Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Venezuela crisis could spark surge in infectious diseases: study

A humanitarian crisis in Venezuela is accelerating the re-emergence of malaria, Chagas disease, dengue, Zika and other dangerous infectious diseases and threatens to jeopardize 20 years of public health gains, experts warned on Thursday. In a review published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, researchers said the worsening epidemics could spread beyond Venezuela's borders, potentially causing a regional public health emergency. U.S. FDA proposes new regulations for over-the-counter sunscreens

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday two of the 16 currently used main chemical ingredients in over-the-counter sunscreen products are considered safe, as part of a proposal https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm631736.htm aimed at improving the safety and quality of sunscreen products sold without prescription in the United States. The agency named two ingredients — PABA and trolamine salicylate — as not permitted for use in non-prescription sunscreen products, adding that it is asking the industry for additional data on 12 other ingredients. Pharmacist follow-up calls could help curb repeat hospitalizations

Patients sent home from the hospital and taking multiple prescription drugs may be less likely to have repeat hospitalizations when they receive follow-up calls from a pharmacist, a small experiment suggests. Telephone outreach from pharmacists has long been linked to higher odds that patients will take all of their medicines as prescribed, researchers note in The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. But research to date hasn't provided a clear picture of whether there could be additional benefits like reducing complications that send recently discharged patients back to the hospital. U.S., Canada, Mexico work to prevent swine fever reaching region

The United States, Canada and Mexico are coordinating efforts to prevent the arrival of a highly contagious swine disease that has swept through China's hog herd and parts of Europe, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Thursday. The disease, African swine fever, can cause death for hogs in just two days. China, home to the world's largest hog herd, has reported more than 100 cases of the disease in 27 provinces and regions since last August. Efforts to contain the fever have disrupted Chinese pork supplies. One in four pre-teen suicides may be LGBT youth

Youth 12 to 14 years old who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) are much more likely to die by suicide than their heterosexual peers, a disparity that persists but becomes less pronounced by early adulthood, a U.S. study suggests. While 24 percent of the suicide deaths in the 12 to 14 age group were among LGBT youth in 2013-2015, this dropped to 8 percent of suicides among young adults 25 to 29 years old, researchers report in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals defends $375,000 drug price after Bernie Sanders rebuke

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc, rebuked by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for its high drug prices, on Thursday defended its $375,000 treatment for a rare disease, saying the price was in line with similar products in the industry. Sanders, a vocal critic of high drug prices, had written to Florida-based Catalyst earlier this month, asking it to justify its price for Firdapse, a medication for a rare neuromuscular disease that affects about one in 100,000 people in the United States. China reports new African swine fever outbreak in Yunnan province

China has confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever in Yunnan province, authorities said on Thursday, as the highly contagious disease spreads through the world's largest hog herd. The outbreak in Lushui city killed two animals on a farm of 300 pigs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement on its website. Whole grains might help ward off liver cancer

Yet another benefit of eating a diet containing high amounts of whole grains may be a reduced risk of liver cancer, a new U.S. study suggests. The analysis of data on more than 125,000 men and women followed for an average of 24 years found that those who ate the most whole grains had nearly 40 percent lower odds of developing liver cancer compared to those who ate the least. Johnson & Johnson receives federal subpoenas related to baby powder litigation

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it has received subpoenas from the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to litigation involving alleged asbestos contamination in its signature Baby Powder product line. The company said it intends to "cooperate fully with these inquiries and will continue to defend the Company in the talc-related litigation." Flu season may play a role in kidney failure deaths

When influenza-like illnesses spread in the community, death rates go up for patients on dialysis, a new study shows. In an average year, severe respiratory infections likely contribute to more than a thousand deaths among people with end-stage kidney failure in the U.S., the authors estimate.