Health News Roundup: U.S. scientists join effort to solve mysterious vaping-related illnesses; Warm freshwater can harbor dangerous parasite

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. scientists join effort to solve mysterious vaping-related illnesses

The U.S. investigation into hundreds of cases of life-threatening lung illnesses related to vaping has turned up a curious abnormality: Many of the victims had pockets of oil clogging up cells responsible for removing impurities in the lungs. Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, who has been leading the inquiry at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, wants to know where that oil came from. The answer will help explain whether these cells play a key role in the vaping-related outbreak that has killed seven people and sickened 530 so far.

Warm freshwater can harbor dangerous parasite

People who swim in warm freshwater lakes, ponds and hot springs should do their best to avoid getting water up their nose because it could transmit a deadly parasite, a U.S. case report suggests. Typically, the infection occurs when water enters the nose, and the ameba migrates from the nose to the brain. It destroys brain tissue and causes brain swelling, quickly advancing from symptoms to death.

Abortion front and center as new U.S. Supreme Court term nears

With new abortion cases on a fast track to the U.S. Supreme Court, the nine justices will get an opportunity within weeks to take up legal fights over Republican-backed laws that could lead to rulings curbing a woman's ability to obtain the procedure. The big question is not so much whether the court, with its 5-4 conservative majority that includes two justices appointed by President Donald Trump, will take up an appeal that could permit new restrictions on abortion rights, but when it will do so, according to legal experts.

BAT says none of its e-cigs linked to U.S. vaping illnesses as far as it knows

British American Tobacco Plc, the maker of Vype and Vuse e-cigarettes, said as far as it knows, none of its products were involved in recent cases of vaping-related illnesses in the United States. U.S. health officials on Thursday said there were now 530 confirmed and probable cases and seven deaths from severe lung-related illnesses tied to vaping, up from just 380 cases reported a week earlier.

FDA approves oral diabetes drug from Novo Nordisk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved an oral version of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug semaglutide, a boost for the Danish drugmaker which hopes to transform the market by offering patients a non-injectable treatment. The world's biggest producer of diabetes drugs already sells an injectable once-weekly version of semaglutide under the brand name Ozempic at nearly $800 per month.

Trump signs order aimed at development of better flu vaccines

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at spurring the development of better vaccines to protect against seasonal influenza as well as a potential pandemic flu outbreak. The order does not allocate additional funding for now, but calls for an evaluation of current flu vaccine manufacturing abilities and a task force report including cost estimates, administration officials said on a call with reporters.

U.S. senators urge FDA to remove pod, cartridge-based e-cigarettes from market

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Friday urged federal regulators to immediately remove all pod and cartridge-based e-cigarettes from the market until it can be proven the products are safe. In a letter to Ned Sharpless, acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Senators Dick Durbin, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Merkley and Richard Blumenthal cited recent reports of 530 cases of vaping-related lung disease, as well as eight deaths, in asking for the ban.

Obesity, drinking and unhealthy diet add to gout risk

(Reuters Health) - Behavior changes could potentially reduce a large part of the risk for developing gout, a U.S. study suggests. Based on data from more than 14,000 people, researchers calculated how much factors like being overweight, following a diet that isn't heart-healthy, drinking alcohol or taking water pills known as diuretics contribute to high levels of uric acid, known as hyperuricemia, which is a precursor to gout.

Walmart to stop sales of e-cigarettes in U.S. stores: company memo

Walmart Inc told staff on Friday it will stop selling e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery products at its U.S. stores, amid a growing crackdown on surging teenage use of such products, reports of vaping-related lung disease and some deaths. In an internal memo seen by Reuters, the retailer said growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty were behind its decision.

FDA proposes rule over record-keeping for vape makers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued a proposed rule for e-cigarette makers, requiring them to maintain records related to the legal marketing status of their products. When finalized, the rule would also help to ensure that e-cigarette applications by manufacturers contain information on the product's potential public health benefits and harms, the FDA said.

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