Health News Roundup: Weightlifting better at reducing heart fat; Swine fever in China among risks to food markets

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Swine fever in China among risks to food markets - FAO/OECD

The spread of a deadly pig disease in China that has disrupted the world's biggest pork market is one of the major risks to a well-supplied global agricultural sector, the FAO and OECD said on Monday. African swine fever was highlighted in the FAO and OECD's annual agricultural outlook for 2019-2028, which forecast broadly stable agricultural markets in the coming decade as productivity gains help output to keep pace with rising demand for food, livestock feed and crop-based biofuels.

CannTrust slumps after Health Canada finds unlicensed pot cultivation

CannTrust Holdings Inc's shares plunged 22% to a more than one-and-half-year low on Monday, after Health Canada found that the weed producer grew cannabis in unlicensed rooms and restricted the company from clearing its inventory. Health Canada found the company was growing cannabis in five unlicensed rooms between October 2018 and March 2019 and inaccurate information was provided to the agency by CannTrust's employees.

Bayer seeks approval to treat children with blockbuster drug Xarelto

Bayer will apply for approval to make its blockbuster blood thinner Xarelto available for treating children, the German company said on Monday, after a study showed strong efficacy and safety in children with thromboembolism. The results of the phase III study were similar to those seen in previous studies with adults, the German company said in a statement.

U.S. health officials record 14 new cases of measles as outbreak slows

The United States recorded 14 new measles cases between June 27 and July 3, federal health officials said on Monday, signaling a slowdown in the spread of the disease that has infected 1,109 people this year in the worst U.S. outbreak since 1992. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it had seen a 1.3% increase in cases since the previous week and that it has recorded cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease in 28 states.

Intra-Cellular drug fails bipolar depression study; shares fall 14%

Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc said on Monday its lead drug failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage study in patients with major depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder. The company's shares fell 14% before the opening bell.

Juror urges U.S. judge to uphold $80 million Roundup verdict against Bayer

A juror who was part of a panel that delivered an $80 million award against Bayer AG after finding that its glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup caused a man's cancer has urged the presiding judge to uphold the decision. A letter from the juror written on July 4 was posted to the court docket on Monday as part of legal filings by Bayer. The company accused the juror of bias and called on the judge to disregard the letter in his decision making.

Weightlifting better at reducing heart fat than aerobic exercise

Obese people who engaged in resistance training were more likely to see reductions in a type of heart fat that has been linked to cardiovascular disease, a new study finds. In the small study, researchers determined that a certain type of heart fat, pericardial adipose tissue, was reduced in patients who did weight lifting, but not in those who worked on increasing their endurance with aerobic exercise, according to a report published in JAMA Cardiology. Both forms of exercise resulted in the reduction of a second type of heart fat, epicardial adipose tissue, which has also been linked with heart disease.

Parents talking to kids may blunt negative impact of adversity on schoolwork

Children who suffer adverse experiences tend to do worse in school than kids who don't, but a U.S. study suggests parents may still help improve academic outcomes by simply talking to their kids. Adverse childhood experiences, commonly called ACEs, can include witnessing parents fight or go through a divorce, having a parent with a mental illness or substance abuse problem, or suffering from sexual, physical or emotional abuse. ACEs have been linked to what's known as toxic stress, or wear and tear on the body that leads to physical and mental health problems that often continue from one generation to the next.