All about fatty liver disease, Gene therapy breakthrough, rat fever

U.S. drug prices fell again in the second quarter, likely due to new tactic insurers are using to limit financial assistance drugmakers provide directly to consumers, according to research firm Sector and Sovereign Research (SSR).

Insurance tactic drags down U.S. drug prices in the second quarter: analyst

U.S. drug prices fell again in the second quarter, likely due to new tactic insurers are using to limit financial assistance drugmakers provide directly to consumers, according to research firm Sector and Sovereign Research (SSR). Real U.S. drug prices, including discounts and rebates drugmakers, provide to insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), fell 5.8 percent in the quarter, compared with a 0.7 percent increase a year earlier, SSR analyst Richard Evans said in a research note on Tuesday. That is in line with how far prices fell in the first quarter, he said.

India's flood-hit Kerala state faces shortages of 'rat fever' drug

India's flood-ravaged Kerala state is facing shortages of a drug that fights an infectious bacterial disease after the worst flooding in a century, forcing authorities to turn to other states to help ramp up supplies. Suspected cases of leptospirosis, a waterborne disease is known locally as 'rat fever', has climbed to 800 since mid-August, a health ministry spokesman said. Transmitted via the urine of infected animals, its symptoms include muscle pain and fever.

Severe fatty liver disease boosts the risk for liver cancer

People with advanced cases of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may need to be watched for liver cancer, a large U.S. study suggests. The fatty liver disease is known to be linked with a higher risk of a dangerous liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC. But doctors haven't known whether some patients are more at risk than others.

China reports new African swine fever case as virus spreads

China reported another outbreak of deadly African swine fever late on Monday, its third new case in two days, as the highly contagious disease spreads rapidly through the world's top pork producer. The latest case, the eighth since the virus was first reported in the country a month ago, was found in the city of Wuxi, the agriculture ministry said, two hours drive west of Shanghai in eastern China's Jiangsu province.

Lessons learned about children from war zones and refugee camps

What do children really need? The answers may be found in war zones and refugee camps, a psychiatrist and relief worker suggests. Although being shelled or living in a squalid refugee camp may seem like worst-case scenarios for children, they're not. But they do highlight what's actually most devastating, according to an article published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Chain pharmacies busted selling tobacco to minors

Over the past six years, several U.S. chain pharmacies have been caught numerous times by the Food and Drug Administration selling tobacco products to minors, a new study finds. The biggest offender: Walgreens, according to the report published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Negative memories of gym class may impact adults' lifestyle

Negative childhood experiences in physical education (PE) classes may have long-term effects on adult physical activity, a large study suggests. Researchers conducted an online survey of more than 1,000 adults, ages 18 to 45, across 46 states about their best and worst memories of their PE experiences, as well as their attitude about physical activity now. The 392 male and 636 female respondents were recruited by an internet service for monetary compensation.

Gene therapy breakthrough wins world's largest vision award

Seven scientists in the United States and Britain who have come up with a revolutionary gene therapy cure for a rare genetic form of childhood blindness won a 1 million euro ($1.15 million)prize on Tuesday, Portugal's Champalimaud Foundation said. Established in 2006, the annual award for work related to vision is one of the world's largest science prizes, more than the latest 9 million Swedish crowns ($987,000) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Research needed on family-based stigma against LGBTQ youth

Although family relationships play a crucial role in the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) adolescents, few programs tackle stigma and discrimination within families, in part because of a lack of evidence on what works, researchers say. Studies are "urgently" needed to address this question on the individual, interpersonal and community levels, the authors of a research review write in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Doctors should ask teens about gender identity, experts say

Doctors who treat adolescents should find ways to ask them about their gender identity during office visits, researchers say. These discussions could help doctors know whether youngsters might benefit from gender-affirming medical and psychosocial support, the researchers write in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

(With inputs from Reuters)