Care, Wesley Smith,
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"UPDATE, Feb. 21, 2011 -- When we researched this claim, we made three attempts to reach Wesley J. Smith, the author of the Weekly Standard article. He did not respond to our messages, so we researched the claim on the assumption that he was referring to rationing of covered services that the state had previously said it would pay for. After our item was published and rated False, Smith contacted PolitiFact Oregon and said he was misinterpreted. He said he he never meant to imply -- nor did he write -- that the Oregon Health Plan declines to pay for treatment it has previously indicated it will cover. Rather, he says, he meant simply to say that while the Oregon Health Plan does cover some chemotherapy, there are certain treatments that fall under that broad umbrella that would not be covered. ""I wasn't saying that she (Barbara Wagner) thought the plan would have permitted her to have the drug. I never meant to imply that. All I was trying to say was that sometimes ... there will be a time when a treatment can be denied under the plan."" He added that the claim that we chose to focus on surprised him. He said he would have been a ""little more precise"" has he known that sentence, in particular, would garner so much attention. The assertion that the Oregon Health Plan rations ""covered procedures under certain circumstances"" can be read a few different ways. Our take initially, absent Mr. Smith's comments, was that he was implying that the plan could ration treatments that it had previously purported to cover. His clarifications, however, indicate to us that there is a certain amount of underlying truth to what he argued. As such, we've moved the Truth-O-Meter to . Our updated article is below. Also, Barbara Wagner's name was misspelled when this analysis was initially published. The spelling has since been corrected. ----------------------- You might think that naming something ""Lie of the Year"" would put an issue to rest. Apparently, you’d be wrong. PolitiFact National called Sarah Palin’s assertion that Barack Obama’s health care overhaul would lead to ""death panels"" Lie of Year back in 2009, but the term keeps cropping up. In a recent Weekly Standard article one writer, Wesley J. Smith, applied the label to Oregon’s own Medicaid program. ""‘Single payer’ and ‘death panels’ go together like ‘See’s’ and ‘candy,’"" he writes. Smith takes aim at several targets -- Wisconsin, Canada’s Medicare, Britain’s National Health Service and, of course, ""Obamacare"" -- but here’s what he says about the Oregon Health Plan: Oregon, a decidedly liberal state, provides an unequivocal example. In 1993, the Clinton administration gave permission to the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program, to introduce rationing. The system involves a treatment schedule that lists 649 potentially covered procedures. The state pegs the number of procedures the state will cover to the available funds. Patients requiring procedures above the cutoff line are out of luck. As of October 2010, only the first 502 treatments were covered. But even that low number doesn’t tell the full story of rationing in Oregon. The Oregon Health Plan also rations covered procedures under certain circumstances. Chemotherapy, for instance, is not provided if it is deemed to have a 5 percent or less chance of extending the patient’s life for five years, meaning that a patient whose life might be extended a year or two with chemo may not receive it. Worse, even though it is not a formally ranked procedure, assisted suicide is covered under state law. Thus, when two recurrent cancer patients were rationed out of receiving potentially life-extending chemotherapy in 2008, an administrator wrote a letter assuring them that the state would pay for the costs associated with their assisted suicides. Talk about a death panel! There’s a lot to take in here. Did Oregon really start rationing in 1993? Did we really deny lifesaving chemotherapy to a patient? Ultimately, we decided to fact-check one statement that, on its face, might seem a little tame, but, in fact, seems to speak to the implications of Smith’s piece. So, here it is: Does the Oregon Health Plan ration ""covered procedures under certain circumstances""? Before we jump into that question, however, we wanted to take this opportunity to correct some factual errors that Darren Coffman, director of Oregon’s Health Services Commission, pointed out when we called to chat with him about the article. 1) The Oregon Health Plan has a list of 679 potentially covered lines of treatment, not 649. The word ""procedure"" isn’t very accurate when used here, either. Each of those entries is a medical condition with a corresponding treatment plan that could include dozens of procedures. Some conditions are repeated multiple times, Coffman said. Cancer of the liver, for instance, has several lines of treatment. 2) Smith writes that chemotherapy isn’t covered if it has a ""5 percent or less chance of extending the patient’s life for five years, meaning that a patient whose life might be extended a year or two with chemo may not receive it."" That rule was changed two years back, Coffman said. Now, it’s less cut and dried. Instead there are four conditions under which chemotherapy might be denied. For example, a treatment that has less than a 50 percent chance of extending life, on average, six to 12 months, based on the ""best available published evidence"" would not be covered. Still, the basic concept remains: If there’s a small chance the treatment will extend life significantly, the state will not cover it. Next, let’s look into this idea of Smith’s that the Oregon Health Plan started ""rationing"" after 1993 when the Clinton administration gave then- and current-Gov. John Kitzhaber permission to change the way the Medicaid program worked. Kitzhaber did change the way the state’s Medicaid program worked in 1993. And it was a significant change. Here’s the before and after: Before 1994, Oregon’s Medicaid program worked the way most any other state’s program worked. The program covered individuals and families who were either so high risk that private insurance companies would not cover them or who were making a certain percent of the federal poverty level. That option left tens of thousands of Oregonians uninsured. If you made too much to get into the state’s program but not enough to afford a private insurance package, you simply went without. Furthermore, if the state’s budget dipped, officials simply reset the bar at which people were eligible for the program, essentially cutting off people who made too much. After 1994, the state began to prioritize health care treatments. Kitzhaber created a commission that developed this much-talked-about prioritized list. The list gave higher priority to the most effective treatments as indicated by the latest research. At the top, you have preventive care for children and maternity care; at the bottom, plastic surgery, which is, of course, not covered. Every two years, the Legislature draws a line, saying, essentially, we can cover treatment option 502 and up. Or whatever government income might allow. Legislators do not pick which services to provide; they simply draw a funding line. After 1994, the number of treatments covered shrank, but by limiting the services provided -- and therefore the costs -- Oregon could afford to include more folks in the program. Under the new guidelines, the health plan added some 55,000 people who would have otherwise been ineligible, according to state numbers. So which of the above options are rationing? Well, Susan Tolle, the director of Oregon Health & Science University’s Center for Ethics in Health Care, says both are. The way most states work -- and the way Oregon worked before ‘94 -- is if you don’t meet the poverty level stipulated ""you’re thrown out. You get nothing. You’re ineligible. You don’t receive benefits of any kind. It’s not a discussion of what’s fair or not fair,"" Tolle said. ""I believe that is rationing. And it’s what we did before the Oregon Health Plan."" Now, she says, ""the Oregon Health Plan has created much more transparency about rationing than before … we are much more public about what people are getting and not getting."" Coffman puts it this way: ""We’ve chosen to try to cover more people and limit some of the services according to treatments that have been shown to be ineffective or have lower impact on personal health."" This is actually what private insurance companies do, as well. We’re convinced by what Tolle says. It may be that the Oregon Health Plan’s current configuration seems more like rationing, given that there’s a prioritized list. But any Medicaid program ""rations,"" whether by denying some services, or denying all services. Oregon takes the former route. This is important, because the idea that Oregon is somehow fundamentally different in the way it denies care is central to Smith’s argument that the state rations even those services that it purports to cover. Let’s move on to his proof: He says Oregon denied life-extending care and instead offered physician-assisted suicide to two cancer patients. This story has roots in a controversy that erupted in summer 2008. According to an Associated Press story and an editorial in The Oregonian from the time, Barbara Wagner, a 64-year-old Springfield woman with lung cancer, was told that the Oregon Health Plan would not cover a prescribed cancer drug, but that it would cover end-of-life care, including physician-assisted suicide. Now, as the editorial from the time pointed out, Wagner had received thousands of dollars worth of care through the Oregon Health Plan in the previous years. And she would continue to do so. However, a specific drug she had been prescribed cost some $4,000 a month and did not meet the standard -- in place at the time -- that the drug should have a 5 percent chance of extending her life by five years. (Under the revised standard, according to Coffman, the outcome would have been the same: the state would not pay for the chemotherapy drug.) At the time, Kitzhaber co-wrote an opinion piece along with the then-chairman of the Oregon Health Services Commission. Here’s how they explained what had happened: ""The Oregon Health Plan covers nearly all chemotherapy prescribed for cancer patients, including the multiple rounds of chemotherapy that the woman in this case received. The request for second-line treatment was denied because of the drug’s limited benefit and very high cost."" It’s true, Kitzhaber continued, that the Oregon Health Plan covers doctor-assisted suicide but ""weighting the cost of end-of-life treatment against the voter-approved Death With Dignity Act was never part of those discussions. No treatment has ever been denied because death would be more ‘cost effective.’"" So, with that all sorted out, the question remains, did the Oregon Health Plan decide to ration previously covered treatment? Well, in the case of the woman mentioned above, that doesn’t seem to be the case. From the get-go, the medication she requested would not have been covered. There are clear guidelines for what sorts of treatments should and should not be covered. This drug was never one of them. This wasn’t the case just for the cancer patient in question. It’s the case for all covered under the Oregon Health Plan. So this situation aside, can the Oregon Health Plan suddenly restrict covered treatment lines? It cannot. The process is clear: A commission, every two years, prioritizes treatment plans based on the most current research. There are some 679 of these lines. The state Legislature then draws a funding line -- currently at treatment line 502. That line, and all those above it, are covered, Coffman says. Period. We read Smith’s comment that the plan rations covered procedures to mean that the plan denies patients care it has previously said it covers. However, Smith says that’s not how his words should be interpreted. Instead, he was trying to indicate that while chemotherapy is generally covered under the health plan, there are instances when it’s not. He’s right to a certain extent. Chemotherapy is included in several of the 502 treatment lines currently covered, but the type of chemotherapy covered and the situations under which it is covered are clear and immutable. We understand what he’s saying, but it somewhat confuses and ignores the way in which the prioritized list works. The list is not one of broadly covered procedures -- chemotherapy, organ transplant, physical therapy, etc. -- but one of medical conditions and very specific treatment plans. Smith’s clarification is welcome. It’s also necessary to understanding his argument. As such, we find his claim that the Oregon Health Plan rations ""covered procedures under certain circumstances"" to be -- the statement is partially accurate but leaves out important, clarifying details."
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306
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Germany's Opel town shows struggle for Europe to plug in electric cars.
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Carmakers and policymakers in Europe are staking their futures on a race to electric vehicles. But the vast charging network needed to sustain their vision is patchy, and it’s not clear who’ll pay for it.
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true
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Environment
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The central German city of Ruesselsheim, home to carmaker Opel, wants to build 1,300 electric car charging points by 2020, plans that would make it a frontrunner on the continent. It has advantages enjoyed by few in Europe, including a powerful local car industry player and wealthy national economy. In Germany itself the city has an edge, having won a government grant of 12.8 million euros ($14.4 million) to fund the rollout. Yet, even here, red tape, shortages of qualified staff and the requisite hardware are likely to delay the installation by around two years, local officials told Reuters. The project will also need more money, said the officials who are running up against the complexity of civil engineering, potential power grid overloads and unwieldy payment processes, illustrating some of the difficulties facing cities and nations across Europe. “We are not doing this for profit,” said Marianne Floersheimer, Ruesselsheim council’s mobility chief. “But we cannot afford to top up the government money.” The number of electric cars on German roads grew fivefold between 2015 and 2018, and have risen strongly across Europe. However the growth in electric cars is outpacing the charging infrastructure. The ratio of electric cars to each charging point in Europe deteriorated to 7.0 from 6.1 in the same period, consultants AlixPartners found, although Europe is still better equipped than the United States at 19.7 per car, and China’s 7.6. Some analysts say a lag in infrastructure could drag on sales as customers hold off until electric becomes a convenient option. Any logjam could prove a problem for carmakers which, faced with emissions penalties, are pumping tens of billions of euros into electric technology in an industry-wide charge. German champion Volkswagen, for example, aims for electric vehicles to account for about a quarter of its sales by 2025. Obstacles to electrification could also strain the European Union’s plan to become “carbon neutral” by 2050 to combat climate change. A quarter of climate-harming emissions come from transport and, within that, most from passenger cars. However some campaigners, including Transport & Environment, a group that promotes clean transport, say good progress is being made in rolling out charging points in many countries of western and northern Europe, although central and eastern Europe are further behind. They say limited infrastructure is not having a significant effect on Europe’s electric car sales, which still represent a fraction of the vehicle market, and the ratio of cars to points is within the EU recommendation of 10. Given most charging will be done at home, they add, a lack of off-street parking in some areas could deter drivers from switching to electric. Like other German cities, Ruesselsheim is under pressure to roll out charging stations as environmental activists have started suing those municipalities that fail to comply with EU-wide rules for nitrogen dioxide emissions. With just 67,000 people, it has only a few charging points at the moment, some way behind the likes of wealthy and populous Hamburg on about 880 and Berlin with some 780. It is however aiming to provide one charging point per 72 people, the highest level in Europe, with the help of carmaker Opel, which will build around half of the points, plus the technical know-how of the local RheinMain University. Opel is owned by France’s PSA Group. Ruesselsheim’s electric plan won one of the highest grants under the German transport ministry’s clean air program. But local officials described some of the complications in implementation. The installation of every charging point needs to be agreed with authorities such as those in charge of water, monument protection and civil engineering, for example. Charging equipment makers, meanwhile, have long lead times. “We are chasing the same charging points, employees and supply technology as all the other cities,” said city spokesman Asswin Zabel. Hooking up inner-city charging points on low voltage lines will be relatively easy although some local people may object, said Matthias Schweitzer, head of technology at the local utility, Stadtwerke Ruesselsheim. But laying 2 km of medium voltage lines and ordering new transformer substations could take up to nine months, he said. The university aims to accompany the rollout with storage facilities to absorb green power and offer supply on demand. But it must measure whether inverters, which turn alternating current power from the grid into direct current used by car batteries, cause too much stress on the network. “We must ensure there is no overload,” Schweitzer added. Yet more snags await: There is still a hodge-podge of charging and paying processes across the country as vendors are not in sync with each other, meaning Ruesselsheimers may encounter payment difficulties on longer journeys. “There is no obligation to provide free roaming. People have to carry around far too many different customer cards,” said Hanns Koenig of research firm Aurora, which has studied commercial car charging opportunities. Germany is doing relatively well in Europe in terms of public charging points, with 17,400 countrywide, according to data from energy industry association BDEW. That would roughly equate to a point for every five of its 83,000 electric cars, about 1 percent of the vehicles on its roads. To keep up with sales, BDEW says thousands more public charging points are needed in coming years, as well as hundreds of thousands of private points at homes and workplaces. However funding could be a central problem in Germany, as well as in Europe and beyond, particularly along motorways which do not fall under any particular municipality. Carmakers are largely pouring much of their money into the development of electric vehicles, while energy providers hesitate to take on responsibility for the rollout as long as car sales remain too low to provide a profitable customer base. In Germany, many of the roughly 1,500 local utility players simply cannot shoulder huge infrastructure costs, especially while commercial success is not assured. The situation could become a vicious circle, some industry experts say, since without a large number of charging stations, customers may be reluctant to make the leap to electric. “Today it is still largely unclear who will make the necessary investment in the charging infrastructure in cities, housing and along the motorways in the short term, and how these can refinance themselves in the medium and long term,” said Jens Haas, managing director automotive at AlixPartners. “This results in lasting scepticism among German car customers and, in turn, hesitant buying.”
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11554
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Acupuncture May Help Ease Hot Flashes Tied to Prostate Cancer Treatment
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So-so grade for this story. Good points: It emphasized – twice – that this was a “small” – in fact, “very small” study – 14 men. It sought an independent expert’s opinion – someone who brought good perspective to the piece. Weaker points: Why even report on such a small study? Why not include an actual interview with the lead author? Why did the story not give any history/context – e.g., that a larger pilot study of acupuncture in 60 men with advanced prostate cancer reported substantial symptomatic improvement. (Harding C, et al, published in the British Journal of Urology International in January 2009.) A vague, inadequate description of the benefits seen. Hormone therapy is commonly used for men with advanced-stage prostate cancer (spread to bone), along with radiation therapy in high-risk men, and for men with rising PSA levels after attempted curative therapy. However,this story does not provide any information about the characteristics of the men receiving hormone therapy, including the indications for hormone therapy, the severity and duration of their hot flashes, and whether they had received conventional therapy for hot flashes (additional hormone therapy).
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mixture
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Cancer,HealthDay
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The story could have easily provided some cost estimate for four weeks of twice-weekly acupuncture sessions. But it didn’t. Probably the weak point of the story. The story only says “Their reported levels of hot flashes dropped markedly.” What does that mean? From what to what? Measured how? And in how many of the men? With no indication of what their baseline symptom severity was, there’s no way to interpret the sketchy results reported in the story. The story also throws in a tag line that the same study “also found that acupuncture relieved the heart palpitations and anxiety often associated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer.” But no data were given to back up these claims. There was no discussion of potential harms. Maybe none were found. Some past acupuncture studies report discomfort at the needling sites. One line could have easily addressed what was seen in this study or in related work. Adequate. The story mentioned that this was a very small study – only 14 men. And it turned to an independent expert who opined that the placebo effect could have been at play or that the symptoms simply went away on their own. It could have explained that this study design–apparently just a case series without a control group–provides results of very limited validity. NO disease mongering of the problem of post-prostate cancer treatment hot flashes. One independent expert was interviewed. There wasn’t any comparison given between what acupuncture did in this tiny study and what else is now done or is being investigated for hot flashes in such men. Other hormone therapies and antidepressants are currently used. Not applicable. The availability of acupuncture isn’t in question. No context was given for placing this research into the bigger picture of what else is doing for the hot flash problem, or if other related acupuncture research has been done. A study (Harding C, et al) was published in the British Journal of Urology International in January 2009, reporting on a larger pilot study of 60 men with advanced prostate cancer who did show substantial symptomatic improvement. Those authors called for randomized trials to more definitively determine benefit. Mixed bag. The story admits it drew its lead researcher quotes from a news release. But it turned to an independent expert for analysis. Because that independent expert injected some questions about the limitations of the research, we’ll award this a barely satisfactory grade. But why wasn’t the lead author himself interviewed?
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9618
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A ‘Polypill’ May Be the Next Big Preventive Fix
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This is a story about a physician’s viewpoint on a speculative drug known as a “polypill” to battle “heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses all at the same time.” This pill would be used in a preventive way among all healthy adults older than 50. While the notion is interesting–can a one-size-fits-all polypill help safely and effectively stave off common diseases of aging–the story didn’t include enough information for readers to understand the issue. Evidence-wise, we don’t get a sense of if there are any clinical trial results examining the benefits of using a polypill among a healthy population of older adults. Important trade-offs like side effects are dismissed, and there’s very little indication of if or when such a pill might be available to a general population. This story contained opinions from the author, but wasn’t labeled as an opinion nor appeared in the opinion section–it ran in the health section. The American population is aging, and the diseases targeted by the polypill are primarily found in older adults. A polypill used in a preventive manner could possibly delay the development of these problems, though it might also carry risks that outweigh these benefits.
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false
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polypill,preventive care
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There aren’t specifics on cost. The story states that the various individual medications that might go in a polypill are “cheap,” but we have no evidence that a combined pill would also be cheap. The story links to a “less comprehensive” polypill available online by prescription, but doesn’t tell us how much it costs. The story says that these drugs in combined form would “battle heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses all at the same time,” but there is no quantification of how much they would help a healthy older adult. The story doesn’t mention important harms of the various medications that might go into the pill. We’re told only that “the doses are low, so it’s relatively safe.” We wanted to see a nod to side effects, risks and trade-offs of using these drugs in a broad preventive manner. Taking a baby aspirin every day, for example, can increase the risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeding, which is why guidelines don’t recommend that everyone over 50 take them. The story does state that a polypill might actually backfire by causing people to think it will protect them, and therefore they exercise less and eat worse. There is no indication of what the evidence is for the use of such a drug by everyone older than 50, nor how high-or low-quality the evidence is. The story is putting forth the idea that this type of drug might be a great idea to use in everyone older than 50. The suggestion that everyone needs a pill in the absence of any evidence, and that healthy older adults would benefit, is classic disease-mongering. The story referred to two separate academic papers, but does not cite any researchers, nor any interviews with experts. The coverage would have been improved by seeking out and offering other opinions, rather than glossing over the concerns of critics with a two-sentence paraphrase of their arguments. There is no comparison with other approaches, except the implication that behavioral approaches like exercise are not necessarily easily followed, and so taking a pill is an easier choice. Granted, when you depend on human compliance and behavior change for public health benefits, the results will be limited. But, the story overlooks the fact that taking a pill every day also requires long-term compliance, limiting the results, too. This was a confusing point for us–the author mentions having two friends who appear to be self-medicating using several of the mentioned drugs, with the aim of preventing heart disease and diabetes. Then we’re told that a similar regimen could feasibly be rolled into a one-size-fits-all “polypill” for the general public, and the story speculates what that pill “might” contain. The story then adds, as an aside, that there is a less comprehensive “polypill” available via online ordering, and provides a link to the site. It’s not clear if or when a more comprehensive polypill for the masses might become available. The story doesn’t make untoward claims of novelty and cites previous research on this concept, which provides context. The story could have alerted readers that the concept of a polypill for prevention goes back more than a decade. The story doesn’t appear to rely on a news release, it appears to be original commentary.
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4455
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Sydney Brenner, who helped decipher genetic code, dies at 92.
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Sydney Brenner, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist who helped decipher the genetic code and whose research on a roundworm sparked a new field of human disease research, has died. He was 92.
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true
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Genetics, Singapore, Worms, North America, Science
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The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, where Brenner spent part of his seven-decade career, said he died Friday in Singapore. “He will be remembered in perpetuity for his brilliant discoveries that ushered in a new era of science and a new generation of scientists,” said Ronald Evans, a biologist at the institute. Brenner shared the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2002 for his contribution to work unraveling how genes control cell division. He and two colleagues, John Sulston and Robert Horvitz, traced a transparent roundworm known as C. elegans to determine how cells divide and create something new. The findings on programmed cell death were key to understanding how cancers develop and laid the groundwork for making C. elegans a major model organism in research. His most important contribution to science, however, was the work he did with Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA, and others to determine the genetic code. In 1961 they demonstrated that DNA is made up of a series of three nucleotides called codons, which encode the amino acids that make up a protein. He also helped discover messenger RNA, the molecule that directs the cell’s production of amino acids. Born in South Africa in 1927, Brenner spent much of his early career in Britain, earning his PhD from the University of Oxford. Later, he joined the University of Cambridge and shared an office with Crick for 20 years. In the early 1990s, Brenner went to California where he first worked at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and later rejoined Crick as a distinguished professor at the Salk Institute. He spent the last part of his career building the biomedical sciences in Singapore, where he became its first honorary citizen. Brenner is survived by his three children. His wife died in 2010.
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17927
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An average of seven children in America are killed by guns every day.
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Group uses kid gun deaths to demand tougher laws
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mixture
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Georgia, Guns, Mayors Against Illegal Guns,
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"There’s little that is more tragic than the death of a child. One group recently attempted to use those emotions to sway a prominent Georgia lawmaker to its side in the national gun legislation debate. Mayors Against Illegal Guns sent backpacks to the Atlanta office of U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss that were filled with postcards calling on him to support ""comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all commercial gun sales."" ""[S]even backpacks will be dropped to represent the seven children and young people who are murdered with guns every day in America,"" the Mayors Against Illegal Guns news release reads. ""Every day, 33 Americans are murdered with guns in America — and seven of those are children."" PolitiFact Georgia read about this on the website Georgia Unfiltered and wondered whether Mayors Against Illegal Guns was correct about how many children were shot and killed every day in America. Mayors Against Illegal Guns was co-founded in 2006 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. The coalition wants legislation passed that would require background checks on all gun sales. It claims more than 1,000 members across political party lines. Georgia mayors in the organization include Atlanta’s Kasim Reed, Roswell’s Jere Wood and Earnestine Pittman of East Point. The coalition has been pressuring senators such as Chambliss who’ve either been on the fence or against gun bills it supports. Chambliss voted against a gun-control measure earlier this year. That amendment would have allowed a vote on a measure to require nearly all gun buyers to undergo background checks. The coalition said it based its claim on data from the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also noted that other organizations, such as the Children’s Defense Fund, have touted similar numbers. In July, the Children’s Defense Fund released a report that found 2,694 children and teens were killed by guns in 2010. That’s an average of 7.4 deaths a day. Raymonde Charles, a spokeswoman for the CDF, said it began compiling such data on its own 20 years ago and noted it refers to this age group as ""children and teens"" to reflect that its data include 18- and 19-year-olds. Here’s a chart the mayors coalition shared with PolitiFact: Year Gun homicides 0-20 Gun deaths 0-20 2006 2,813 4,064 2007 2,725 3,871 2008 2,597 3,777 2009 2,352 3,539 2010 2,308 3,459 Average 2,559 3,742 Per day 7.0 10.3 We looked at the CDC site and did a search for how many people 18 and under were killed in homicides by guns in each of those years. The numbers do not include suicides. A CDC spokesman confirmed that is the best way to research such information. Here were the totals: 2006: 1,629 2007: 1,568 2008: 1,486 2009: 1,359 2010: 1,260 That’s a total of 7,302 deaths, an average of four a day. Yes, we included the extra day in 2008 for our calculation. An average of four children killed by homicides from guns a day is troubling, but it is substantially less than seven a day. We asked the coalition why it decided to use those 20 and younger for its claim as opposed to 18 and under. Some may not consider anyone older than 16 a child, since that’s the age most states allow someone to get a driver’s license or get married (with parental consent). The coalition said it included victims under 21 because they cannot legally buy firearms or possess a gun in some states. ""The unfortunate reality is that the most recent CDC research shows that we lose seven children - not yet twenty one years old - to gun violence every day in America,"" Mark Glaze, the executive director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said in a statement to PolitiFact Georgia. ""These are young people - treated as minors under many of our laws - who won't see their twenty-first birthday because Congress won't pass the common-sense laws that a big majority of parents are calling for."" To sum up, Mayors Against Illegal Guns said in a news release to U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, in an effort to encourage him to support legislation that the group believes would keep firearms out of the wrong hands, that seven children are killed by guns every day. The coalition should have been more specific by saying it was referring to people under the age of 21. We believe that information would add significant context for those who may not believe anyone older than 16 or 18 is a child. The Children’s Defense Fund was more specific, noting its total included children and teenagers. The coalition’s claim is accurate, but it omits some important details. Under our rating system, the statement is ."
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41542
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Asylum seekers in the UK can choose whether they want a flat, house, hostel or bed and breakfast.
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Close to 2,000 United Nations employees have called for the global body to reduce its carbon footprint, including through curbs on their own diplomatic perks like business-class flights and travel handouts, a letter obtained by Reuters showed.
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false
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immigration
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The United Nations calls climate change the “defining issue of our time” and is hosting a New York summit on it next week. But reformers within say in the letter addressed to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that it needs more radical change to get its own house in order. “Our commitments need to be more ambitious and at least as concrete as those of the UN Member States and non-party stakeholders attending the UN Climate Action Summit,” said the letter, signed by at least 1,950 employees. It was organized by a group called Young UN, an internal network committed to ensuring the organization embodies the principles it stands for. “As Greta Thunberg just sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and young people across the world continue to strike every Friday, let us look at our own impact and take bold steps to address the climate emergency,” the letter said, referring to the Swedish teenager who has inspired global climate strikes. The United Nations emitted 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2018, according to its own data which includes both the 44,000 secretariat staff present in more than 60 countries as well as tens of thousands of interns, contractors and peacekeeping troops deployed worldwide. That equates to a carbon footprint larger than several of its member states, including Malta and Liberia, according to statistics from the Global Carbon Atlas for 2017. Among 10 issues identified by Young UN are travel allowances, which the letter said needed to be cut or scrapped “in order to disincentivize travel by UN employees and UN meeting participants motivated by financial gain”. Allowances, or per diems as they are known internally, are intended to cover travel costs including food and accommodation, and can exceed $400 a day for some locations such as New York, according to the International Civil Service Commission website. The letter also suggested that staff should be rewarded for downgrading from business class, where a spacious seat generates several times the emissions of an economy class ticket. Travel accounts for nearly half the United Nations’ emissions, its data show. Last year, under pressure from member states, the head of the U.N. Environment Programme, Erik Solheim, stepped down amid criticism of his travels. Other reforms recommended in the letter include a complete divestment of the more than $60 billion U.N. pension fund from fossil fuels and creating offices run entirely on renewable energy. Young UN did not respond to requests for comment. Guterres is seeking to combat climate change from within in order to boost sustainability. “The Secretary-General welcomes the initiative of Young UN on climate action in the UN system,” Guterres’ office said in a statement to Reuters on Friday. “The Secretary-General is committed to lead by example and calls for transformative action to address the climate crisis, including on the part of the UN system and Secretariat itself,” it continued. The employees’ letter welcomed Guterres’ internal strategy but said it “misses the urgency of the crisis we are facing”. The United Nations has also launched a “Greening the Blue” initiative which measures the U.N. system’s greenhouse gas emissions, waste disposal, fresh-water use, and environmental management. According to its latest report issued on Friday, 55 of its entities, or 95 percent, including the Secretariat, were climate neutral in 2018, against just over a third the previous year. But the letter raises doubts about U.N. offset mechanisms, a method that works through purchases of U.N.-certified carbon credits from approved green projects and is widely used by organizations and businesses to tout their green credentials. This echoes criticism from NGOs about the contribution of offsets to sustainable development. Isabella Marras, Sustainable UN Coordinator, whose team produces the Greening the Blue report and was a signatory to the letter, said she saw scope for the United Nations to give even greater attention to environmental considerations. “What we are missing is the aggressive integration of environmental issues into our programs like the UN has done for women,” she told Reuters. But she stressed some of the pragmatic challenges in regions where environmental standards are less strong than in Western countries. Marie-Claire Graf, a 23-year-old Swiss climate activist visiting the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva, said the number of U.N. vehicles in vast carparks overlooking the lake and mountains was surprising. “The UN is doing some amazing things on environment but I am shocked by so many SUVs and the amount of travel,” said Graf, who was selected along with 100 young climate leaders to attend the U.N. Youth Climate Summit on 21 September. “The UN needs to lead on this transformation.”
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5594
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Abortion clinic seeks court order, new license to stay open.
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The Dayton area’s last abortion clinic is trying to avoid closure by pursuing a new state license and intervention by a federal court after the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday again refused to hear its appeal.
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true
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State courts, Dayton, Health, General News, Abortion, Courts, Ohio, U.S. News
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The state court’s decision meant Women’s Med Center faced losing its license as an ambulatory surgical facility because it didn’t meet certain Ohio requirements about hospital transfers and agreements with doctors who could help facilitate hospital care in an emergency. It quickly asked a federal court to temporarily block the state from enforcing those requirements and stripping its license. It argues the requirements are unconstitutional, medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion access. The center in Kettering has postponed surgical abortions but remains open for medication abortions as its yearslong legal fight continues, attorney Jennifer Branch said. Anticipating the state court’s rejection of the appeal, the clinic also already had applied for a new state license and lined up an additional, fourth backup doctor who could admit patients to a hospital for care if needed, Branch said. The clinic was told it needed arrangements with four such doctors as an alternative because it hasn’t been able to get a written patient-transfer agreement with a local hospital as required by state law, she said. The Ohio Department of Health wouldn’t comment on the pending litigation. The state health director, Dr. Amy Acton, signed off on the alternative arrangement involving the backup doctors but noted that is just one part of the license application that is still under review, according to a Friday letter to Branch from Acton. Branch said she anticipates the federal court will rule quickly on the clinic’s request for a temporary restraining order.
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3052
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Century-old TB vaccine may work better if given in a new way.
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Scientists think they’ve figured out how to make a century-old tuberculosis vaccine far more protective: Simply give the shot a different way.
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true
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AP Top News, Health, General News, Science, Tuberculosis, Monkeys
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In a study with monkeys, injecting the vaccine straight into the bloodstream dramatically improved its effectiveness over today’s skin-deep shot, researchers reported Wednesday. “This offers hope,” although more safety studies are required before testing the approach in people, said Dr. Robert Seder of the National Institutes of Health, a senior author of the study. Tuberculosis kills about 1.7 million people a year, mostly in poor countries. The only vaccine, called the BCG vaccine, is used mainly in high-risk areas to protect babies from one form of the disease. But it’s far less effective at protecting teens and adults from the main threat, TB in the lungs. Most vaccines are shots jabbed in the muscle or skin. Seder came up with the idea of IV immunization a few years ago, with experiments showing a malaria vaccine candidate worked better when injected into a vein. He wondered if the TB vaccine would react the same way. Researchers at NIH teamed with the University of Pittsburgh to study certain monkeys, rhesus macaques, that react to TB infection much like people do. They tested a variety of ways to give the TB vaccine, including a mist that the monkeys inhaled through a mask. Six months after the vaccinations, the researchers delivered TB bacteria straight into the animals’ lungs and watched for infection. Monkeys given today’s standard skin shot, even with a higher dose, were only slightly more protected than unvaccinated animals, and the mist wasn’t too effective, either. But in 9 of 10 monkeys, a higher-than-usual vaccine dose injected into a vein worked much better, the researchers reported in the journal Nature. The team found no trace of infection in six of the animals and counted very low levels of TB bacteria in the lungs of three. Why? The hypothesis is that key immune cells called T cells have to swarm the lungs to kill off TB bacteria and can do so more quickly when the vaccine is carried rapidly around the body via the bloodstream. Sure enough, tests showed more active T cells lingering in the lungs of monkeys vaccinated the new way. The findings are striking, showing that how a vaccine is given “clearly affects immunity,” University of Massachusetts TB specialists Samuel Behar and Chris Sassetti, who weren’t involved in the study, wrote in an accompanying editorial. Still, giving a vaccine intravenously isn’t nearly as easy as other kinds of shots, they cautioned. Seder said additional safety research is underway in animals, with hopes of beginning a first-step study in people in about 18 months. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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7954
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U.S. soldier infected as South Korea coronavirus cases rise above 1,260.
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South Korea reported 284 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, including a U.S. soldier, as health authorities prepared to test more than 200,000 members of a church hit hardest by the outbreak.
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true
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Health News
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The new cases pushed the total tally to 1,261, with the numbers expected to rise as the government widens its testing. Of the new cases, 134 were from Daegu city, where a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which has been linked to outbreaks, is located, the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) said. The U.S. military reported its first case of the coronavirus on Wednesday, in a 23-year-old soldier based in Camp Carroll, about 20 km (12 miles) from Daegu. The camp is also near a disability center that has had its own outbreak of the virus. The soldier was in self-quarantine at his home outside the base, according to a statement by United States Forces Korea (USFK). “KCDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed,” the statement said, noting the soldier had also recently visited Camp Walker, a base in Daegu. On Monday, the widow of a former U.S. soldier tested positive for the virus after visiting several bases near Daegu, including Camp Walker. American military bases across South Korea restricted entry and imposed health screening measures at their gates this week, leading to hours-long waits for some people trying to go to work at the bases. The U.S. and South Korean militaries have said they are considering scaling back joint training because of mounting concerns about the coronavirus, in one of the first signs of the epidemic’s fallout on global U.S. military activities. U.S. forces are a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War and continue to defend against threats from North Korea. A twelfth death from the virus was reported on Wednesday, a 74-year-old man linked to the Daegu church. Around 80% of the country’s cases - including at the disability center - are linked to the Daegu church, and to a hospital in nearby Cheongdo County, which some church members are believed to have visited. The church said it had agreed to provide the government with contact details for all its members and people in trainee programs, on the understanding the information would not be made public. “We have obtained a list of 212,000 number of the Shincheonji believers from the church last night,” vice health minister Kim Gang-lip told a media briefing. “Local governments will check whether the believers have respiratory or fever related symptoms and visit their homes to test them.” The disease is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has infected about 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700 people, the vast majority in China. South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration has faced criticism from some citizens for his decision to only restrict arrivals from the epicenter of the outbreak in China, and not all arrivals from China, A petition calling for Moon’s impeachment over his handling of the crisis had gathered more than 687,000 signatures as of Wednesday. Defending the government’s policies at a parliamentary hearing, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said not only would it be impossible to quarantine the roughly 2,000 Chinese who enter the country each day, it would have been useless as the spread of the virus was caused by South Korean citizens who had traveled to China.
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11469
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Johns Hopkins Scientists Advance a Novel Urine Test to Predict High-Risk Cervical Cancer
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In an effort to increase the accuracy of cervical cancer diagnoses, a team of researchers is developing a urine test that looks for methylation (a mechanism used by cells to control gene expression) in four genes and, at this early stage, shows evidence of both dramatically improving detection of cancer and enhancing physicians’ ability to determine that a woman does not have cancer. Their work was recently published in the Cancer Prevention Research journal. This news release on the test is something of an explanatory tour de force that explores the path taken to develop the test, but it may require a great deal of effort to follow that path. The release doesn’t give enough attention to the potential downside of the test — a real risk of under-diagnosis — and fails to clearly signal that this diagnostic effort is still at an early stage, making the validity and eventual availability of the test uncertain. Most cases of cervical cancer occur in developing countries, where Pap tests may be less available for cultural or cost reasons. A urine test that costs less than current diagnostic procedures and that provides increased diagnostic accuracy would offer significant public health advantages in these countries. This study seeks to address whether a simpler tests could be used to screen initially positive Pap/HPV results in a way that eliminates the falsely positive ones while keeping all of the ones that really need definitive treatment. The investigators used several DNA tests that show promise, but still aren’t perfect. Here the key parameter of interest is sensitivity. You want this to be as close to 100% as possible. Every miss could mean serious consequences for the affected woman. Specificity is less important — it means that the test wasn’t any better than the initial Pap/HPV, and a woman (living in the developed world) might be referred on to a colposcopy test. Whether further studies will show the advantage of this new test or a similar one remains to be seen. But what is really needed is a simple urine screening test that could replace the internal exam that is needed for the current Pap/HPV. Such a test would be useful in both the developed and developing world. That would be a game-changer.
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true
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Academic medical center news release,Screening tests
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The release suggests that a urine test would be less costly than a Pap test, but it makes no effort to indicate what the cost is of either the proposed test or a Pap test. On the one hand, the release offers numerical summaries of the test’s abilities to both correctly detect cancer (sensitivity) and correctly identify someone who does not have the disease (specificity). But the text does a relatively dense job of explaining how the investigators reached the urine-test stage, creating a narrative that will require a determined reader and could thwart someone giving the text a more cursory view. The release does make it clear that this small urine test study correctly identified those without cancer 83% of the time, a considerable improvement over the false positive rate of the more traditional Pap test. But the real risk of this new test is that it may indicate a false negative — suggesting all is well — when it isn’t. Under the best of scenarios, the new test gets it wrong 10 in 100 times. When applied to a more usual practice setting, it gets it wrong 15 to 25 in 100 times. Here getting it wrong may mean missing an advanced pre-cancerous lesion or even a cancerous one. One can argue that even 1 in a 100 times is too much, but in developing countries this may be better than current practice. However, we don’t believe the risk of false negatives has been clearly or addressed. The release offers a good bit of detail about the researchers’ path to the urine test, a process that involved isolating relevant genes and testing blood samples before turning to urine sample tests. This description gets specific about the size of the various samples used and, if read carefully, yields a reasonable understanding of the studies conducted. Left unsaid is that a “proof-of-concept” study is an early stage in the process of developing a diagnostic test. Disease-mongering is not a feature of this release. The focus of the release is on a new, presumably cheaper test for cervical cancer, a major killer in less developed countries. The release also puts the problem of cervical cancer screening in global context. Although the release offers no information about possible conflicts of interest (the article on which the release was based indicates the absence of such conflicts), it does provide information about funding. And it does disclose the start of a collaboration between the team and a company that intends to design and market a urine test product. The text does a good job of comparing this potential urine test to the traditional Pap smear and to two relatively new commercial tests based on a search for methylation in DNA. From the data provided, this new test offers no advantages in developed countries where Pap/HPV rates are high and follow-up with colposcopy is available. The issues in developing countries are two-fold. One is whether a urine test could be used as an alternative to the Pap smear/HPV test as the first screen. A urine test would be a much easier screening test. But what they’re examining is when the Pap/HPV is abnormal, can you can eliminate the need for some colposcopies. All depends on a reader’s understanding of the nature of a proof-of-concept study. This urine test is not yet available, but that will be murky to non-specialists unless the term is defined. Reading between the lines it is evident that further testing is needed before it can be used as part of routine care. The writer does a good job of making the case for novelty here. The text is explanatory and not dominated by florid language or predictions. However, if the trial’s results came from better tissue samples than would routinely be available (sophisticated lab sampling versus testing performed in a clinic) the release may paint a rosier picture of the test than is warranted.
|
25873
|
M.J. Hegar Says 1 in 5 Texans did not have health insurance coverage before the pandemic, and now “nearly 1 in 3 Texans under the age of 65 don’t have access to health care insurance.”
|
"The latest data on health insurance coverage shows that in 2018 about one in five Texans was uninsured, as Hegar said. The number of Texans who ""don't have access"" to insurance coverage during the pandemic is harder to pin down, but her “nearly 1 in 3” remark reflects the latest available estimate."
|
true
|
Health Care, Texas, Coronavirus, M.J. Hegar,
|
"After a primary campaign extended by the coronavirus, MJ Hegar was selected by Democratic voters in Texas to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in November. Hegar celebrated her primary election win with a virtual victory party hosted on Facebook, with appearances from state officials and members of the Texas Democratic Party. During the event, Hegar talked about the coronavirus and its impact in Texas, stating that ""we had a health care crisis in this state before COVID-19."" ""Before the pandemic, nearly 1 in every 5 was without access to health care coverage,"" Hegar said. ""And now: 1 in 3. Nearly 1 in 3 Texans under the age of 65 don’t have access to health care insurance because of the record unemployment and because of our health care model that is failing Texas."" Texas consistently ranks as the state with the highest uninsured rates, but is Hegar right about the number of people without insurance coverage during the coronavirus pandemic? Pre-pandemic insurance levels Hegar’s campaign shared multiple news articles about Texans without health insurance published before and during the pandemic, including recent reporting from the Houston Chronicle highlighting how job losses are leading to a growing population of uninsured Texans. Let’s start with the rate of uninsured Texans before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The Kaiser Health Foundation, a nonprofit health policy research organization, publishes state health facts using detailed data from the Census Bureau, including the insurance status of people under 65 in Texas. More than 4.8 million people under 65 are uninsured — about 19.9% of the population that age, or about 1 in 5 people, according to the latest Census Bureau data published in 2019. Of those Texans who are insured, about 66% are covered through their employer and 21.6% are covered by Medicaid. Texas is one of 13 states that has not expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which allows people between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (considered middle class) to receive tax credits to offset the cost of insurance plans purchased through an online marketplace. The act also grants free coverage under Medicaid to anyone earning less than 138% of the federal poverty level (which this year is $26,200 for a family of four) in states that have opted to expand the program. Since Texas has not expanded the program, eligibility requirements for the program are more strict and are not based solely on income. In order to qualify, a person must have an annual income below a certain threshold ($51,876 for a family of four) and be pregnant, be a parent or caretaker of children, have a disability or a family member with a disability or be 65 years or older. Pandemic insurance levels Since Texas first shut down segments of the economy to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the unemployment rate has fluctuated, spiking to a record 13.5% in April before falling to 8.6% in June. For comparison, in June of 2019 the unemployment rate in Texas was 3.4%. As people lost their jobs, many also lost their health insurance coverage. The actual calculation of the number of people without coverage is a moving target, as people find new jobs or secure coverage elsewhere after becoming unemployed. But two national studies show that between 650,000 and 1.6 million Texans could have lost coverage since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In May, the Kaiser Health Foundation released a report estimating the number of people losing job-based health insurance coverage during the pandemic and how many of those individuals are eligible for coverage through Medicaid or through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace tax credits. Nationally, the report estimates that as many as 26.8 million people will become uninsured, including workers, adult dependents and children. Of those, the report estimates that half are eligible for coverage through Medicaid and others through tax credits. In Texas, that report estimates that 1.6 million people will lose insurance coverage, which would bring the state’s uninsured rate to about 26.5% for people under 65 — or about 1 in 4 people without health insurance coverage. But these figures don’t speak exactly to Hegar’s claim, which is about the number of people who ""don’t have access to insurance."" Even though Texas has opted not to expand Medicaid coverage to people with incomes below the poverty line, the report states that unemployment benefits and the temporary $600 weekly payments approved by Congress are likely to push annual income for many of these unemployed workers to levels that would make them eligible for Medicaid coverage in Texas. This means they will be able to access Medicaid coverage and marketplace tax credits for the remainder of the calendar year. Other people who lose coverage could switch to insurance offered through a spouse’s or parents’ employer and others may qualify for coverage but opt not to enroll, according to the report. So even though an estimated 1 in 4 Texans will now be without health insurance coverage, the actual number of people who are uninsured and ""don’t have access to healthcare insurance"" is likely even lower. A July report from Families USA, a research and advocacy non-profit that supports policies that make healthcare more accessible, offers a closer estimate. The report tried to pin down the number of uninsured adults who would be unable to obtain new health insurance coverage after losing employment during the coronavirus pandemic. The report estimates that about 5.4 million people across the country became uninsured after losing their jobs between February and May of this year and could not find new coverage. In Texas, an estimated 659,000 adult workers lost insurance coverage after losing jobs and could not find coverage elsewhere, bringing the rate of uninsured adults in the state at the end of May to 29%, or about 1 in 3 adults, the report found. But these figures are just about workers, and don’t account for children and other dependents who may have been covered by another adult’s health insurance plan through an employer, which means the total number of people who are uninsured is likely higher than this estimate. Our ruling Hegar said 1 in 5 Texans did not have health insurance coverage before the pandemic, and now ""nearly 1 in 3 Texans under the age of 65 don’t have access to health care insurance."" Hegar is right about how many Texans under 65 were previously uninsured. The number of Texans without access to health insurance during the pandemic is harder to pin down, but her ""nearly 1 in 3"" remark reflects the latest available estimates."
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36840
|
Juanita Broaddrick, a volunteer in Bill Clinton’s first gubernatorial campaign, has accused Bill Clinton of raping her in a Little Rock hotel room in 1978.
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Juanita Broaddrick Bill Clinton Rape Accusations
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unproven
|
Politics
|
Juanita Broaddrick’s allegations that Bill Clinton raped her in 1978 first reached a national audience during a 1999 appearance on “Dateline NBC.” Broaddrick, a volunteer for Clinton’s gubernatorial campaign, said during the interview that she didn’t tell anybody at the time because “I just don’t think anyone would have believed me.” The Washington Post summarized her accusations like this: In a gripping account punctuated by sobs, the Arkansas woman told “Dateline NBC” that in her Little Rock hotel room, Clinton suddenly “turned me around and started kissing me, and that was a real shock. I first pushed him away. I just told him ‘no.’ . . . He tries to kiss me again. He starts biting on my lip. . . . And then he forced me down on the bed. I just was very frightened. I tried to get away from him. I told him ‘no.’ . . . He wouldn’t listen to me.” However, questions have been raised about the accuracy of Broaddrick’s claims given that she signed an affidavit during the Paula Jones investigation in 1998 stating that the claims were untrue and that she had “repeatedly denied the allegations” made by newspaper and tabloid reports: 3. I met President Clinton more than twenty years ago through family friends. Our introduction was not arranged or facilitated, in any way, by the Arkansas State Police. I have never been an Arkansas state employee or a federal employee. I have never discussed with Mr. Clinton the possibility of state or federal employment nor has he offered me any such position. I have had no further relations with him for the past (15) years. 4. During the 1992 Presidential campaign there were unfounded rumors and stories circulated that Mr. Clinton had made unwelcome sexual advances toward me in the late seventies. Newspaper and tabloid reporters hounded me and my family, seeking corroboration of these tales. I repeatedly denied the allegations and requested that my family’s privacy be respected. These allegations are untrue and I had hoped that they would no longer haunt me, or cause further disruption to my family. However, a Wall Street Journal report from 1999 details the sequence of events from 1992 to 1999 that supposedly led Broaddrick to deny the accusations before she suddenly came forward with them during special prosecutor Kenneth Starr’s investigation in 1999 : Trouble began in 1992, when the story Mrs. Broaddrick had shared with a small circle of friends reached a wide public, thanks to a business associate by the name of Philip Yoakum. A bitter opponent of Mr. Clinton, he urged that she come forward during the presidential campaign, which she declined to do. When the Paula Jones lawsuit came along, the plaintiff’s lawyers approached her, but Mrs. Broaddrick was determined to stay clear of involvement. That was how she came to sign the false affidavit. It was this matter that the White House spokesmen and others point to when dismissing her account. Her lawyer, Republican state Sen. Bill Walters, prepared the affidavit–the model for which he says he got from White House lawyer Bruce Lindsey, who was happy to oblige. Her lawyers, Mrs. Broaddrick relates, didn’t actually know the facts–that the sexual advances in question were very far from consensual. Her goal was to keep out of everything. When Kenneth Starr’s investigators came around, explains her 28-year-old son, Kevin, a lawyer, it was a different matter. “I told my mother–and she understood it–that this was another whole level. She knew it was one thing to lie in a civil trial so she could get away from all this, but another to lie to federal prosecutors and possibly a grand jury.” Fearful of punishment for that earlier perjury, she was prepared to admit to the independent counsel’s officers–after receiving immunity–that her prior affidavit had been false. In the event, it became a footnote in the Starr report, and carried no weight as far as obstruction of justice charges were concerned. Both Mrs. Broaddrick and her lawyers emphasize that no one from the White House had harassed her or subjected her to other pressures aimed at keeping the story quiet. The story was brought back onto the national stage during the 2016 presidential eleciton when Donald Trump appeared with Broaddrick and other women who had accused Clinton of sexual assault in a press conference held before his second debate with Hillary Clinton. Trump also retweeted an interview that Broaddrick gave to right-wing news site Breitbart on October 9th, the day after the debate. Clinton has denied the allegations through his attorneys all along. There’s no way that we can make a determination one way or another that Broaddrick’s allegations are true or false.
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2285
|
Fitness fundamentals still challenge Americans, poll finds.
|
Despite an explosion of fitness advice from TV shows, blogs, books and online experts, a basic knowledge of health and exercise still eludes most Americans, according to a poll.
|
true
|
Health News
|
It showed that almost three-quarters of more than 1,000 people questioned did not know that they had to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat, according to the poll by fitness equipment maker Nautilus Inc. The results were posted online, along with an interactive quiz. Only 39 percent grasped that an egg is a healthy source of protein and a mere 13 percent understood that women who weight train will not bulk up like a man. (bit.ly/1IXYeJ1) The average score was 42 percent out of 100. “There are just so many myths and misconceptions out there,” said fitness adviser and author Tom Holland, including the mistaken belief, shared by 45 percent, that weight training can turn fat to muscle. But his big concern was the belief that women who lift weights will bulk up. “When you think how important strength training is for women, this is doing a disservice,” Holland added. Almost three-quarters recognized that running a mile burns more calories than walking a mile, and 67 percent understood that resting heart rate is a good indicator of aerobic fitness. Regular aerobic exercise makes the heart stronger and more efficient. Forty-five percent selected morning as the most effective time of day to exercise, although afternoon or evening is equally as good. But Jessica Matthews, senior adviser for health and fitness education at the American Council on Exercise, said the truth is sometimes complicated. “Research shows body temperature is warmer later in the day, so afternoon exercise can be good, but we also know that people who exercise early in the morning tend to exercise more consistently,” she said. While men and women were equally misinformed, young adults 18 to 24 scored highest and seniors, 65 years and older, had the lowest marks. “Older people may have learned things in high school physical education class that are now outdated because the science evolved,” Matthews explained. She said the Internet can be a double-edged sword. “The Internet is a wonderful thing but not everything that appears there is true. There’s misinformation, complicated information,” Matthews explained. “There needs to be good practical information people can use.”
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7223
|
Romania maternity hospital hit by superbug to reopen.
|
Romania’s health minister says a maternity hospital in the capital where 45 babies were diagnosed with a drug-resistant superbug has been given the all-clear to reopen.
|
true
|
Bucharest, Health, Romania, Europe
|
Sorina Pintea said Tuesday that the Giulesti Maternity Hospital, closed on Nov. 30 after newborns were diagnosed with antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, will reopen Dec. 21 after “preliminary results say we don’t have problems.” It isn’t clear how the outbreak began. Health authorities have suggested that the hospital does too many C-sections and that hygiene standards aren’t respected. Eleven staff members who tested positive for the superbug were suspended from work and face treatment. The bacteria often live on the skin or in the nostrils without causing symptoms but they can become dangerous if they enter the bloodstream, destroying heart valves or causing other damage.
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26429
|
Racial comparisons on coronavirus statistics in Monroe County, N.Y., show that the impact on minorities is “basically on par, a little bit up, from the population numbers,” meaning that “we don’t see that disparity as much here.”
|
At the time of her comment, the share of African American deaths from the coronavirus in Monroe County, N.Y., was only slightly higher than the African American share of the county’s population. However, African Americans accounted for a significantly higher share of intensive care unit hospitalizations and non-ICU hospitalizations in the county. The same was the case for Hispanics and non-ICU hospitalizations.
|
mixture
|
Race and Ethnicity, Public Health, New York, Coronavirus, Lovely Warren,
|
"As the coronavirus spreads across the country, officials are taking increasing notice of patterns of infections and deaths among people of different races. In some states, provisional data through April 21 collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed disproportionately high rates of death from coronavirus among African Americans in Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, and Wisconsin. Experts have suggested that a variety of factors may be responsible, including disparities in income and health insurance and a higher rate of pre-existing conditions. The question of racial disparities in coronavirus impact came up during an April 8 news conference with Lovely Warren, the mayor of Rochester, N.Y. Warren opened the press conference by saying, ""I'm going to answer some questions you have regarding disparities across the country happening in the African American community as it pertains to the coronavirus and the number of deaths and the number of people being diagnosed with it."" A reporter asked, ""What are we seeing locally here in Rochester? How badly is Rochester being impacted, especially the minority population?"" Warren responded, ""We are not seeing, at a high rate, that level of disparity right now,"" Warren said. ""We do believe if we do not change the social distancing, if we do not stay at home, we will see the level of disparity that we see across the country. … Today we are basically on par, a little bit up, from the population numbers, but we don’t see that disparity as much here in Monroe County as we’re seeing across the country."" However, the disparities were already evident on the day Warren held the press conference. On the same day as the press conference, the Monroe County Department of Health released the racial and ethnic breakdown of coronavirus hospitalizations in the county, both in non-intensive care units and ICUs, as well as deaths from the virus. Here’s a summary of that data: The health department data shows that for African Americans, the percentage of deaths from coronavirus was slightly higher than their share of the population -- African American residents accounted for 18.2% of deaths, compared to 16.2% of the county’s overall population. That was in line with Warren’s comment. However, the hospitalization rates for African Americans in the county were significantly higher. African Americans accounted for 27.9% of the non-ICU hospitalizations in the county and 53.8% of ICU hospitalizations. Meanwhile, non-ICU hospitalizations were disproportionately high for Hispanics -- 18.6% of such hospitalizations, compared to an overall 9% share of the population. Warren did acknowledge this fact in passing later in her press conference, saying, ""What we do know is that people in the ICU, people of color, are in the ICU at a higher rate than other folks."" However, on multiple occasions during the press conference she referred to the disparities as minor. Justin Roj, the mayor’s director of communications and special events, said Warren stands by her statement. A footnote: Subsequent data has shown that the racial disparity has grown. Here’s a look at the data through April 17: The data shows that through April 17, African American hospitalization rates had grown to 67% of ICU hospitalizations and 39% of non-ICU hospitalization rates. And the share of deaths represented by African Americans rose to 24%, which exceeds African Americans’ 16% share of the county’s population. Meanwhile, Hispanics have accounted for 22% of ICU hospitalizations, which is more than double their 9% of the population. Referring to racial comparisons on coronavirus statistics in Monroe County, N.Y., Warren said the impact on minorities is ""basically on par, a little bit up, from the population numbers,"" meaning that ""we don’t see that disparity as much here."" That was essentially accurate when looking at the share of deaths from the coronavirus. But at the time of her comment, African Americans accounted for a significantly higher share of ICU and non-ICU hospitalizations in the county, and the same was the case for Hispanics and non-ICU hospitalizations. The statement is partially accurate but needs additional information, so"
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6566
|
Denver, northern Colorado fall short on US clean air rules.
|
Denver and northern Colorado’s urban corridor failed to meet federal ozone pollution standards, and the state will have to come up with a new plan to clean up the air, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.
|
true
|
Colorado, General News, Jared Polis, Denver, Environment, Pollution
|
The move was expected after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said in March the state would no longer ask for an exemption from the standards by claiming some of the pollution was drifting from China and elsewhere, rather than being created in Colorado. The EPA said it plans to downgrade Denver and eight other counties in northern Colorado from “moderate” to “serious.” The classifications refer to how far out of compliance the area is with agency standards. In addition to Denver, the area includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. Colorado is already working on steps to reduce pollution, including writing new rules for the oil and gas industry and encouraging more electric cars, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Whether Colorado is classified as moderate or serious doesn’t affect our commitment to doing what is necessary, as swiftly as possible, to make sure every Coloradan has clean air to breathe,” Ryan said in a written statement. Ground-level ozone, the main component of smog, can aggravate asthma and contribute to early deaths from respiratory disease. Ozone is created from pollution emitted by vehicles, industries, solvents and other sources. Denver and the northern Front Range have struggled to meet EPA ozone standards since at least 2004. States can lose some federal highway funding if they don’t come up with a plan to correct ozone violations. The EPA says states are not penalized for violating the standards, but only for not developing an agency-approved plan to improve. Thursday’s announcement by the EPA opens a 30-day period for the public to comment on the agency’s plan to downgrade the area’s status. A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6. ___ Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP.
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35136
|
"The White House sent out text messages in mid-March 2020 informing people that a ""mandatory quarantine"" in U.S. would start within 48 hours. "
|
Six Bay Area counties announced a “shelter in place” order for all residents, directing everyone to stay in their homes for the next 3 weeks as officials desperately try to curb the spread of #coronavirus.https://t.co/1C4HVVMSjS
|
false
|
Medical, COVID-19
|
In mid-March 2020, many social media users reported receiving a text message informing them that a “mandatory quarantine” or a “national lockdown” would occur in the next 48 hours in the U.S. to control the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus disease. While a few versions of this viral message exist, the following text appears to be one of the most popular iterations: Please be advised, within 48 to 72 Hours the president will evoke what is called the Stafford act. Just got off the phone with some of my military friends down in DC who had a two hour briefing. The president will order a two week mandatory quarantine for the nation. Stock up on whatever you guys need to make sure you have a two week supply of everything. Please forward to your network. Similar reports added that Homeland Security was preparing to mobilize the National Guard: These reports did not reflect an official message from the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), city officials, or any other official governing body; these reports were merely chain messages that made unfounded claims. As of this writing, no official announcements have been made regarding a national lockdown or a mandatory quarantine in the U.S. The National Security Council addressed these messages on Twitter, writing that messages about a “national quarantine” were fake: Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus — NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020 These text messages started circulating in mid-March 2020. At the time, sporting events were being canceled across the country, cities were closing schools, restaurants, and bars, and health officials were encouraging everyone to practice “social distancing.” These texts also went viral on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was declaring a national emergency. Like many false social media rumors, a hint of truth underlay these viral text messages. When Trump declared the national emergency on March 13, he did so under the Stafford Act, a 1988 law that empowers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond to national catastrophes. Reuters reported: The law, enacted in 1988, empowers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state and local governments during “natural catastrophes” and coordinate the nation’s response. FEMA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, controls more than $40 billion in federal funding set aside by Congress for disaster relief. FEMA could use that funding to help build medical facilities and transport patients, among other measures. Only the president can declare a major disaster under the law. USA Today reported that in addition to providing more funding to fight the spread of COVID-19, Trump’s emergency declaration would authorize Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, to waive certain restrictions in order to give people better access to healthcare. Trump’s declaration, however, did not authorize Azar to declare a “national quarantine.” While the White House did not announce a national lockdown, the CDC recommended on March 15, 2020, that the U.S. should prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also encouraged Americans to prepare to “hunker down” and limit their social interactions. While the text messages spreading this claim did not originate with any official sources, the scenario they propose is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. San Francisco, California, for instance, announced a “shelter in place” order on March 16, 2020: BAY AREA MUST 'SHELTER IN PLACE'
|
5443
|
Lawsuit: Negligence caused Legionnaires’ outbreak at hotel.
|
A lawsuit filed Monday alleges “negligence in the operation and maintenance of the water systems” caused a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a downtown Atlanta hotel that killed one person and potentially sickened dozens.
|
true
|
State courts, Georgia, Lawsuits, Legionnaires disease, Public health, Atlanta, Courts, Disease outbreaks, General News
|
State and county health officials are investigating the outbreak among people who stayed at or visited the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel between June 22 and July 15. There have been 12 lab-confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease, including one person who died, and 63 probable cases, Georgia Department of Public Health spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said in an email Monday. Professional photographer Germany Greer, 67, who fell ill in July after photographing a conference at the hotel from June 27 to July 1, filed the lawsuit in Gwinnett County State Court. Ken Peduzzi, general manager of the Sheraton Atlanta, said in an emailed statement Monday that the hotel “does not comment on legal matters.” Legionnaires’ disease is a serious kind of pneumonia, or lung infection, caused by Legionella bacteria. Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, and shortness of breath. Legionella bacteria occur naturally in fresh water, like lakes and streams, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It becomes a problem when it grows and spreads in man-made building water systems, including shower heads and faucets, hot water tanks, fountains or plumbing systems in large buildings, the CDC website says. The lawsuit names Peduzzi, as well as companies identified as owning, managing, and maintaining the hotel. The lawsuit says they were negligent in failing to adequately care for and test the hotel’s water system. “You do not get an outbreak of Legionella unless someone did something that was grossly negligent,” Matt Wetherington, one of Greer’s lawyers, said in a phone interview. L. Chris Stewart, another lawyer representing Greer, said they already have 40 clients who became sick after visiting or staying at the Sheraton Atlanta. They include people who attended conferences for professional women, baseball, and parents of adopted children. “The number grows every day,” he said. The hotel closed voluntarily July 15 and health officials took samples for testing. The original plan was to reopen Sunday, but Peduzzi said in an emailed statement Friday that they were awaiting additional testing results and that the hotel would remain closed at least through Wednesday. Peduzzi said a “thorough cleaning” of the hotel’s entire water system had been done “as a precautionary measure.” In his statement Friday, Peduzzi offered “deepest sympathies to all those affected by the Legionella outbreak.” Stewart and Wetherington said they hope the apology is a sign the hotel plans to accept responsibility. If not, Wetherington said, they could face many more individual lawsuits or a class action suit. “The ball is their court in terms of how they want to do this,” he said. “They can come forward and admit they did something wrong and try to make it right or they can dig their heels in and we’ll be litigating this for a very long time.” Greer, who lives just outside Atlanta, first began to feel off a few days after visiting the Sheraton, he said. Food and water tasted weird to him and then he lost his appetite. As his symptoms progressed, he felt alternately hot and cold and suffered bouts of confusion and fatigue. He went his son’s house in mid-July and was sweating profusely and unable to get out of the car when he arrived, he said. His son took him to see a doctor who suspected Legionnaires’ disease and sent him to the hospital for additional tests. He spent several days in the hospital, his fever spiking to 104 degrees at one point, and tested positive for Legionella, he said. Even now, weeks after he was discharged from the hospital, he still has anxiety and feels fatigued, he said. Doctors have told him that could last six to eight weeks, which he said is tough since he’s generally pretty active. The lawsuit asks for a jury trial and seeks compensation for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and loss of enjoyment of life.
|
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