Patients facing relatively simple outpatient surgeries are nonetheless being told to undergo a number of preoperative tests that just aren’t necessary, a new study reports. More than half of a group of patients facing low-risk outpatient surgery received one or more tests — blood work, urinalysis, an electrocardiogram (EKG), a chest X-ray — prior to… read on > read on >
Each city has its individual mix of tell-tale microbes, new research shows. “If you gave me your shoe, I could tell you with about 90% accuracy the city in the world from which you came,” said study senior author Christopher Mason, director of the WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction in New York City. His team… read on > read on >
There was a sharp drop in testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that could translate into a future rise in cases, researchers say. “The quickest way for people to spread STIs is to not know that they have one,” said study author Casey Pinto, an assistant… read on > read on >
Rising temperatures caused by climate change could trigger a worldwide increase in stillbirths, researchers warn. The team at the University of Queensland in Australia analyzed 12 studies on the subject. They found that exposure to extremely high temperatures throughout pregnancy appeared to increase risk of stillbirth, particularly late in pregnancy. “Overall, risk of stillbirth appears… read on > read on >
The U.S. government and nonprofits are replacing drug companies as the main drivers of Alzheimer’s disease research, two new studies show. The findings are from an analysis of national data by Jeffrey Cummings, a research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Integrated Health Sciences. In one study, his team found that… read on > read on >
A ban on flavored vaping products in San Francisco may have increased high school students’ use of conventional cigarettes, according to a new study. In 2018, voters in the city overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure banning the sale of flavored tobacco products. An analysis of 2011-2019 data on high school students younger than 18 found… read on > read on >
It’s known that genetics and lifestyle can affect your heart health. Now, researchers say, your birth order and family size may also have an impact. A new Swedish study found that first-born children had a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes than their younger brothers and sisters. But having many siblings was associated with… read on > read on >
If you land in the hospital with a COVID-19 infection, there’s a good chance you’ll still be suffering symptoms months later, researchers report. A wide swath of lingering health issues plagued more than 70% of these patients, investigators found. “Early on, we completely ignored the long-term consequences of getting sick with this virus,” said study… read on > read on >
A widely used medicine for autoimmune diseases may lower people’s immune response to the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, a new study suggests. The drug, called methotrexate, is often given to patients with immune-mediated inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis. “Our findings suggest that different strategies may need to be explored in patients… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, May 26, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Less than half of U.S. women entering pregnancy have good heart health, and those rates are falling, according to new research. Experts already knew poor heart health can have dire consequences for mothers-to-be. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of a mother’s death during pregnancy and… read on > read on >
