Health News Roundup: Patients don't care about provider religious ties; Pregnant women can reduce their blood clot risk and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Patients don't care about provider religious ties, expect all needed care

Nearly three-quarters of Americans don't care about the religious affiliation of their hospital or healthcare network, but an equal number say they expect their healthcare preferences to take priority over the facility's religious doctrine, a new study finds. The survey comes at a time when the number of Catholic-owned healthcare systems is on the rise, researchers note. And, perhaps unknown to many patients, physicians at those facilities are expected to follow the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services," which places limits on reproductive and end-of-life care methods.

Pregnant women can reduce their blood clot risk on flights

Pregnant air travelers face a higher risk of blood clots, but they can reduce their risks by walking airplane aisles, drinking water and doing calf exercises, according to a new review. For women with additional risk, doctors may recommend compression stockings and injectable blood thinners while traveling, the authors write in the Journal of Travel Medicine.

China regulator approves imports of J&J's Tremfya

China has approved imports of Johnson & Johnson's Tremfya (guselkumab), the National Medical Products Administration said in a notice on Friday. The drug will be used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are suitable for systemic therapy, the administration said.

China's top pig producing region vows to return to normal levels in 2020

China's top pig producer Sichuan province pledged to produce 60 million hogs in 2020, around levels in previous years, state media reported on Friday, after a deadly pig disease decimated the country's massive pig herd. China's pig herd is more than 40% smaller than a year ago, after African swine fever swept through the country since it was first detected in August last year.

Cannabis use rising faster among depressed Americans

Regular cannabis use has risen more quickly among people with depression, and they're less likely to perceive it as risky, compared with people who aren't depressed, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data collected from a total of almost 729,000 people aged 12 years and older between 2005 and 2017, including any prior-month cannabis use and any depression experienced over the previous year.

Almost 10 million in U.S. have faced sexual violence at work

Almost 1 in 18 women and 1 in 40 men have experienced sexual harassment in and related to the workplace, according to a U.S. study. That represents almost 7 million women and 3 million men who have reported assault, unwanted sexual contact or verbal harassment by a boss, supervisor, coworker, customer or client, the study authors report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Antibiotics maker Melinta files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Melinta Therapeutics Inc said on Friday it had filed for bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest casualty of a persistent cash burn in the antibiotic industry. The drugmaker, which has four antibiotics on the market, warned that it was running out of cash last month.

U.S. hospitals less capable of providing acute care to kids

Hospitals are transferring more and more seriously ill and injured kids to other facilities instead of admitting them, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data representing 205 million emergency room visits by kids under 15 at 3,020 hospitals nationwide between 2008 and 2016. At the start of the study, 6% of children who were too seriously ill or injured to be discharged from the emergency room were admitted to the hospital where they initially arrived for care; by the end, only 2% of these kids were admitted.