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500 | 37406 | 500,000 Americans will go bankrupt this year from medical bills. | 500,000 Americans Will Go Bankrupt This Year from Medical Bills? | true |
501 | 1292 | Roche boss says Brexit and curbs on drug use pose threat to UK science. | Uncertainty over drug regulation and a reluctance by Britain’s health service to use certain pricey modern medicines pose a threat to the country’s respected life sciences sector, the head Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Thursday. | true |
502 | 36890 | A video clip that apparently shows Hillary Clinton suffering a seizure on the campaign trail has raised questions about her health. | Hillary Clinton Had Seizures on Camera-Reported as Fiction! | false |
503 | 38249 | Congressman Trey Gowdy was found badly beaten and bloodied after being dragged from his congressional office in Washington, D.C., in June 2017 — and police are on the lookout for his attacker. | Congressman Trey Gowdy Found Beaten, Placed in Medically-Induced Coma | false |
504 | 4359 | Texas officials investigating possible tuberculosis exposure. | Health officials say about 150 high school students in western Texas may have been exposed to tuberculosis. | true |
505 | 32234 | An African American man living in the Boston area was shot by police officers following a dispute regarding a marijuana cigarette. | While Associated Media Coverage may be changing their name to The Boston Tribune, their content is still nothing more than fake news. | false |
506 | 9826 | Debate over who needs a thyroid check in pregnancy | The article gives extensive context to the recent Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism study and refers to other research done in the field. The article effectively breaks down and explains a complex debate in the physician community – whether all pregnant women should be screened for thyroid function and whether women with milder cases of hypothyroidism should be diagnosed and treated. The story says this will “add pressure” for science to settle this issue, but that pressure already exists from endocrinologists and obstetricians – with, as the study shows, about 1 in 5 pregnant women being tested from 2005-8. | true |
507 | 7215 | Biden to discuss fight to end cancer at South By Southwest. | South By Southwest says former Vice President Joe Biden will give a speech at the festival about efforts to end cancer. | true |
508 | 41882 | """Said he got """"52 percent"""" support from women during the 2016 presidential election. """ | Trump’s August speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was packed with familiar factual distortions. | false |
509 | 5733 | Data show 25% increase in religious exemptions for vaccines. | New data released Thursday show more Connecticut students are being exempted from vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella for religious reasons. | true |
510 | 5857 | Wyoming health officials report rise in STDs. | Wyoming health officials say there were six times as many gonorrhea cases in 2016 than in 2012. | true |
511 | 9926 | Olive Oil Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk | An added nice touch was the discussion of the possible etiology of the olive oil effect (e.g., inflammation). Overall, a solid summary. When an observational study points to a statistical association between one factor and one outcome, it is important to explain why that doesn’t necessarily mean that one factor caused that one outcome. This story did a better job of that than its LA Times competition. | true |
512 | 31736 | Studies have proved that having an abortion increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. | Observational studies of any kind will always come with limitations and wiggle room for politically motivated players to exploit, as was the case 2002. As a whole, however, we regard use of these data to make a causal link between breast cancer and abortions, without any discussion of their significant caveats involved, intentionally misleading enough to be disqualifying. | false |
513 | 8743 | Paracetamol use may raise asthma risk in children. | Infants who have been given the common pain reliever paracetamol may have a higher risk of developing asthma and eczema by the time they are 6 or 7, a large study covering children in 31 countries has found. | true |
514 | 11168 | Diabetes drug linked to heart attacks, death | The story reports that the popular diabetes drug Avandia may potentially be linked to a higher chance of cardiovascular disease or death. An important omission in the story is that the evidence upon which the study findings are based is not discussed, which is very important because there are important limitations to the data. Complete data could not be obtained by the study authors. Actual event rates were low and estimates of the risk were pretty wide, which means there is a lack of precision about what the real rates might be. The story makes it sound as if the study conclusions are definite and this is not the case, although the results are certainly concerning. But, caution must be used. It should be a call to the pharmaceutical industry to release the rest of the data. Alternate treatment options were also not discussed, although patients were encouraged to talk with their doctors about the risk-benefit picture. Many other glucose-lowering medications are available and don’t appear to increase cardiovascular risk and should be considered while the safety of Avandia remains uncertain. | mixture |
515 | 27851 | Photographs show Peng Shuilin, a Chinese man who lost the lower half of his body in an automobile accident. | In November 2009, the Australian Daily Telegraph reported that Peng had opened his own bargain supermarket, called the Half Man-Half Price Store. | true |
516 | 29280 | Internet list accurately cites historical facts and figures proving that the worst mass exterminations of civilian populations in the twentieth century were the result of gun control laws. | """What's true: Mass killings of civilians by military dictatorships in the 1900s were more often than not preceded by the confiscation of firearms from targeted populations, a task made easier by laws requiring the registration and/or licensing of privately-owned weapons. What's false: """"Gun control"""" isn't synonymous with gun confiscation; in some cases where genocide occurred, gun restriction laws had already been in place for many years prior, and evidence does not demonstrate a causal link between gun control and mass exterminations.""" | false |
517 | 8159 | Italy coronavirus deaths surge by 793 in a day, lifting total death toll to 4,825. | The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has leapt by 793 to 4,825, officials said on Saturday, an increase of 19.6% — by far the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion emerged a month ago. | true |
518 | 6754 | 3 indicted in unlicensed assisted living facilities case. | Maryland’s attorney general has announced three people have been indicted for allegedly operating unlicensed assisted living facilities in the Baltimore area. | true |
519 | 10823 | Study: Monthly fasting may help heart | """This report on findings about heart disease in a mostly Mormon population of once-a-month fasters is solidly done. It presents data fairly and quotes one independent source. It also includes the essential caveats that the study is """"far from proof"""" that fasting cuts heart disease risk, that monthly fasting may be a marker for personal self-discipline generally, and that fasting doesn’t necessarily lead to weight loss. The article’s major shortcoming is that it is based on a fairly low quality of data source subject to bias–an unpublished presentation of information gathered from self-reports of healthy people about lifestyle behaviors linked to their religious beliefs. The question here is not with the reporter’s execution of the story, but whether it should have been published at all. Despite its prominent acknowledgment of caveats, the story’s length and very existence invite the inference that fasting is an effective method to reduce heart disease risk. The researchers themselves admit their study can in no way responsibly answer that question–that their study at best raises questions that may justify further study. When making assignments, editors would be wise to ask the questions: Will this report invite an inference about a recommended change in personal health behavior? If so, does the data justify this inference? In this case, the answer to the former is yes. The answer to the latter is no. Viewed from this perspective, an argument can be made that the story should not have been published. (An abstract of the presentation appears as a meeting supplement to the journal Circulation.)""" | true |
520 | 9745 | Asterias's stem cell therapy shows promise in study | Stem cell therapy is a controversial area both in terms of ethics and scientific merit. Despite the promise, there has been little progress in the treatment of disease. Asterias Biotherapeutics released the results of the first stage of a phase 1/2 trial of a stem cell-derived therapy called AST OPC-1 in the treamtent of spinal cord injuries. This first stage was conducted in three patients with spinal cord injuries with the lowest of three doses of the treatment. The Reuters report gave a good background on the therapy, outlining its history at Geron Corp to Asterias’ acquisition in 2013. Where the story falls short, however, is in explaining the research itself, in its incomplete description of the benefits and potential harms, and in its use of a single source, the company’s CEO. An independent expert would have help put this research into perspective. What also is missing is a brief description on the natural history of spinal cord injuries (how much do they usually get better on their own?) and their usual treatments. Spinal cord damage can be life altering and in far too many cases irreversible. Existing treatments, while helpful, frequently do not allow the patient to undergo a complete recovery. Stem cells, although controversial, have the potential to develop into specialized cell types and to replace damaged tissue. But much work still needs to be done on how stem cells can be translated into meaningful therapies to treat diseases and injuries. Stories shedding light on this area of research could encourage more public discussion, which in turn might lead to more research and subsequent advances. | mixture |
521 | 7515 | China virus outbreak may wallop economy, financial markets. | News that a new virus that has afflicted hundreds of people in central China can spread between humans has rattled financial markets and raised concern it might wallop the economy just as it might be regaining momentum. | true |
522 | 14148 | Almost 100,000 people left Puerto Rico last year. | """Lew said that """"almost 100,000 people left Puerto Rico last year."""" That appears to be close. Airline data suggests about 89,000 more people departed Puerto Rico for the United States then entered it in 2015. While that’s not a perfect estimate to measure out-migration, all the population trends suggest Puerto Rico is experiencing a surge in out-migration, as residents leave for better jobs and prospects in the United States.""" | true |
523 | 23397 | """On whether President Obama's speeches to school children spread """"socialist ideology.""" | Former Florida GOP chair apologizes to Obama on education speech | false |
524 | 37569 | """Quarantined children in Wuhan """"defeated"""" the app assigning them homework by deluging it with one-star reviews, which caused it to be removed from the app store.""" | Did Quarantined Kids in in Wuhan Defeat a Homework App by Spamming it With One-Star Reviews? | mixture |
525 | 2831 | South Korea steps up measures to contain bird flu. | South Korea is stepping up efforts to prevent the spread of bird flu ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, after migratory birds were found to be infected with the same strain of the virus that hit poultry farms last week. | true |
526 | 12492 | """Farmers """"are now dumping milk into the ditches"""" because of a trade dispute with Canada""" | """Collins said farmers """"are now dumping milk into the ditches"""" because of a trade dispute with Canada. The Canadian dairy industry's new pricing for ultra-filtered milk affects dairy processors and farmers in upstate New York, but we could not find any who have dumped their milk because of the trade dispute. It has been more difficult for dairy producers to find a market for their product for the last few years because of a persistent milk glut in the United States. Collins points out the dispute has made it harder for processors to bring milk to market. Indeed, farmers might begin dumping their milk soon if the trend continues. But we found no evidence, and he has not provided any, that it has happened yet.""" | false |
527 | 2128 | U.N. helicopters fly baby Congo gorillas to safety. | United Nations peacekeepers in Congo have used helicopters to airlift endangered baby gorillas to a sanctuary after they were rescued in a conflict zone where they faced being captured or eaten. | true |
528 | 2486 | Three million Europeans catch infections in hospital annually. | On any given day, some 80,000 patients in Europe are fighting an infection they picked up in hospital, often while in intensive care, the EU’s disease monitoring agency said in a survey published on Thursday. | true |
529 | 12758 | According to the FBI, Mexican drug cartels are working with 100,000 street gang members in Chicago alone. | """LaPierre said, """"According to the FBI, Mexican drug cartels are working with 100,000 street gang members in Chicago alone."""" LaPierre cites data in a 2013 national gang report produced by the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center. But it’s hard to gauge how solid that figure is, and experts question its veracity. The figure tracks back to a 2012 interview of a DEA special agent in The Blaze. The DEA told PolitiFact there’s an estimated 100,000 gang members in Chicago heavily involved in drug trafficking. It’s hard to quantify exactly how many of them are working with cartels, though cartels are the source for the drugs distributed by street gangs in Chicago, the DEA said. Independent experts, meanwhile, are skeptical about generalizing that all 100,000 street gang members — Latino and non-Latino — are collaborating with cartels, since the cartels mainly collaborate with Latino street gangs.""" | mixture |
530 | 17733 | """In 1929, the Secretary of State shut down a program that was """"collecting information to protect America"""" because it was """"unseemly,"""" but that move led to """"millions and millions"""" of deaths in World War II.""" | """Rogers said that in 1929, the Secretary of State shut down a program that was """"collecting information to protect America"""" because it was """"unseemly,"""" but that move led to """"millions and millions"""" of deaths in World War II. He is generally correct in his description of that year’s shuttering of a pioneering codebreaking project called the Black Chamber, but historians dismiss any suggestion that the program led inexorably to the onset of World War II. At best, they say, that notion is greatly exaggerated.""" | mixture |
531 | 10181 | Gene therapy for rare bleeding disorder achieves proof-of-concept | Credit: UC Davis Comparative Oncology ProgramThis short news release describes a gene therapy experiment in four dogs that might turn out to help human patients with a rare blood disorder known as Factor VII deficiency. The release does a good job of making clear that this is just a proof-of-concept and needs human trials. Great specific language is used to make that clear. But it does not give any context for the problems of developing gene therapies for rare diseases. Companies may balk at developing a treatment than can’t be sold very widely, which contributes to high costs. Gene therapies are emotional minefields for patients and families, especially since so much has been promised and actual successes have been few. One gene therapy offered in Europe has a price tag of $1 million. This release would serve readers better if it gave some of that daunting context. A Washington Post story explains some of the challenges: “No [gene] therapy is approved yet in the United States, so discussions about price — as well as crucial questions about how much patients will pay directly — are hypothetical. But industry leaders are already talking about ways to get ahead of potentially massive one-time price tags that could make insurers and patients balk.” | true |
532 | 40832 | People from black and minority ethnic populations are most affected by detentions under the Mental Health Act. | If you're black and minority ethnic, you're more likely to be detained than if you're white. Overall, more white people are detained, since they make up a larger portion of the population. | true |
533 | 4464 | Another gene-edited baby may be on the way, scientist says. | A Chinese researcher who claims to have helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies says a second pregnancy may be underway. | true |
534 | 910 | Climate fears lift Greens' chances of running Germany. | A former trampolinist and a children’s author have led the Greens to a spectacular comeback in Germany, raising the once-unthinkable prospect of a Green chancellor succeeding Angela Merkel. | true |
535 | 7294 | Federal lawsuit filed to block Alabama’s new abortion ban. | A federal lawsuit filed Friday asks a judge to block an Alabama law that outlaws almost all abortions, the most far-reaching attempt by a conservative state to seek new restrictions on the procedure. | true |
536 | 16317 | """Weeks after accepting a quarter-million-dollar campaign contribution"""" from a hospital board chairman, Greg Abbott went to court against victims of a drug-taking neurosurgeon.""" | """Davis said that weeks """"after accepting a quarter-million-dollar campaign contribution"""" from a hospital board chairman, Greg Abbott went to court against victims of a drug-taking neurosurgeon. Davis’ statement needs clarification – that Abbott’s intervention was limited to defending the constitutionality of Texas’ tort-reform laws. The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.""" | true |
537 | 10741 | Scientist optimistic about obesity vaccine | This TV news segment discussed a different type of intervention being studied as a possible means to help people manage obesity. It is about the potential for a vaccine against a protein called ghrelin to treat or prevent obesity. While being clear about the experimental nature of the vaccine being studied, the story did not contain much in the way of information about how the vaccine might be effective, how it might be used clinically, or potential side effects that could occur when priming the immune system to react against a hormone normally produced by the body. While illustrating that scientists are exploring a variety of means to help people combat excess weight, the story did little to help the viewer think about strategies that might be applicable for weight management. This story should have focused more on the uncharted waters of vaccination against normal physiologic processes in the body. The potential for unwanted side effects is huge. | mixture |
538 | 38923 | Monsanto plans to replace honeybees that are wiped out by pesticides with genetically modified ants. | Monsanto Says Genetically Modified Ants Could Replace Honey Bees | false |
539 | 2837 | U.S. FDA approves Medtronic heart valve system early. | Medtronic Inc’s minimally invasive system for replacing diseased heart valves won U.S. approval for use in patients deemed too frail to endure traditional open heart surgery, the U.S. medical device maker said on Friday. | true |
540 | 39696 | Posts on social media sites warn that White Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillars are poisonous and can cause skin irritation or more serious health complications when touched by humans. | White Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillars Are Poisonous | true |
541 | 6675 | More vaping illnesses reported, many involving marijuana. | Health officials are recommending people who vape consider avoiding e-cigarettes while they investigate more cases of a breathing ailment linked to the devices. | true |
542 | 199 | Inside drugmakers' strategy to boost cancer medicines with 'Lazarus effect'. | In the halls of MD Anderson Cancer Center, the drug Vitrakvi is known for having a “Lazarus effect” in some patients because it can reverse late-stage cancer that has defied all other treatment options. | true |
543 | 10981 | Doubts on Ovarian Cancer Relapse Test | """CA-125 is the only existing blood test or tumor marker that is used for ovarian cancer follow-up. It measures a microscopic substance which is produced by the tumor and breaks off, circulating in the bloodstream. It is not elevated in every patient with ovarian cancer, and can be falsely elevated in people who have no diagnosis of cancer. That is why it is not very good for ovarian cancer screening. This story reports on new results showing that women who got regular CA-125 testing after treatment for ovarian cancer did not have better survival than women who got no testing. These results further call into question the utility of CA-125 for monitoring recurrent ovarian cancer. This story accurately describes the novelty, availability and harms of CA-125. It does not engage in disease mongering and does a good job of describing the current study and how it relates to current clinical thinking. The story could have been improved by describing the costs of CA-125 testing. This study – and this story about it – adds to the """"more is not always better"""" knowledgebase that is growing in health care. Kudos to the NYT and to this reporter for doing a good job with it.""" | true |
544 | 4079 | Oregon officials confirm 2nd case of vaping-related illness. | State officials say a second Oregon resident has received medical treatment for severe lung disease linked to vaping. | true |
545 | 7436 | Hampton Beach guidelines passed, back-to-school talk starts. | A task force approved guidance for reopening Hampton Beach on Thursday and another group started fall back-to-school discussions. | true |
546 | 20265 | Ellen Rosenblum Says Dwight Holton has never set foot in an Oregon courtroom. | Has Dwight Holton 'never set foot' in an Oregon courtroom? | false |
547 | 11116 | Extra servings of veggies fail to prevent cancer | """Ostensibly reporting on a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this story, although labeled as """"In Depth,"""" actually gave little time to the results of the study or its ramifications. The majority of the air time went to various pieces of information about breast cancer prevention without any substantiation. The story jumped around in a confusing manner. It initially informed us that """"it’s true that adding fruits and vegetables to a women’s diet can help prevent cancer from recurring."""" Then it disclosed that the most recent study indicated that eating more fruits and vegetables didn’t reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. It ended with a conclusion that cancer diagnosis is a matter of fate and even though everyone wants to do everything in their favor, that """"for the individual – there are no guarantees."""" For something to be labeled """"In Depth,"""" we would have appreciated more clear explanation of what the new findings were, how or why experts differ with their findings about the impact of fruits and vegetables in this context, and what steps viewers could take to learn more. Although technically the story addressed many of our criteria, the final ratings score may give the impression that the story was more complete than we actually think it was.""" | true |
548 | 26284 | States like New York, Illinois and California have been vocal in their demands for funding to bail out their pension systems, which were failing long before the COVID-19 outbreak, and other programs that aren’t related to this crisis. | New York's pension system is one of the best-funded in the nation and has not asked for federal funds. Illinois' pension fund is one of the worst-funded in the nation, while California is about average. Economic shutdowns related to the pandemic have severely diminished tax revenues, which pay for many state services. | false |
549 | 8703 | UK scientists to make a million potential COVID-19 vaccines before proof. | A million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by British scientists are already being manufactured and will be available by September, even before trials prove whether the shot is effective, the team said on Friday. | true |
550 | 28776 | The Clinton Foundation rates higher than the Red Cross in charity rankings. | """What's true: The charity ranking site CharityWatch grades the Clinton Foundation as an """"A"""" and the Red Cross as an """"A-."""" What's false: The larger and more highly regarded Charity Navigator stopped evaluating the Clinton Foundation after an early 2015 dispute over bad press and allegations of a lack of transparency, then on 1 September 2016 reinstated the Foundation's rating.""" | mixture |
551 | 28536 | """The NFL gave Donald Trump a """"lifetime ban"""" after he was involved in a disastrous lawsuit against the league.""" | """What's true: As owner of the New Jersey Generals USFL team in the 1980s, Trump was a driving force behind an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL that was successful but won only $3.76 in damages, effectively putting an end to the upstart league. What's false: Trump did not sue the NFL in a personal capacity, nor did the NFL levy a """"lifetime ban"""" against him for his part in the lawsuit.""" | mixture |
552 | 21529 | Before Medicare, only 51 percent of Americans 65 and older had health care coverage and nearly 30 percent lived below the poverty line. Today, thanks to Medicare ... nearly all seniors have coverage and 75 percent fewer struggle in poverty. | """U.S. Rep. Ron Kind says that """"thanks to Medicare,"""" 75% fewer seniors are in poverty, and most have health coverage""" | mixture |
553 | 14680 | I have never supported cap and trade. | Sanofi SA said on Friday it would recall popular heartburn medicine Zantac in the United States and Canada, after the medicines were linked with a probable cancer-causing impurity. | true |
554 | 643 | California governor says broad power shutdown to prevent fires 'unacceptable'. | California Governor Gavin Newsom called a widespread electricity shutdown triggered by a power company to prevent wildfires “unacceptable”, as gale-force winds and dry weather posed a critical fire threat to the north of the state. | true |
555 | 8392 | Adherence to social distancing spurs dip in projected U.S. coronavirus deaths. | Better-than-expected social distancing practices have led an influential research model to lower its projected U.S. coronavirus death toll by 12%, while predicting some states may be able to safely begin easing restrictions as early as May 4. | true |
556 | 16801 | """The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office """"received zero complaints"""" about the Washington Redskins name.""" | """Conservative blog posts smell a scandal in the cancellation of the Washington Redskins trademark, pointing out that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office """"received zero complaints"""" about it before an administrative law court ruled in June. The case was opened because someone complained -- so that assertion is wrong on its face. But even that aside, the post is misleading in suggesting that public comments are part of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office process when they are not. When people have a problem with patents and trademarks and want them removed, they file formal complaints, prove their standing in the case, pay a fee, and provide evidence to support their case. In other words, they do exactly what the five plaintiffs in this case did here.""" | false |
557 | 8980 | Sugar improves memory in over-60s, helping them work smarter | This news release highlights findings of a small, short-term trial that suggests glucose (a form of sugar) enhances performance on memory tests in older adults. The release touts benefits in performance, motivation, and mood while taking these tests, but fails to include any data. Nor does it mention how these outcomes were defined or measured. Two other inclusions would have helped this news release considerably. First, make it clear to the readers that this study looked at the short-term impact of consuming sugar on memory tests in a lab. It couldn’t tell us whether sugar improves participants’ functioning in their everyday lives. Second, make at least some mention of the potential harms of consuming too much sugar. With a headline and subheading that promise older adults improvements in memory, performance, and mood you’d better back your claims with data. You also owe it to your readers to make it very clear what the limitations of the study at hand are. Because, at the very least, you are going to get the attention of the tens of millions of Americans (or their caregivers) suffering with dementia and depression, and run the very real risk that they will now see sugar as a benign panacea when it likely has more chance to cause harm than be helpful. | false |
558 | 6071 | Maine officials investigate Legionnaires’ disease cluster. | The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a cluster of six Legionnaires’ disease cases in the Bangor area. | true |
559 | 9827 | Spinal Manipulation, Home Exercise May Ease Neck Pain | When researchers randomized 272 neck pain patients to receive either spinal manipulation, medication, or instructions on home exercises, they found some differences that were statistically significant. But the big picture is that all the patients tended to get better and those who got manipulation or home exercise instructions fared about the same. And that the bottom line message that readers get from the news story. The story didn’t mention costs and it could have provided more details about potential harms, but overall it gives readers a fair overview of the research and the broader background of neck pain treatment. News reports should always distinguish between study results that really mean something to people dealing with illnesses and those that are merely statistically significant, but clinically underwhelming. This story reports key findings about measured differences, but also helps readers to see the main message; that those differences didn’t make a dramatic difference to how patients felt… and that important questions remain. The study raises some interesting questions. It’s difficult to know if similar results would be seen for patients coming for care in usual practice settings, rather than in response to newspaper and radio ads recruiting subjects. It’s also worth looking at effective care versus efficient care. If two group instructional sessions are as good as 15 individual chiropractic sessions on average, one could surmise that home exercise might provide more bank for the buck. The story could have done a better job driving this point home. AS | true |
560 | 29614 | """Statistics demonstrate that """"Islam will overwhelm Christendom unless Christians recognize the demographic realities and begin reproducing again.""" | Statistics demonstrate that 'Islam will overwhelm Christendom unless Christians recognize the demographic realities and begin reproducing again'? | false |
561 | 10552 | There are alternatives to hysterectomies | """The question of whether hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) is overused or appropriately performed for benign conditions such as fibroids or abnormal uterine bleeding is controversial and hotly debated. What is clear is that, regardless of treatment choice, women should be informed about the availability and appropriateness of the many available, safe, and effective alternatives to hysterectomy. Furthermore, it should always be the case that women are actively making the treatment decisions along with their doctor. How bothered a woman is by her symptoms, how she feels about the risks and recovery involved in the different treatments, her desire for future childbearing, among others, should all factor into the decision-making process. This story does a nice job of describing the controversy over the potential overuse of hysterectomy for uterine fibroids. It appropriately describes how fibroids do not need to be treated unless they are causing a lot of bothersome symptoms. It also describes the available alternatives to hysterectomy, although it could have done more to discuss the availability of some of the newer options such as myolysis and uterine artery embolization. The story fails to discuss costs of hysterectomy and the alternatives. Other than to describe hysterectomy as """"invasive"""" and requiring a hospital stay and recovery time, the story does not discuss the harms of hysterectomy or the alternatives. Finally, although the story mentions a """"90 percent success"""" rate of the alternative procedures, this is not sufficient quantification of benefits. Not only is it not clear how """"success"""" is defined, but also for which procedure and compared to what.""" | mixture |
562 | 37684 | A lengthy email represented as lies told by Senator Barack Obama. | Obama Lies? | mixture |
563 | 34555 | JFK smoked cannabis in the White House during his presidency to treat various medical ailments. | I’m not seeing anything that confirms this assertion. I’ve never actually seen the medical records from his Personal Papers, but am relying on accounts of biographers, Dallek and O’Brien, who have both viewed the papers with physicians and wrote about their findings. While they list a number of drugs and various treatments used, the use of cannabis is not among them. As you know there is a good deal written about Max Jacobsen’s unofficial treatments using amphetamines, but once again, no mention of cannabis being something President Kennedy used on the side, too. | unproven |
564 | 27607 | A 12-year-old girl livestreamed her suicide by hanging. | National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 | true |
565 | 32173 | """An Alabama man suspected of creating a """"real life human centipede"""" remains at large.""" | Around the same time the Alabama Observer popped up to spread fabrications, the Baltimore Gazette and Boston Tribune web sites were set up to spread false clickbait stories by camouflaging themselves as mainstream metro-area news outlets. | false |
566 | 31748 | President Trump filed for re-election early, which means non-profits can't criticize him without losing their tax-exempt status. | Mayer also pointed out that pro-President Trump nonprofits are under the same laws as all the others, which casts further doubt on his early re-election filing being about anything other than getting a fundraising advantage. | false |
567 | 36152 | Flint, Michigan still does not have clean water as of September 2019. | ‘Another Teenager with an Important Message’ (About the Flint Water Crisis) | mixture |
568 | 15129 | Eighty-three law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty this year. Twenty-four of them were shot and killed in cold blood. | Cagle right on law enforcement death count | true |
569 | 3780 | US report: Prescription drug prices down slightly last year. | Prices for prescription drugs edged down by 1% last year, a rare result driven by declines for generics and slow, low growth in the cost of brand-name medications, the government said Thursday. | true |
570 | 3381 | Legionnaires’ cases may be linked to Chicago-area hospital. | State health officials are investigating whether three cases of Legionnaires’ disease are linked to a suburban Chicago hospital. | true |
571 | 5711 | Medical pot use won’t put Missouri patients’ welfare at risk. | Missouri patients with medical marijuana cards won’t be at risk of losing welfare if they test positive for pot under a revamped state policy. | true |
572 | 9208 | Natural tooth repair method, using Alzheimer's drug, could revolutionize dental treatments | One of the most basic elements of any news release about a lab study with implications for humans is to make it clear that the study is still at the animal or — in this case — animal cell stage. This release not only skips any mention of mice, it also makes the leap that because the drug in question has “previously been used in clinical trials to treat neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease” that it would speed the pathway for a new dental treatment. The mixing in of references to an experimental Alzheimer’s drug in the headline of this release and the text are confusing and misleading to say the least. (It suggests an Alzheimer’s drug can repair dental cavities by activating dental pulp stem cells.) But the release has so many other problems that just fixing that still would not have provided readers with the information they deserved. We rarely give 0 “stars” for reviews but this is one situation where we had to. Even with flouride treatment and routine dental care, teeth get cavities. Each time a filling is replaced, a larger area is involved until eventually teeth crack, break or need to be removed. A topical treatment that naturally repaired teeth would be wonderful. However, this research is far from ready for prime time. | false |
573 | 35814 | """Under the """"COVID Act,"""" school officials in the U.S. can quarantine children with COVID-19 symptoms outside their family home without their parents' or guardians' consent.""" | Similarly, the right of a parent to live with and raise a child is not absolute. A child also has a fundamental right to be free from physical, sexual, and emotional harm, as well as a right to a basic level of nutrition, shelter, and safety. Where those rights come into conflict, such as in cases where a parent neglects or abuses a child, or is proven incapable of providing care, state authorities can and do intervene to protect the rights of the child, and states can, and sometimes do, involuntarily terminate the parental rights of adults. | false |
574 | 34849 | Insect repellent companies hired a Ugandan man whose flatulence was deadly to mosquitoes. | Multiple news websites from around the world were taken in by a crude hoax in December 2019. | false |
575 | 32228 | The wife of famous golfer blurted out on the air that she kisses her husband's balls for luck. | Old broadcast legend holds that the wife of a famous golfer blurted out on the air that she kisses her husband's balls for luck. | false |
576 | 32269 | Eleven states are introducing a truck curfew from 11PM until 6AM. | The “truck curfew” story was one of several fake news items in a subset targeting specific populations on social media, among whom the stories would be heavily shared (and by which the sites involved would rake in traffic and revenue). Along with the motorcycle curfew claim, a similar outlet reported fabricated motorcycle speed bans in August 2016, a FDA e-juice ban in mid-2016, a “two pet maximum” ordinance (suggesting households would be forced to rehome beloved dogs and cats), and a religious content ban on Facebook. Best Source Of Videos was among fake news sites which did not include a disclaimer warning readers about fabricated content. | false |
577 | 29293 | The National Football League enjoys tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization. | What's true: The NFL League Office used to be a tax-exempt entity. What's false: The NFL's tax exemption applied only to the league office and not to the teams themselves, and the office has since given up its non-profit status. | false |
578 | 3663 | Deal will let more companies make an overdose antidote spray. | More companies could begin making an easy-to-use version of an opioid overdose antidote under a deal announced Thursday by New York’s attorney general. | true |
579 | 31487 | A man in Florida cut off his own genitals and fed them to an alligator while high on methamphetamine. | Although both sites pose as legitimate news sources and neither carries an open disclaimer identifying their content as satirical, both have published false information in the past. The Florida Sun Post ran a story very similar to this one asserting that a woman had died while taking an “alligator selfie.” Boston Leader posted a story in 2016, again very similar to the present one, about a scuba diver who lost his testicles while attempting to fill his scuba tank with pot smoke. | false |
580 | 16270 | Obama, instead of nominating a health professional, he nominated someone who is an anti-gun activist (for surgeon general). | """Cruz said, """"President Obama, instead of nominating a health professional, he nominated someone who is an anti-gun activist."""" Murthy has a long list of credentials showing he is a health professional, including his position as an attending physician at a leading hospital. Murthy runs a health care reform organization that has pushed for gun control measures, and he has expressed personal support for gun control. But enacting gun control is not Murthy’s main cause and not part of his public surgeon general platform. It’s no secret that Murthy is a political ally for Obama and backs his positions on gun control. But it's inaccurate to say he's an anti-gun activist but not a health care professional.""" | false |
581 | 29537 | New York voters will be turned away from the polls if they wear shirts endorsing specific candidates, and polling hours have been deliberately shortened to suppress primary votes. | What's true: New York election law prohibits wearing candidate shirts or hats within 100 feet of polling places; primary voting in some counties has historically been shorter than for general election voting. What's false: Voters wearing shirts endorsing any candidates will be denied the right to vote; poll hours were cut anywhere in the state. | false |
582 | 7905 | Dead meat: Industry faces 'ruin' if slow on adapting to climate change. | The world’s meat industry must adapt to the challenges posed by climate change and growing demand for plant-based alternatives or face ruin, according to a group of investors managing $20 trillion in assets. | true |
583 | 5964 | Lowest US birth rate in 3 decades could pose risk to economy. | Women in the United States gave birth last year at the lowest rate in 30 years, a trend that could weigh on economic growth in the coming decades. | true |
584 | 10697 | Fish Oil Study Finds Little Benefit for Pregnant Women | Some important questions the story didn’t address: how did researchers measure development/intelligence at 18 months? What effect size were they hoping for? In a few small but significant ways, this story used language that explained the findings more clearly than the competing New York Times story. But both stories whiffed on some important questions. Read both full reviews to learn more. | true |
585 | 7227 | Davenport gym offers workouts for people with Down syndrome. | The parking lot is packed on a recent weeknight at CrossFit OC3 in Davenport, which looks like a typical warehouse gym from the outside. | true |
586 | 39328 | An antifreeze-like ingredient in the Swiffer Wetjet kills pets and cause liver failure in children. | Antifreeze in Swiffer Wet Jet Kills Pets, Children | false |
587 | 13170 | """Hillary Clinton Says Donald Trump """"says organized crime runs wild on reservations.""" | """Clinton said Trump """"says organized crime runs wild on reservations."""" Trump did say that at least twice -- but that was 23 years ago. He later implied such a connection in 2000. But there’s no indication he said that publicly in the past 16 years, including during the 2016 campaign. So Clinton’s use of the present tense -- """"says"""" -- and her decision to cite it in the same breath as Trump's """"Pocahantas"""" insult, which did occur during the 2016 campaign, is inaccurate.""" | mixture |
588 | 42184 | US Surgeon, Who Exposed Clinton Foundation Corruption In Haiti, Found Dead | Q: Did the late surgeon Dean Lorich expose “Clinton Foundation corruption in Haiti”?A: No. Lorich co-authored an article criticizing the medical response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, not the Clinton Foundation. | false |
589 | 7897 | Rattled world 'at war' with coronavirus as deaths surge in Italy, France. | Hundreds of millions of people faced a world turned upside down on Wednesday by unprecedented emergency measures against the coronavirus pandemic that is killing the old and vulnerable and threatening prolonged economic misery. | true |
590 | 35132 | Using a hair dryer to breathe in hot air can cure COVID-19 and stop its spread. | A viral video that claims breathing hot air from a hair dryer could cure COVID-19 demonstrates a basic and dangerous lack of understanding about science. | false |
591 | 9835 | Magnet Therapy May Help Stroke Survivors Recover | Low-hanging fruit this story could have snatched include: With that being said, we thought the story overall offered an informative account of the study and excelled at providing context. We wish more stories about new treatments made the effort to quote four independent experts. Brain damage caused by stroke affects millions of patients and their caregivers. These people need accurate, unbiased information when making decisions about care and rehabilitation. Journalists can help provide that information by carefully vetting studies about new treatment approaches and seeking out the opinions of multiple independent experts–like this story did. | true |
592 | 13106 | """Donald Trump Says he """"won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.""" | """Trump tweeted that he """"won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally."""" Neither Trump nor his allies have presented any evidence of widespread illegal voting. In reality, studies have consistently shown that voter fraud is nowhere near common enough to call into question millions and millions of votes. Indeed, the ability to carry off such a far-reaching conspiracy — potentially involving millions of people over the course of several months and without being noticed by election administration officials, many of them in states controlled by Republicans — is ridiculously illogical.""" | false |
593 | 7757 | Poland's wild boar cull prompts protests. | Hunters and activists have united against the Polish government’s decision to cull most of Poland’s wild boar population in an effort to curtail health risks related to African swine fever (ASF). | true |
594 | 13666 | """Donald Trump Says the U.S. election system is """"rigged.""" | Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. election system is rigged. He has cited examples of voter fraud, which is extremely rare, often unintentional and not on a scale large enough to affect a national election. While there are isolated examples of bought local elections, experts say it cannot be replicated on a national scale. While it is possible to tamper with electronic voting machines, there is no evidence deliberate malfeasance has altered any election. | false |
595 | 11098 | Actelion Sleep Aid Does Well In Midstage Clinical Trial | This is a short story about a possible new drug treatment for insomnia. The most helpful information in the story is that the drug has a novel mechanism, and is currently being tested. While of interest, the story failed to provide sufficient information for readers because it is lacking in independent expert opinions about the value (to patients) of the new drug, discussion of potential harms, as well as failure to mention behavioral treatment for insomnia. The details about the benefit from the use of this drug come from a single small study of selected individuals and the information is derived from company sources. (See our primer on some of the pitfalls of reporting news from scientific meetings.) Having some individuals knowledgable about the problem of insomnia comment about the some of the strengths and weakness of this potential medication would have greatly improved this story. | true |
596 | 24086 | """Frederica Wilson Says she introduced a ban on """"dirty dancing.""" | Frederica Wilson says she banned dirty dancing | true |
597 | 13916 | More people now die in Wisconsin from drug overdoses than car crashes. | Schimel said more people now die in Wisconsin from drug overdoses than car crashes. The most recent data available from 2014 supports his statement -- 2009 was the first year when more people died from drug overdoses than in car crashes. | true |
598 | 10799 | The shallow waters of dolphin therapy claims | Another strong entry in this regular Healthy Skeptic column by the LA Times, this story provides readers with nearly everything they need to know about dolphin therapy treatment centers. We especially liked how the story showed that different claims are being made by different centers and all of the claims lack support. People with hard-to-treat conditions or people who have children with autism or other disorders want badly to find something to improve their lives. Getting a chance to swim with dolphins, as this story points out, has a romantic, fantasy-like appeal that may, in fact, make people feel temporarily better. The trouble with claiming actual long-term benefits from playing with dolphins is that it gives people false hope, and it also allows the dolphin organizations to charge people a lot of money to go swimming. | true |
599 | 41715 | The government have announced the end of hospital parking charges for patients. | In December it was announced that hospitals in England will have to provide free car parking to frequent hospital visitors, blue badge holders and at certain times to staff and parents of child patients. | mixture |