Health News Roundup: Occupational pesticide exposure may raise heart risk; U.S. recorded 2 new cases of measles last week

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Fruit fly trial unlocks clues for 'polypill' to beat aging

Scientists who gave fruit flies a triple drug combination treatment and found that it extended their lives by almost 50% say their work offers clues on how to fight aging in people. The researchers said their aim is not to find the secret of eternal life, but to figure out the mechanism of the aging process to find ways to help people stay healthy for longer.

GlaxoSmithKline's cancer therapy cuts risk of disease progression or death by 38%

GlaxoSmithKline plc said on Monday its maintenance therapy for a form of ovarian cancer reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 38% in a late-stage study in cancer patients. The study tested the therapy, niraparib, in patients with first-line platinum responsive advanced ovarian cancer and was compared to placebo.

East Timor moves to contain African swine fever outbreaks

East Timor is imposing restrictions on the movement of livestock to contain African Swine flu, its agriculture ministry said on Monday after reporting multiple outbreaks to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). There have been 100 outbreaks since early September, the ministry said on the website of the Paris-based OIE, killing a total of 405 backyard pigs from smallholders' farms in the Dili region in the country's north.

Occupational pesticide exposure may raise heart risk

On-the-job exposure to high levels of pesticides might raise the risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke, according to a long-term study in Hawaii. Farm and agricultural workers need to wear personal protective equipment and, even after they retire should continue to have their health monitored for cardiovascular complications, the authors conclude in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

FDA issues warning letters to websites selling illegal opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) jointly issued warning letters to four online networks for illegally marketing unapproved and misbranded versions of opioid medicines, the agencies said. The networks which were issued the warning letters on Monday are Divyata, Euphoria Healthcare Pvt Ltd, JCM Dropship and Meds4U, which operate a total of 10 websites.

Books may foster bonding better than tablets when parents read to toddlers

Toddlers appear to be much more engaged with their parents when stories are read to them from books rather than digital tablets, a new study finds. Researchers found that instead of having the enjoyable back and forth that occurred when stories were read from a book, toddlers and parents were likely to wrestle for control of a tablet, according to the study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

AstraZeneca strengthens Lynparza push with prostate cancer data

AstraZeneca presented results on Monday for a trial of its Lynparza drug against prostate cancer, which it hopes could lead to wider regulatory approval for the treatment for use against more forms of the disease. The British drugmaker, together with development partner Merck & Co, said Lynparza was shown to delay disease progression in an aggressive and difficult-to-treat type of prostate cancer by a median 3.8 months in the group most sensitive to the treatment.

Factbox: Vaping-related illness causes 12 U.S. deaths - CDC

U.S. health officials are investigating a mysterious vaping-related respiratory illness that has so far caused 12 deaths and sickened 805 people. In its latest recommendation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged people to not use e-cigarettes with marijuana ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as latest data suggests that the high-inducing component may play a role in causing the illness.

U.S. recorded 2 new cases of measles last week

The United States recorded two new measles cases last week, taking the total cases for the year to 1,243 in the worst outbreak since 1992, federal health officials said on Monday. As of Sept. 26, the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease has been reported in 31 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. V

ape product concerns weigh on Canadian cannabis companies looking for sales boost

A U.S. recommendation that consumers avoid vaping products containing the active ingredient in marijuana ahead of their legalization in Canada next month could be a blow to Canadian cannabis companies' hopes that the higher-margin products will help propel them to profitability. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that an investigation into 805 confirmed or probable cases of vaping-related respiratory illnesses suggested that products containing THC, the psychoactive element in cannabis, likely played a role.

Also Read: Scientists prepare for year-long expedition to Arctic center