Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Epidemic group invests $34 million in potential vaccine printer tech

A coalition seeking to get ahead of the next pandemic has agreed a $34 million deal with German biotech CureVac to develop vaccine "printing" technology that aims to rapidly produce shots against multiple diseases. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)said its backing will help CureVac's work on a prototype of its RNA Printer product - a transportable, automated printing facility for types of a molecule known as messenger RNA. World's smallest baby boy goes home from Japan hospital

A baby boy weighing just 268 grams (9.45 oz) at birth was sent home after months in a Tokyo hospital, the smallest surviving male baby in the world, Keio University hospital said. The boy was born through Caesarean-section last August after he failed to gain weight during the pregnancy and doctors feared his life was in danger. Mindfulness-based stress reduction may help ease chronic pain

People with chronic pain may experience as much of a decline in symptoms with mindfulness-based stress-reduction training as they do with cognitive behavioral therapy, a small research review suggests. Mindfulness interventions are typically designed to help patients learn meditation techniques they can use at home to cultivate awareness of the present moment during ordinary daily activities such as driving or eating. Therapy often incorporates breathing exercises and practices such as yoga to help encourage body awareness and focus on the present. AstraZeneca's Lynparza meets main goal in late-stage pancreatic cancer study

British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc said on Tuesday its cancer drug being jointly developed with U.S.-based Merck & Co met the primary goal in a late-stage study for a rare type of pancreatic cancer. The study showed that Lynparza was successful as a first-line maintenance treatment for adults with a form of genetically-mutated pancreatic cancer called germline BRCA -mutated metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Certain parenting behaviors may tune baby brains to angry tones

Parents who are very controlling when interacting with their infants may increase the likelihood that their babies tune in to angry voices, a new study shows. When babies heard recordings of angry voices, an area of the brain involved in processing emotional vocalizations responded more sharply in infants with mothers and fathers who practiced more "directive" parenting, according to the study published in PLoS ONE. U.S. senators tell drug company executives pricing is 'morally repugnant'

U.S. senators called drug pricing practices "morally repugnant" and told drug company executives they do not want to hear them blame others for the high prices, taking an aggressive stance at a Senate hearing on the rising costs of prescription medicines. Senators took aim in particular at Abbvie Inc Chief Executive Richard Gonzalez and his company's rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira - the world's top-selling prescription medicine. China moves to halt swine fever with hog industry overhaul

China plans to divide its hog industry into five zones in an attempt to halt the spread of African swine fever across the world's top pork producer and guarantee supplies. Beijing has reported more than 100 outbreaks of the disease, which is fatal to pigs but not harmful to people, in 28 provinces and regions since last August, causing turmoil in the $1 trillion industry and related sectors. Diabetes tied to risk for more advanced, aggressive breast cancer

Women with diabetes are more likely than those without the disease to be diagnosed with a more advanced and difficult to treat form of breast cancer, a Dutch study suggests. The researchers examined data on 6,267 women diagnosed with breast cancer from 2002 to 2014, including 1,567 patients with type 2 diabetes. U.S. House Democrats introduce sweeping 'Medicare for All' bill

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled an ambitious proposal on Tuesday to move all Americans into the government's Medicare health insurance program, tapping into public frustration over the rising cost of healthcare that has become a key issue for the party as it seeks to gain control of Congress and the White House in 2020. The bill, unveiled by Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington state, would transition the U.S. healthcare system to a single-payer "Medicare for All" program funded by the government in two years. The legislation is the party's most high-profile and ambitious single-payer proposal in the new Congress and has more than 100 co-sponsors, many from the party's progressive flank. Congo Ebola center in flames after another armed attack

Armed assailants attacked an Ebola center in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, setting off a fire and becoming embroiled in an extended gunbattle with security forces that has yet to end, the local mayer said. The identity and motive of the assailants were unclear. Aid workers have faced mistrust fueled by widespread rumors in some areas as they work to contain the Ebola outbreak.