Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. U.S. FDA chief tough on e-cigarettes steps down abruptly

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Tuesday that he plans to step down next month, a sudden resignation that calls into question how the agency will handle issues such as surging e-cigarette use among teens and efforts to increase competition in prescription drugs. Gottlieb was well regarded by public health advocates and won bipartisan support for his efforts to curb use of flavored e-cigarettes by youths, speed approval times for cheap generic medicines to increase competition and bring down drug prices, and boost the use of cheaper versions of expensive biotech medicines called biosimilars. Knee surgery for torn cartilage may not be worthwhile

Many middle-aged and older adults with torn cartilage and pain in their knee are not likely to benefit from so-called arthroscopic surgery, a review of past studies suggests. Researchers analyzed 10 previous clinical trials that randomly offered some patients knee surgery and others nonsurgical options including exercise or medication. Overall, knee surgery was no better than these alternatives for improving physical function, and resulted in only a small reduction in pain. EU food agency must release glyphosate studies: court

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) must disclose details of studies on the toxicity and carcinogenic properties of glyphosate, EU judges ruled on Thursday, cheering campaigners who want the weedkiller banned. In a statement, the European Court of Justice's General Court said the public interest in accessing the information related not only to knowing what is or could be released into the environment, but to understanding the impact of those emissions. WHO chief unveils reforms, with more science, apps and an academy

The World Health Organization unveiled a landmark reform on Wednesday that targets billions of people around the globe and puts a stress on primary care for all rather than "moonshot" projects like eradicating diseases. The reform firmly reshapes the Geneva-based U.N. health agency with the manifesto of its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian who is the first African in the job. He was elected in 2017 promising to focus on "universal health coverage" (UHC). Battle against Ebola being lost amid militarized response, MSF says

The battle against Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo is failing because ordinary people do not trust health workers and an overly militarized response is alienating patients and families, the medical charity MSF said on Thursday. Last week Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) suspended medical activities at the focal point of the epidemic after two of its facilities were torched by unidentified assailants. Long-term obesity tied to higher dementia risk in healthy older adults

Healthy older adults who have been obese for years may be at higher risk of developing dementia than their peers who aren't overweight, research from the UK suggests. The study team followed two groups of dementia-free adults aged 65 to 74 years for up to 15 years. One group, considered healthy, included 257,523 non-smokers who didn't have cancer, heart failure or multiple chronic health problems; another group of 161,927 adults, deemed unhealthy, did smoke or have serious chronic medical issues. World's second man cleared of AIDS virus invigorates quest for cure

Scientific investigation into the world's second man cleared of the AIDS virus is zooming in on a gene and a treatment side-effect, as newly-enthused researchers strive to find a cure for the disease that has killed millions. Known as the "London Patient", the man had HIV and a type of blood cancer called Hodgkin's lymphoma. He responded successfully to a bone marrow transplant from a donor with rare genetic resistance to HIV infection. Beer first or wine, either way might not be fine

The old adage that drinking beer before wine prevents hangovers turns out to be a myth, German researchers say. In a formal study, they found the order in which one consumes alcohol is irrelevant to how one feels the morning after. U.S. bolsters 'Beagle Brigade' to sniff out deadly hog virus

The U.S. government will employ more dogs to sniff out illegal pork products at airports and seaports in an effort to keep out a contagious hog disease that has spread across Asia and Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The disease, African swine fever, can kill hogs in just two days, but is not harmful to people. China, home to the world's largest hog herd, has reported more than 100 cases of the disease in 27 provinces and regions since August. Efforts to contain the fever have disrupted Chinese pork supplies. Seniors increasingly breaking bones while walking dogs

Older adults who walk their dogs on a leash have been breaking bones at an increasing rate, with women and hip bones most at risk, researchers say. The study, which used information from a U.S. database of emergency room patients, found that cases of fractures in dog walkers over age 65 more than doubled from 2004 to 2017.