A common herb that makes your favorite feline high may hold the key to a mosquito-free summer in your backyard. Researchers say catnip is as effective as synthetic insect repellents, including DEET, and they report why this common member of the mint family drives bugs positively buggy. The active ingredient in catnip — nepetalactone —… read on > read on >
(Healthday News) — In a finding that suggests overweight people should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines, a new report released Thursday shows the risk of death from coronavirus infection is about 10 times higher in countries where most of the population is overweight. The World Obesity Federation report found that 88 percent of deaths due… read on > read on >
Like many people this past year, teenager Tyona Montgomery began experiencing a sore throat and a loss of sense of smell and taste in November that suggested she might have COVID-19. A positive test confirmed it, but she quickly felt better. Then, just two weeks later, new symptoms surged. She was disoriented, with a headache… read on > read on >
Concussions can increase the long-term risk of a wide range of sleep disorders, a new study indicates. Researchers looked at more than 98,700 U.S. veterans diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the same number of veterans with no history of TBI. The brain injuries ranged from mild TBI (concussion) to severe. None of… read on > read on >
Who is more likely to relapse after opioid addiction treatment — women or men? A new study that followed 1,100 recovering opioid users reveals that their risks are different. The researchers followed the men and women for one year after treatment at more than 100 substance-use treatment facilities across the United States. During that time,… read on > read on >
If your teen seems disinterested in school, new research suggests there’s a good chance that things will get better over time. “Our results point to a more hopeful picture for students who start out with lower levels of motivation,” said study senior author Kui Xie, a professor of educational studies at Ohio State University in… read on > read on >
Women with type 1 diabetes may have a shorter length of time to conceive and bear children compared to those without the disease, new research suggests. The hormone insulin plays an important part in regulating female reproductive function, and people with type 1 diabetes don’t make enough insulin on their own. But little was known… read on > read on >
For helping Parkinson’s patients improve their balance and mobility, golf may beat the martial art exercise tai chi, a new, small study reveals. “Exercise is well-known to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease,” said study author Dr. Anne-Marie Wills, noting it helps to improve gait, balance and fatigue, while offering a measure of depression relief.… read on > read on >
The first U.S. case of a Brazilian COVID-19 variant that doctors fear can re-infect the previously sick surfaced in Minnesota in early January 2021, and the more infectious variant has since been found in four other states, a new government report says. Known as the P.1 variant, it first appeared in a Minnesotan who’d recently… read on > read on >
Teenagers who vape pot are more likely to wheeze and cough than those who smoke or vape nicotine, new survey data reveals. Reports from U.S. kids 12 to 17 show they have a higher risk of wheezing, suffering from a dry cough, and having their sleep, speech or exercise impeded by wheezing if they vape… read on > read on >
