Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Jury still out on celiac disease screening, U.S. doctors say
There isn't enough evidence yet to say whether widespread screening for celiac disease makes sense, according to draft guidelines proposed by U.S. physicians. The draft recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) today conclude that more research is needed on the potential health benefits of screening people without symptoms, particularly for individuals at increased risk for celiac disease due to diabetes or a family history of celiac disease.
Zika concerns could see MLB cancel Puerto Rico series
A pair of Major League Baseball games scheduled to be played in Puerto Rico later this month could be relocated due to growing concerns over the Zika virus in the area, the MLB Players Association said on Tuesday. The Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates are scheduled to play two games in San Juan on May 30-31 but the series is in doubt with nearly 700 confirmed cases of Zika in Puerto Rico.
Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $55 mln in talc-powder trial
Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a U.S. jury on Monday to pay $55 million to a woman who said that using the company's talc-powder products for feminine hygiene caused her to develop ovarian cancer. The verdict, which J&J plans to appeal, was the second straight trial loss for the company, which is facing about 1,200 lawsuits accusing it of not adequately warning consumers about its talc-based products' cancer risks.
Flu strikes fewer infants when pregnant women get vaccinated
Infants have a much lower risk of getting influenza when their mothers are vaccinated against the virus during pregnancy, a U.S. study confirms. Doctors recommend flu vaccinations for pregnant women because the virus is linked to complications like preterm births, and because it helps protect babies from catching the flu before they're able to get vaccinated at six months of age.
U.S.-funded abstinence programs not working in Africa
The U.S. funds abstinence and faithfulness education in sub-Saharan Africa to prevent HIV transmission, but a new study suggests the investment doesn't lead to less risky sexual behaviors in that area. When researchers looked at the number of sexual partners in the past year, age at first sexual intercourse and teenage pregnancy, there were no differences between countries that did or did not receive the funding.
New drugs fuel strong Pfizer results; company raises 2016 forecasts
Pfizer Inc, which last month abandoned its $160 billion quest for Allergan Inc, reported quarterly results that blew past analyst estimates on sales of its new cancer and arthritis treatments and the acquisition last year of hospital products company Hospira. The largest U.S. drugmaker also raised its revenue and earnings forecast for the year, helped in part by the weakening dollar. Shares of the company rose 2.4 percent in morning trading on Tuesday.
Polluted air may up risk of many cancers
For elderly people in Hong Kong, long term exposure to fine-particle air pollution is tied to an increased risk of dying from many cancers, including breast, liver and pancreatic cancer, in addition to the expected lung cancer risk, according to a new study. "We assumed a number of sites would be affected, but outside of the expected lung and upper GI cancers, we were unsure which cancers would show an association, so this really helps highlight the breadth of involvement of particulates in the development of cancer," said co-lead author G. Neil Thomas, from the Institute of Applied Health of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at The University of Birmingham in the UK.
Heavy drinking may make it harder to quit smoking
(Reuters Health) - Alcohol-dependent people quickly process nicotine in their bodies and that may make it more difficult to quit smoking, suggests a small study of Polish men. "We didn't measure what was happening when people were drinking, but after they stopped, their elevated rate of nicotine metabolism slowly subsided," said lead author Noah R. Gubner of the Center for tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
U.S. kills 39,000 turkeys in outbreak of mild bird flu - OIE
U.S. authorities destroyed 39,000 turkeys in Missouri due to an outbreak of a mild form of avian flu, the World Organization for Animal Health said on Tuesday, as officials remained on alert for new cases. State authorities also have begun a quarantine and taken surveillance measures around the farm in Jasper County that was hit with the H5N1 strain of the virus to watch for other cases, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. All commercial flocks within a 10-kilometer radius of the farm have tested negative, the department said.
U.S. prosecutors consider more charges against ex-CEO Shkreli
Former drug executive Martin Shkreli, who last year became a lightning rod for outrage over soaring prescription drug prices, may face additional U.S. charges of securities fraud, a federal prosecutor said on Tuesday. More charges related to Shkreli's involvement with biopharmaceutical company Retrophin Inc could be filed within a month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Paes said at a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
