The Checkup: Mouse Found in a Bag of Big Mac Buns in Philly McDonald’s

• I have to share this, but you might want to put down any food or drink before you proceed. Ready? Ok. A former employee of a McDonald’s restaurant in North Philly shot cell phone video of a mouse stuck in a bag of Big Mac buns. Two gross things to note: 1) that this apparently wasn’t an isolated event (employees had supposedly seen mouse droppings on a number of occasions before), and 2) that, according to the ex-employee, the manager ordered his workers to wipe off the droppings and serve the buns anyway. From a health perspective, serving food contaminated with mouse feces puts customers at risk for contracting a host of icky viruses and bacteria, including one called hantavirus, which can be deadly in human. From a consumer perspective, ew. Video of the McDonald’s mouse incident is here, if you dare.

• Researchers at Jefferson are reporting on a small study which found that high doses of intravenous vitamin C (in conjunction with chemotherapy treatment) shows promise as a treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. They’re enrolling patients for a Phase II trial.

• Will your brain be sharp as a tack when you’re 90 years old? Turns out, your genes have something to do with it.