Health News Roundup: U.S. recorded eight new cases of measles last week; Social stress tied to lower bone density after menopause

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Russia reports ASF outbreak near its border with China

An outbreak African Swine Fever (ASF) has been detected at a small farm in Russia's Primorsk region near its border with China, Russia's agriculture safety watchdog said on Monday. The ASF virus is a highly contagious fever among pigs, but it is not dangerous to humans.

Drug industry urges Canada to act early on U.S. import plan

Canada's main pharmaceutical lobby group has urged the government not to wait for drug shortages before responding to U.S. plans to import Canadian drugs, according to documents seen by Reuters. The talking points were prepared last month by Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) for its staff and member companies, before the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it would allow U.S. states and other groups to start pilot programs importing cheap drugs from Canada in an effort to lower drug costs.

Epilepsy patients may live longer with specialist care

People with epilepsy who receive care from specialists may be less likely to die prematurely than their counterparts who don't, a Canadian study suggests. For the study, researchers followed 23,663 adults with epilepsy for an average of 7.5 years. Overall, the mortality rate during the study was 7.2% - but it ranged from a low of 2.8% for patients seen by neurologists specializing in epilepsy, to 5.6% for patients who saw general neurologists, to a high of 9.4% for people who didn't see neurologists all.

Roche says test showed Tecentriq helped vs bladder cancer

Roche Holding said its Tecentriq drug combined with platinum-based chemotherapy reduced the risk of the disease worsening or death in patients with advanced bladder cancer, the Swiss pharma company said on Monday. Tecentriq was the first cancer immunotherapy approved in bladder cancer, with Roche now evaluating the treatment in combination with other medicines for early and advanced forms of the disease.

Social stress tied to lower bone density after menopause

Older women who are under a lot of social strain may be more likely to develop brittle, fracture-prone bones after menopause than their counterparts with worry-free lives, a recent study suggests. Researchers followed 11,020 postmenopausal women over six years, giving them periodic bone mineral density (BMD) tests and mood assessments. Participants rated their level of social strain, or negative interactions or relationships; their social support, or positive relationships; and social functioning, or limitations in social activity.

U.S. recorded eight new cases of measles last week

The United States recorded eight new measles cases last week, taking the total for the year to 1,172 in the worst outbreak since 1992, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had recorded cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease in 30 states as of Aug. 1.

Nobio gets FDA approval for anti-bacterial dental fillings

Israel's Nobio Ltd said on Monday it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its anti-bacterial composite designed to remain in the teeth for decades. Nobio said it will now gain access to the $1.4 billion global dental materials market. According to iData Research, direct restoratives, or fillings, account for over a third of the market.

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