Middle-aged folks facing a colon cancer screening now have a blood test they can choose over a standard colonoscopy. However, the blood test isn’t as effective as colonoscopy at detecting and preventing colon cancer, a new review finds. About two and a half times more colon cancer deaths can be expected to occur in people… read on > read on >
Artificial intelligence can accurately detect heart murmurs in dogs, a new study finds. The AI program detects heart murmurs in canines with 90% accuracy, similar to the accuracy of expert cardiologists, researchers report. And in more than half the cases tested, the AI completely agreed with a cardiologist’s assessment of the murmur’s seriousness. These heart… read on > read on >
Most kids with attention issues won’t go on to develop serious psychiatric conditions like psychosis or schizophrenia. However, a new study finds poor attention spans in childhood, plus certain genes, could play a role in raising the risk for these conditions. Of course, much more research is needed to pinpoint precursors to psychotic symptoms in… read on > read on >
Smoking marijuana during pregnancy may quell your morning sickness, but it could also harm your child’s development, a new study warns. Cannabis exposure in the womb is associated in early childhood with poorer thinking skills, researchers reported Oct. 28 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. These kids also have behavioral problems like impulse control, poor attention… read on > read on >
Repeated concussions dramatically increase a hockey player’s risk of depression and burnout, a new study warns. Hockey players who’d suffered three or more concussions had twice the risk of depression symptoms than whose who’d never had a concussion, researchers found. They also faced three and a half times the risk of burnout symptoms, results showed.… read on > read on >
The weight-loss drug Ozempic can guard against kidney disease in obese people, a new study shows. Patients taking semaglutide — the active agent in Ozempic and Wegovy — had as much as a 52% reduction in kidney damage, as measured by urine testing, researchers reported Oct. 25 in the journal Nature Medicine. The results will… read on > read on >
An experimental electric bandage might help doctors stop bacterial infections without using any drugs, a new study suggests. Imperceptible low-level electric current applied through a skin patch caused a nearly 10 times reduction in amounts of Staphylococcus epidermidis, a common bacterium found on human skin, researchers reported Oct. 24 in the journal Device. “This opens… read on > read on >
Every minute spent waiting for a first shock from a defibrillator cuts the odds of surviving cardiac arrest by 6%, a new Dutch study finds. “Our research shows that every minute of delay in giving the first shock has a major impact,” said study first author says Remy Stieglis, a researcher at Amsterdam University Medical… read on > read on >
Halloween is meant to be a spooky season, but it can be downright terrifying to someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. “Halloween is full of scary sights and frightful sounds that create additional challenges for someone living with dementia, which is why being a proactive caregiver is so important,” said Jennifer Reeder, director of… read on > read on >
Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the at-home use of the flu vaccine spray FluMist, how do you know that it’s the right choice for you and your family? One expert offers advice on the spray’s efficacy and how to figure out if FluMist is your best bet against flu germs.… read on > read on >
