NIH Has No Plans To Use Rest Of NFL’s Donation To Study CTE
The league gave $30 million to the institute to study brain damage in football players, but disagreement over how the money should be spent has plagued researchers.
Los Angeles Times:
NIH To Walk Away From $16 Million Of NFL Gift For Brain Research
Five years ago, four months after the suicide of legendary linebacker Junior Seau, the NFL donated $30 million to the National Institutes of Health for brain research. At the time, the league said its “unrestricted gift” was the largest donation in its history and would help fund a new Sports and Health Research Program to be conducted in collaboration with institutes and centers at the NIH. (Farmer, 7/28)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post:
FDA Aims To Lower Nicotine In Cigarettes To Get Smokers To Quit
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it wants to reduce the nicotine in cigarettes to make them less addictive. The unexpected announcement sent shares of tobacco companies plummeting and sparked praise among some public health advocates. If successful, the effort would be the first time the government has tried to get the Americans to quit cigarettes by reaching beyond warning labels or taxes to attacking the actual addictive substance inside. (McGinley and Wan, 7/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Maybe This Is Why You Can't Lose The Weight
After decades of pushing single plans and products that didn’t prove effective for a large chunk of the population, the health and wellness industry is finally zeroing in on more precise solutions tailored to the individual. Here’s a look at some of the latest programs, tools and products designed to take your overall health to the next level. (Fulmer, 7/30)
NPR:
Scientists Still Seek A Reliable DUI Test For Marijuana
Here's the rub: Despite the increasingly legal use of cannabis in many states, cops still don't have the equivalent of a reliable alcohol breathalyzer or blood test — a chemically based way of estimating what the drug is doing in the brain. Though a blood test exists that can detect some of marijuana's components, there is no widely accepted, standardized amount in the breath or blood that gives police or courts or anyone else a good sense of who is impaired. (Bichell, 7/30)
Ventura County Star:
Hearing-Impaired Kids Learn There Are 'No Limits'
All students in No Limits have hearing aids or cochlear implants. They range from three to 14 years of age, and have their own individual language goals. Over the course of eight weeks, the students meet with their tutors for one-hour sessions and practice their language skills. (Childs, 7/29)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Toxic Pollution In Roseland A Big Concern For Santa Rosa In Annexation
Roseland has one of the highest concentrations in the city of industrial and commercial properties with soil and groundwater contaminated by toxic substances such as gasoline, diesel and chemical solvents. Leaking underground gas station tanks, motor oil from salvage yards, and chemicals dumped down the drain by dry cleaning businesses have all made Roseland a hot spot for environmental clean-up efforts over recent decades. (McCallum, 7/29)
East Bay Times:
Hot Weather Forecast Prompts Warning For People With Breathing Problems
Bay Area residents with breathing ailments should take precautions to protect themselves from hot temperatures over the next five or six days, regional air quality regulators advised Saturday. ... Even though smog is not expected to reach unhealthy levels on Sunday, the heat could exacerbate symptoms of those with asthma or other compromised respiratory conditions, warns the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. (Cuff, 7/29)