Health News Roundup: Cardiac arrest survival, GSK vaccine and lot more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Survival after cardiac arrest may depend on which EMS agency shows up

Whether you survive a cardiac arrest may depend, at least in part, on which emergency medical services agency shows up to treat you, a new study suggests. Researchers found a wide variation in cardiac arrest survival rates depending on which EMS agency provided initial treatment, according to the study published in JAMA Cardiology.

Defibrillator vest fails the test because many heart attack survivors wouldn't wear it

Patients who have just survived a heart attack and consequently have a dangerously-weak heart face a high risk of sudden death. Giving them a wearable defibrillator that can restart their heart doesn't improve their odds, according to the formal findings of a new study of 2,302 volunteers. But the results, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, show that many people given the heart-shocking vest declined to wear it.

GSK vaccine success a milestone in TB, but room for improvement

An experimental GlaxoSmithKline vaccine could prevent tuberculosis developing in half of those who receive it, making it potentially the first new shot against the global killer in a century, researchers said on Tuesday. Given the failure of other candidates in recent years, it marks a milestone in the fight against TB, although the 54 percent efficacy rate achieved in adults in a mid-stage clinical trial is low compared to immunizations for other diseases.

Anti-HIV antibody treatment promising in early experiments

People living with HIV might someday be able to combat the virus with twice-a-year infusions of anti-HIV antibodies instead of daily antiretroviral pills, two preliminary experiments suggest. The studies were extremely small - just seven patients in one, and nine in the other. And they only show that the anti-HIV antibodies have potential, not that they actually work. Larger, longer trials are needed to see whether this new treatment is safe and effective. Even then, it might take years for a new medicine to reach the market.

Breastfeeding might benefit babies by reducing stress

Mothers have long been told that "breast is best" when it comes to feeding newborn babies, but a small experiment suggests at least some of the benefits may have nothing to do with the milk itself. Pediatricians recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed infants until they're at least 6 months old because it can bolster babies' immune systems and reduce their risk of ear and respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome, allergies, obesity and diabetes. While there's plenty of research documenting these benefits, less is known about exactly how breastfeeding might cause these improvements in babies' health, researchers note in Pediatrics.

UK healthcare worker contracts rare monkeypox virus in the third case

A health worker in northern England has become the third person in Britain to contract a rare illness caused by a monkeypox virus after caring for a patient infected with the disease following travel to Nigeria, health officials said on Wednesday. The latest patient had been involved in caring for another case at Blackpool Victoria Hospital before monkeypox was diagnosed, Public Health England said in a statement.

Jailbirds: Thailand considers prison for feeding pigeons

The Thai capital is considering jailing people who feed pigeons in public to try to eliminate the risk of bird flu and other diseases, officials said on Wednesday. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is spearheading a campaign to catch pigeons and has vowed to impose a ban on feeding them - violators could be jailed for up to three months, face a 25,000 baht ($770) fine, or both.

Heavy drinkers and teetotalers alike may have heightened dementia risk

Middle-aged adults who avoid alcohol altogether, and those who consume the equivalent of seven glasses of wine or more a week are both more likely than light drinkers to develop dementia in their later years, a long-term study suggests. With heavy drinking, the increased risk of dementia may be directly caused by nutritional deficits and the toxic effects of alcohol in the brain, and indirectly caused by disorders that are common among heavy drinkers like diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke, said lead study author Severine Sabia of Paris-Saclay University in France and University College London in the UK.

Judicial bypass process for abortion in Texas causes harm, researchers say

The judicial bypass process for abortion in Texas could be used as a form of punishment, allowing officials to humiliate young women for their personal decisions, a small study suggests. While the process was implemented in 2000 in Texas to protect teens from the negative emotional consequences of abortion, it has the potential to cause emotional harm, researchers report in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

U.S.-Cuban biotech venture created to bring new cancer therapies to the USA

U.S. and Cuban research institutes said on Wednesday they were creating the first joint U.S.-Cuban biotech venture to be headquartered on the Communist-run island to bring new cancer therapies to U.S. patients. The Innovative Immunotherapy Alliance SA is the fruit of a three-year partnership between the Roswell Park Cancer Institute of Buffalo, New York and Cuba's Center for Molecular Immunology begun following the historic 2014 U.S.-Cuban detente.