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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