Health News Roundup: Few US teens get enough fiber; Tests show suspected Swedish Ebola patient not infected

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Johns Hopkins, Bristol-Myers must face $1 billion syphilis infections suit

A federal judge in Maryland said The Johns Hopkins University, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and the Rockefeller Foundation must face a $1 billion lawsuit over their roles in a 1940s U.S. government experiment that infected hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis. In a decision on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang rejected the defendants' argument that a recent Supreme Court decision shielding foreign corporations from lawsuits in U.S. courts over human rights abuses abroad also applied to domestic corporations absent Congressional authorization.

Abbvie to record $4 billion impairment charges on Stemcentrx assets

Abbvie Inc on Friday said https://bit.ly/2F9iUlb it will record an estimated $4 billion in impairment charges related to the scrapping of its development program of Rova-T, an investigational cancer therapy. The drugmaker acquired Rova-T through its $5.8 billion acquisition of Stemcentrx in 2016, as it aimed to enter the broad and lucrative arena of solid tumors and lessen dependence on its blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira.

Few U.S. teens get enough fiber

Most teens eat far less fiber than recommended, and this nutritional deficit may lead to a higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure in the future, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers questioned 754 teens from Augusta, Georgia, about their eating habits on at least four separate occasions. Researchers also tested participants' blood pressure and blood sugar levels and looked for insulin resistance, which happens when the body is less effective at using the hormone insulin to convert sugars in the blood into energy for cells.

Ambulance equipment contaminated with drug-resistant superbug

Ambulance oxygen tanks are likely to carry the "superbug" MRSA, a small U.S. study suggests, pointing to the need for regular disinfection of medical equipment. Researchers tested nine oxygen tanks carried by three ambulances based at an emergency medical services (EMS) station in Alabama. They found MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, on all nine tanks.

High rate of food allergies seen in U.S. adults

More than 10 percent of American adults are allergic to at least one food, a new study suggests. Among more than 40,000 adults surveyed, 10.8 percent reported the kinds of severe symptoms that are consistent with a food allergy, and another 8.2 percent said they believed they had food allergies, but their symptoms suggested other causes, according to the report in JAMA Network Open.

Children's hospitals more likely to give recommended antibiotics for pneumonia

Kids with pneumonia may be more likely to receive recommended antibiotics when they're treated at a children's hospital than when they're seen elsewhere, a U.S. study suggests. While milder cases of pneumonia may clear up without treatment, antibiotics are recommended for more serious cases that can lead to potentially fatal lung infections. Since 2011, U.S. guidelines have recommended so-called narrow spectrum antibiotics - penicillin, amoxicillin, and ampicillin - for kids hospitalized for pneumonia.

Tests show suspected Swedish Ebola patient not infected

Medical tests have shown a patient treated in isolation at Sweden's Uppsala University Hospital for suspected Ebola is not infected with the virus after all, authorities said on Friday. The patient, whose identity was not disclosed, was isolated and transferred to the hospital north of Stockholm after originally being admitted to the emergency ward of the smaller Enkoping hospital.

China warns pig trade against African swine fever cover-ups as Taiwan concerns grow

China has warned the country's pork industry that covering up cases of African swine fever is a crime, days after a dead pig was found on a Taiwanese beach prompting Taipei to claim Beijing was not sharing accurate information on the disease. China's animal husbandry and veterinary affairs bureau is stepping up investigation and punishment of illegal activity in the pig industry, said a statement published on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs website on Friday.

Social media linked to higher risk of depression in teen girls

Teenage girls are twice as likely as boys to show depressive symptoms linked to social media use - mainly due to online harassment and disturbed sleep, as well as poor body image and lower self-esteem, researchers said on Friday. In a study analyzing data from nearly 11,000 young people in Britain, researchers found that 14-year-old girls were heavier users of social media, with two-fifths of them using it for more than three hours a day, compared with a fifth of boys.

U.S. judge limits evidence in trial over Roundup cancer claims

A federal judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Bayer AG's glyphosate-based weed killer causes cancer has issued a ruling that could severely restrict evidence that the plaintiffs consider crucial to their cases. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco in an order on Thursday granted Bayer unit Monsanto's request to split an upcoming trial into two phases. The order initially bars lawyers for plaintiff Edwin Hardeman from introducing evidence that the company allegedly attempted to influence regulators and manipulate public opinion.

(With inputs from agencies.)