Mouse Study: Alzheimer's May Be Infectious, Transmissible.
MSNBC /MyHealthNewsDaily (10/5) reports that, according to a mouse study  published online Oct. 4 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, "Alzheimer's disease may in fact be the result of an infection, and may even be transmissible."  After injecting mice "with humanbrain tissue from Alzheimer's patients," researchers found that the rodents "developed brain damage characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, and over time, the damage spread throughout their brains, the researchers said."  Mice injected with tissue from a person without the disease did not develop Alzheimer's.
       The CBS News  (10/5, Freeman) "Health Pop" blog quotes a written statement from study author Claudio Soto, professor of neurology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.  Soto stated, "Our findings open the possibility that some of the sporadic Alzheimer's cases may arise from an infectious process, which occurs with other neurological diseases such as mad cow and its human form, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)." CJD "is a so-called 'prion' disease -- meaning it is caused by misshapen protein molecules scientists call prions.  Prions slowly destroy the brain tissue of infected people by causing a cascade of misshapen proteins."
       Fox News (10/5) explains, "The underlying mechanism of Alzheimer's is very similar to" CJD in that "it involves a normal protein that becomes misshapen and is able to spread by transforming good proteins into bad ones."  These "bad proteins accumulate in the brain and form plaque deposits that are believed to kill neuron cells."

Orexin May Activate Brown Fat To Burn Calories.
The Los Angeles Times  (10/5, Stein) "Booster Shots" blog reports that a brain hormone called orexin appears to activate "brown fat to burn calories," according to a study  published in the journal Cell Metabolism.  Working with mice genetically engineered to bemissing orexin, researchers "found that fat cells didn't develop properly when the mice were embryos.  That defect caused a lifelong predisposition to gain weight."  The study "supports the theory that obesity can have its roots in the fetal environment and raises the stakes on understanding prenatal brown fat development."
       "Orexin deficiency is associated with obesity, suggesting that orexin supplementation could provide a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders," the UK's Daily Mail  (10/5, Bates) points out.  "An orexin-based therapy would represent a new class of fat-fighting drugs -- one that focuses on peripheral fat-burning tissue rather than the brain's appetite control centre."

Death Toll In Cantaloupe-Linked Listeria Outbreak Hits 18, 100 Illnesses Confirmed.
The AP  (10/5, Jalonick) reports that federal health officials "have raised the death toll to 18 in an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it has confirmed 100 illnesses in 20 states, including the 18 deaths. The agency said it has confirmed two additional deaths in Colorado and one in Kansas since last week." The death toll is almost certain to rise, as listeria-linkedoutbreaks can have incubation periods approaching two months.
       The Los Angeles Times  (10/5) notes that it is "the nation's deadliest food-borne outbreak in more than a decade," and the Jensen Farms in Colorado "recalled its cantaloupes on Sept. 14 after the melons were found to have been contaminated by four strains of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria." MSNBC (10/5, Aleccia) adds that in the outbreak, "most of those who became ill are older than 60, with an average age of 79. Of 93 people for whom information is available, 91 were hospitalized."
       Bloomberg News (10/5, Flinn) notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its most recent update assures consumers that cantaloupes known not to have originated at the Jensen Farm in Colorado "are safe to eat."
       USA Today (10/5, Weise) reports that FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg "said Tuesday that her agency is investigating the cause of the outbreak. The FDA and CDC have had teams in Jensen Farms fields and packing sheds, testing the soil, water and surfaces for clues. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals."
       The Washington Times  (10/5, Richardson) reports that for the residents of Rocky Ford, Colorado, the outbreak at Jensen Farms, nearly 100 miles to the east, "delivered a body blow to Rocky Ford's reputation for top-notch melon and its small but scrappy farming culture."

Physicians Defend Circumcision As Protective Against Infections.
The Los Angeles Times  (10/5, Kaplan) "Booster Shots" blog reports that two physicians from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University are defending the practice of circumcision.  In their commentary  appearing in the Oct. 5 issue of theJournal of the American Medical Association, Aaron Tobian, MD, PhD, and Ronald Gray, MD, MSc, contend, "If a vaccine were available that reduced HIV risk by 60%, genital herpes risk by 30%, and HR-HPV [high-risk human papillomavirus] by 35%, the medical community would rally behind the immunization and it would be promoted as a game-changing public health intervention."  The blog adds, "Those are just some of the proven benefits of circumcision, and if parents would like their sons to have them, 'it would be ethically questionable to deprive them of this choice,' they write."

Physicians Urge Supercommittee To Limit Malpractice Suits, Nix IPAB.
The "Healthwatch" blog of The Hill  (10/5, Baker) reports, "The American Medical Association and 98 other medical groups signed letters" to the congressional supercommittee to reduce the federal deficit "urging it to adopt tort reform as part of its effort to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the nation's deficit."  The letters argue that "limits on malpractice suits could save the government more than $62 billion over 10 years." While President Obama "previously entertained proposals to limit lawsuits by protecting doctors who adhere to a set of standardized best practices," the "physicians want a firm cap on non-economic damages in tort suits."  In a statement, AMA President Peter Carmel said, "Reforming the costly and inefficient medical liability system with proven solutions will save taxpayers money."
       CQ (10/5, Norman, Subscription Publication) reports, "The doctors asked for a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages, language that would ban new causes of action against doctors based on standards in the health care law, liability protection for providers who provide emergency care, and more."  Additionally, specialist physicians requested a repeal of "the health overhaul's provision establishing the Independent Payment AdvisoryBoard, which will make decisions on cutting Medicare reimbursements."

Supreme Court May Wait Until After Election To Rule On Healthcare Reform.
Politico  (10/5, Feder) reports a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of healthcare reform could "have a lasting impact on the reputation of the court," which court experts say could affect the Justices and "steer them away from an election-year ruling."  Besides seeking to not affect, or be seen as affecting, the presidential race, the Court may wait to see if a GOP victory removes the issue.