A new blood test might help doctors predict whether someone’s multiple sclerosis may soon get worse. The test looks for a substance called neurofilament light chain. It’s a nerve protein that can be detected when nerve cells die. People with higher levels of it were more likely to have worsening MS effects within the next… read on >
Carrying excess pounds can be painful, literally. A new study finds that being overweight or obese ups the risk of pain in people with musculoskeletal disorders. “Pain, osteoarthritis and weight share a complicated relationship,” said study author Dr. Diana Higgins. She’s a researcher with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine.… read on >
Boosting doses of opioid pain medicines doesn’t appear to benefit patients with chronic pain, researchers report. “What we found was that the pain relief the provider and the patient are going for really isn’t there when they increase their doses,” said study author Corey Hayes, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas College of… read on >
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (American Heart Association News) — Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis was reviewing paperwork at her office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when the headache started. It grew stronger and stronger and her eyes blurred, making it difficult to read. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with something. After work, Ferguson-Davis, then 41, drove home with… read on >
Lots of TV time, no PE classes, and a fridge full of food: It’s a recipe for weight gain for kids under “stay at home” rules. But there are ways parents can help them stay healthy, says registered dietitian Audrey Koltun. “During quarantine, we hear we should try to stay healthy, not overeat, and exercise,… read on >
Many people under stay-at-home orders have turned to online yoga as a way to manage the stress. And a new research review suggests they’re onto something. The review, of 19 clinical trials, focused on the benefits of yoga for people with clinical mental health conditions ranging from anxiety disorders to alcohol dependence to schizophrenia. Overall,… read on >
Some pregnant women with COVID-19 do become severely ill, and the risk may be elevated for those who were obese or had conditions like asthma before pregnancy, a new study suggests. As with all things COVID-19, researchers have had limited information on whether pregnancy puts women at any greater risk of severe illness — or… read on >
Without quick action, the new coronavirus could sicken up to a quarter-billion people in Africa during the pandemic’s first year and claim 190,000 lives, a new modeling forecast suggests. Up to 5.5 million people could require hospitalization, 140,000 could have severe COVID-19, and 89,000 would be critically ill, the World Health Organization study says. The… read on >
The more pregnancies losses a woman has, the greater her risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on nearly 25,000 Danish women who were born between 1957 and 1997 and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1977 to 2017. The women were compared with a control group of nearly 248,000 women… read on >
A combination drug therapy for COVID-19 aims to both prevent the virus from spreading inside the human body as well as quelling the immune system havoc that the germ wreaks. A U.S. federally funded clinical trial is testing whether the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir works better against COVID-19 if given with a powerful anti-inflammatory drug… read on >
