Philadelphia is seeing a surge in overdose fatalities involving heroin and/or fentanyl plus an animal tranquilizer not approved for human use, according to a new study. The tranquilizer — called xylazine — is a non-opioid sedative and painkiller approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration solely as a veterinary drug. In Philadelphia, it goes… read on > read on >
If pandemic-related stress has you grinding your teeth, you’re not alone. Dentists say tooth-grinding and jaw-clenching are on the rise due to the many challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve been seeing an increase in the number of patients looking for appointments to replace broken mouth guards” that have been cracked or chewed through,… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, Feb.3, 2021A majority of dermatology patients are happy with telehealth appointments in place of in-person office visits, a new study finds. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many medical specialties to move from in-person to online appointments, but dermatology had already seen increased use of telehealth visits over the last decade, according to the George… read on > read on >
Living in a noisy neighborhood with less green space negatively affects teens’ sleep, which may lead to poorer memory and thinking skills, according to a pair of studies. In a study on residential environment, researchers found that as noise levels steadily increased, so too did the time needed for teens to fall asleep. They also… read on > read on >
The great outdoors can soothe the soul, but new research suggests that working outside might also guard against breast cancer. The study wasn’t designed to say how working outside affects chances of developing breast cancer, but vitamin D exposure may be the driving force, the researchers suggested. “The main hypothesis is that sun exposure through… read on > read on >
The death rate among COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen since the start of the pandemic, largely because of better treatments. But a new study review suggests that those advances in care may have plateaued. The new analysis looked at data from 52 studies in North America, Europe, China and elsewhere, conducted up to… read on > read on >
Black and Hispanic children who land in the emergency room are less likely than white kids to receive X-rays, CT scans and other imaging tests, a new study finds. Looking at more than 13 million ER visits to U.S. children’s hospitals, researchers found that white children underwent imaging tests one-third of the time. That was… read on > read on >
College football players suffer more concussions and head hits in practice than they do actually playing the game, a new study suggests. Across five seasons of football, 72% of concussions and 67% of head impacts incurred by players on six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams happened during practice rather than on game… read on > read on >
Dr. Lisa Iezzoni is all too familiar with the discrimination that patients who have a disability can face: Having lived with multiple sclerosis for more than four decades and now in a wheelchair, she has also studied health care experiences and outcomes for people with disabilities for more than 20 years. But her new survey… read on > read on >
Stress levels are on the rise as Americans grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and bitter political divisions, a new American Psychological Association (APA) survey shows. On a 10-point scale where 1 means little to no stress and 10 means a great amount, adults’ average stress level clocked in at 5.6, according to the Stress in… read on > read on >
