CTE Case Offers Potential Breakthrough In Difficult-To-Study Disease
Bennett Omalu says that he successfully identified CTE in a living person -- where as before it could only be diagnosed postmortem. In other public health news: the flu, depression and work place injuries.
The Mercury News:
Renowned Concussion Doctor Says He Found CTE In Living NFL Player
Researchers have identified the degenerative brain disease known as CTE in a living person, according to a report published this week in the medical journal Neurosurgery. The paper’s lead author, Bennett Omalu, told an audience last month in San Francisco that physicians discovered CTE in Fred McNeill, a former Minnesota Vikings linebacker, during initial testing of a new method to identify chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the living. (Almond, 11/16)
San Jose Mercury News:
Santa Clara County Reports Its First Flu Death Of The Season
A Santa Clara County adult under age 65 is the first flu-related death reported in the county this flu season, public health officials announced Thursday. The victim, who died earlier this month, had not received this year’s flu vaccine and suffered from other medical conditions that placed the person at greater risk of severe complications from the flu, Santa Clara County health officials said. (Seipel, 11/16)
KQED:
Increased Hours Online Correlate With Uptick In Teen Depression, Suicidal Thoughts
A study published Tuesday in the journal Clinical Psychological Science finds that increased time spent with popular electronic devices — whether a computer, cell phone or tablet — might have contributed to an uptick in symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts over the last several years among teens, especially among girls. (Neighmond, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Worker Injury, Illness Rate Continues To Decline In California
The state Department of Industrial Relations says California’s overall incidence rate of non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses fell to 3.7 cases per 100 workers for full-time employees in 2016. ..The injury/illness rate has been in decline since 2002, when there were an estimated six cases per 100 workers. (Glover, 11/16)