Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,
compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Ground Beef-Related Salmonella Outbreak Over:
CDC
A salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef bought at Maine-based
Hannaford Supermarkets appears to be over, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The outbreak affected 20 people in 7 states: 6 each in New Hampshire
and New York; 4 in Maine; and one each in Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts
and Vermont.
The outbreak was investigated by local, state and federal public health
and regulatory agencies.
While this particular outbreak is over, salmonella remains an important
cause of human illness in the U.S. and consumers need to take measures to
reduce their risk of infection, the CDC said.
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ALS Researcher Dies of Disease He
Studied
A renowned American researcher who spent nearly two decades trying to
find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease died Friday of the degenerative
neuromuscular disease.
Dr. Richard Olney, 64, spent 8 years fighting the disease, also known
as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the Associated Press
reported.
In 1993, Olney created the ALS Center at the University of California
to seek treatments for the disease, which causes a gradual loss of muscle
control. The center currently serves 375 patients. Olney resigned from the
center in 2004 to look after his own health.
About 30,000 people in the U.S. have ALS and 10,000 new cases of the
disease are diagnosed every year, the AP reported.
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Breast Cancer Charity Severs Ties With Planned
Parenthood
Partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates in the United States
have been terminated by the nation’s leading breast cancer charity.
The decision by Susan G. Komen for the Cure means that Planned
Parenthood will no longer receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in
grants, mainly for breast exams, the Associated Press reported.
Pressure from anti-abortion groups is the reason for the move,
according to Planned Parenthood. The group said it received about $680,000
in Komen grants last year and $580,000 the previous year.
Komen said the main reason for its decision is that Planned Parenthood
is being investigated by Congress. The probe was launched by a
conservative Republican at the urging of anti-abortion groups, the
AP reported.
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Study Identifies New Location for Brain Speech
Center
Speech processing is located in a different area of the brain than has
long been believed, according to a new study.
Since the late 1800s, it’s been thought that speech was processed in at
the back of the cerebral cortex, behind the auditory cortex which receives
sound, Agence France-Presse reported.
But American scientists who reviewed more than 100 brain imaging
studies say the speech processing center is actually three centimeters
closer to the front of the brain, and is in front of the auditory
cortex.
“Textbooks will now have to be rewritten,” said study lead author Josef
Rauschecker, a professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical
Center, AFP reported.
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
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Indoor Tanning Salons Lie About Health Risks:
Investigation
Most indoor tanning salons do not tell customers the truth about
potential health risks, says a U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee
investigative report.
Posing as fair-skinned 16-year-old girls, investigators contacted 300
indoor tanning salons across the nation. Ninety percent of the salons told
the callers that indoor tanning did not pose health risks, ABC News
reported.
More than half of the salons denied that indoor tanning increased the
risk of skin cancer and more than three-quarters said indoor tanning
actually benefits the health of teen girls.
The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the investigation.
“The potential effect of this report is huge,” Dr. Suzanne Connolly,
vice president of the AAD, told ABC News. “We must grab the
attention of our population and educate them. It’s a big opportunity for
improving health by reducing risk through education.”
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