Health Highlights: March 26, 2015

By on March 26, 2015

Health Highlights: March 26, 2015

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Kelly Osbourne Will ‘One Day”‘Have Same Surgery as Angelina Jolie

Celebrity Kelly Osbourne has the same cancer-promoting gene mutation as Angelina Jolie and says she plans to one day have the same surgery the actress recently underwent to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer.

Jolie has a high genetic risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She revealed Tuesday that she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed last week. In 2013, she had a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer.

“I agree with this 100 percent,” Osbourne, 30, said Tuesday on the CBS television show “The Talk,” ABC News reported. “I know that one day I will eventually have to do it, too,” Osbourne added.

Osbourne’s mother Sharon survived colon cancer in 2002.

“I’m so lucky to have the mother I have, the brave mother I have that has taught me so much. … I actually do have the cancer gene,” Kelly said on Tuesday’s show, ABC News reported. “My mom made all of us get tested after she found out that she had it and got her double mastectomy.”

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Researchers Can Assess ‘Entire Genome’ of Iceland

Researchers in Iceland say they can effectively determine the genome of the entire nation.

The team said they accomplished this by combining whole genome sequences of 10,000 people with nation-wide family trees, BBC News reported.

The research described in the journal Nature Genetics could be used for a wide range of purposes, such as identifying people at genetic risk for serious diseases.

For example, the investigators said they could now pinpoint every woman in Iceland with a high risk of breast cancer, BBC News reported.

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Lumber Liquidators Under Investigation: Federal Officials

An investigation has been launched into whether Lumber Liquidators sold products with dangerous levels of formaldehyde, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Wednesday.

The company, one of the nation’s largest discount flooring retailers, has been cooperating with the agency’s inquiry into the matter, said commission chairman Elliot Kaye, The New York Times reported.

A report on the CBS News program “60 Minutes” accused Lumber Liquidators of selling laminate flooring in California that violated the state’s safety standards for formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

The company has repeatedly said that its products are safe and has challenged the testing methods used by “60 Minutes,” The Times reported.

The federal government has no standards on formaldehyde emissions. The CPSC plans to conduct its own testing and to evaluate scientific findings on the risks of formaldehyde. Kaye said the process could take months, The Times reported.

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