Health News Summary:China under-reporting swine fever; Medtech firms get personal with digital twins

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China probably underreporting swine fever: U.S. Agriculture's Perdue

An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China's hogs is probably bigger than what has been reported publicly, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Thursday. "We think that it probably has been underreported in China - the way they're able to control their media about that," Perdue said at Landus Cooperative office in Ames, Iowa.

Yes, cuddles can help ease babies' pain from needle sticks

Babies have long been offered a bit of sugar water or breastmilk to comfort them during needle sticks, and a new study suggests these methods of pain relief may work even better when babies are also nestled in their mothers' arms. Researchers randomly assigned 80 healthy three-day-old infants getting a needle stick in their heel for blood tests to receive one of four types of pain relief: sugar water while they were on a changing table; pumped breast milk while they were on a changing table; sugar water while they were held by their mothers; or breastmilk directly from their mothers.

Bayer's hemophilia A treatment gets U.S. FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Bayer AG's long-acting treatment for hemophilia A, a rare genetic disorder in which blood does not clot easily, the company said in a statement. The injection, marketed under the name Jivi https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bayer-receives-fda-approval-for-jivi-new-hemophilia-a-treatment-with-step-wise-prophylaxis-dosing-regimen-300704579.html, has been approved for previously treated patients and adolescents aged 12 years or older and helps replace the reduced or missing protein, factor VIII, required to form blood clots.

China reports fifth case of African swine fever

African swine fever has infected 185 pigs on a farm in eastern China's Anhui province, the country's fifth case of the deadly disease in less than a month amid growing concerns about the rapid spread of infection in the world's largest hog herd. The outbreak killed 80 of 459 hogs on a farm in Nanling county in Wuhu city, with the remaining 379 culled, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. The farm is 350 km (217 miles) directly west of Shanghai.

FDA approves two new HIV drugs from Merck

Merck & Co Inc said on Thursday the U.S. Food And Drug Administration approved two of its HIV oral drugs, nearly two months ahead of schedule. The drugs have been approved to treat adults with the most common strain of the virus, HIV-1, and target patients who have received no prior antiretroviral treatment, Merck said.

Medtech firms get personal with digital twins

Armed with a mouse and a computer screen instead of a scalpel and operating theater, cardiologist Benjamin Meder carefully places the electrodes of a pacemaker in a beating, digital heart. Using this "digital twin" that mimics the electrical and physical properties of the cells in patient 7497's heart, Meder runs simulations to see if the pacemaker can keep the congestive heart failure sufferer alive - before he has inserted a knife.

Russian trolls fan flames in U.S. vaccine debate

Some of the same Twitter accounts that tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election have sent messages to amplify strong views - both pro and con - about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, a U.S. study suggests. The biggest problem with this is that there shouldn't be a debate at all, said lead study author David Broniatowski, a professor of engineering management and systems engineering at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

AstraZeneca lupus drug fails to meet main goal in study

AstraZeneca's experimental drug anifrolumab failed to meet its main target in a late-stage clinical study treating patients with moderate to severe lupus, the British drugmaker said on Friday. AstraZeneca said the drug did not meet the main goal in the final stage of one of the two clinical trials under the TULIP program, failing to show "statistically significant" reduction in disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as SLE.

Weight gain tied to heart risk in U.S. pro football players

Former U.S. National Football League (NFL) athletes who bulked up before and during their professional careers have an increased risk of heart disease and other health problems compared with other players, researchers say. The study results published in the American Journal of Medicine add to the concerns over the short- and long-term health risks of the game, the authors write.

China's agriculture ministry says containment of African swine fever complex and serious

China's agriculture ministry said prevention and containment of African swine fever are complex and serious, according to a statement released on the ministry's website on Friday. Han Changfu, China's minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, asked local authorities to do everything they can to ensure safe production from animal farming, and secure meat supplies in the country, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)