In a finding that demonstrates the power of a mother’s touch, new research shows that immediate and continuous skin-to-skin contact with mom reduces the risk of death for low-weight newborns in poorer nations. “The idea of giving skin-to-skin contact immediately after delivery to very small, unstable babies has encountered quite strong resistance, but about 75%… read on > read on >
About 1 in 10 U.S. cancer survivors delays follow-up care because they can’t afford associated medical bills, even if they’re insured. That’s the conclusion from an analysis of data from more than 5,400 survivors of various cancers. Most were insured, college-educated and had annual incomes above the national average. Their average age was 67, and… read on > read on >
Adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder, a common mental health condition known as OCD, may have more than triple the risk of having a stroke, according to a new report from Taiwanese researchers. As to why, the study authors aren’t sure. The investigators speculate that other mental health problems suffered by OCD patients — “comorbidities” such as… read on > read on >
Angry outbursts at the office, threats made in everyday interactions: New research using data from hundreds of studies suggests folks who act out in this way often have narcissistic traits. They don’t even have to rate high in narcissism to be prone to aggressive behavior, the research team found. “Those who are high in narcissism… read on > read on >
An experimental antibody therapy may help ease skin symptoms from the autoimmune disease lupus, a small preliminary trial suggests. Researchers found that a higher-dose version of the drug spurred a “clinically meaningful” symptom improvement for 87% of patients after one month. But they also stressed that the findings are based on a small “phase 1”… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, May 27, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Soon after turning 21, Jacob York and his buddies from the University of Missouri were in Miami Beach, Florida, for spring break. They spent their days by the shore and nights at the bar. So when he felt an incredibly sore throat and a headache, he… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, May 27, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Harmful secondhand tobacco smoke remains more widespread than most people think, experts say, and exposure is particularly high for children, Black adults and people living below the poverty line. One of the biggest hurdles is smokers often underestimate the levels of exposure and the effects on… read on > read on >
A third antibody treatment designed to keep high-risk COVID-19 patients from winding up in the hospital was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday. Importantly, in lab tests the newly authorized drug, dubbed sotrovimab, neutralized the highly infectious virus variant that is crippling India, as well as variants first… read on > read on >
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 >
