- House Passes Food Safety Bill
- Stem Cell-Derived Sperm Study Retracted By Journal
- Many Americans Take Naps: Survey
- Study Examines Causes of Cattle-Related Deaths
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
House Passes Food Safety Bill
A bill to strengthen food safety in the United States was passed late Thursday by a House vote of 283-142, a day after the bill had been rejected by a few votes.
Under the legislation, food manufacturers would be subject to more government inspections and oversight, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would have new powers to order recalls, the Associated Press reported.
In addition, the FDA would have to develop a system for better tracing food-borne illnesses; there would be new penalties for violations, and food companies would have to create detailed food safety plans.
In rejecting the bill on Wednesday, House members from farm states argued the bill was too invasive on farms. The bill was defeated by a few votes in a special procedure that required a two-thirds majority, the AP reported. When the bill was reintroduced Thursday, it required a simple majority to pass.
A similar bill is awaiting action in the Senate.
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Stem Cell-Derived Sperm Study Retracted By Journal
A contentious paper in which British scientists claimed to have created the first human sperm from embryonic stem cells has been retracted by the journal Stem Cells and Development, apparently because two paragraphs in the introduction were plagiarized.
The plagiarism doesn't affect the science behind the research or its conclusions, according to Newcastle University officials, the Associated Press reported. The problem was blamed on a research associate who has since left the university.
But experts agreed plagiarism raises concerns about the study's credibility.
"This is clearly scientific misconduct," Allan Pacey, secretary for the British Fertility Society, told the AP. "I can understand why people might think, if they were sloppy here, maybe they were sloppy elsewhere."
In the paper, the Newcastle University team reported that they'd created sperm in the laboratory and that their achievement might one day help infertile men have children. However, critics said the stem cell-derived sperm didn't have the shape, movement or function of real sperm.
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Many Americans Take Naps: Survey
About one-third of American adults regularly take a daytime nap, according to a new national survey.
The rate of napping was even higher among people who'd exercised in the past 24 hours, those who had trouble sleeping the night before, blacks, men older than 50, men and women over 80, people who aren't happy, and poorer people, The New York Times reported.
Unemployed people were more likely to nap during the week than on weekends and employed people were only slightly more likely to have a nap on weekends, according to the Pew Research Center Social and Demographics Trends survey.
It also found that women were more likely than men to have trouble sleeping at night, along with people whose annual income is less than $20,000, and those dissatisfied with their personal financial situation, regardless of their income, the Times reported.
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Study Examines Causes of Cattle-Related Deaths
Each year, about 20 people are killed by cattle on U.S. farms and working with cattle in enclosed spaces is the leading cause of such fatalities, says a new study.
Researchers studied media reports of cattle-related deaths in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska during 2003-08 and found that 33 percent of deaths occurred while the victims were working with cattle in enclosed spaces. Other circumstances included moving or herding cattle (24 percent), loading cattle (14 percent), and feeding (14 percent).
One-third of deaths were caused by animals that had previously exhibited aggressive behavior, said Wayne T. Sanderson, an associate professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa.
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