Babies who die unexpectedly in their sleep often are subjected to many hazards that could have contributed to their deaths, a new study reports. Multiple unsafe sleep practices are at play in three-quarters (76%) of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID), according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics. These include sharing a bed with… read on > read on >
The #MeToo movement has done little to blunt sexual harassment among health care professionals, a pair of new studies report. More than half of all new doctors are subjected to sexual harassment during their first year on the job, researchers say. That includes nearly three-quarters of female doctors and a third of male doctors just… read on > read on >
Australian researchers say they have identified a gene mutation that causes the skin disease psoriasis. A chronic inflammatory condition, psoriasis causes red, scaly, itchy patches on the skin. Some patients also develop psoriatic arthritis, a condition marked by joint pain, swelling and stiffness. But researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) who have identified the… read on > read on >
Even a slight rise in a specific type of beneficial gut bacteria can help people ward off serious infections, a new study reports. For every 10% increase in butyrate-producing bacteria in a patient’s gut, their risk of hospitalization for infection drops between 14% and 25%, researchers are scheduled to report at a major European medical… read on > read on >
It’s well-known that dogs can learn words for spoken commands like “sit,” “stand” and “heel.” But a new study has found they also can tell their “ball-ball” from their “dolly,” “teddy,” “chewy” or “squeaky squeak.” Brain scans reveal that dogs generally know that certain words stand for certain objects, researchers reported March 22 in the… read on > read on >
Vitamin supplements are a big business, with Americans spending roughly $45 billion out of more than $177 billion worldwide on pills, gummies and powders meant to boost health. About 59 million Americans regularly use some type of vitamin or supplement, spending an average $510 each year. But most folks are wasting that money, experts say.… read on > read on >
Medicare will now cover the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy if patients using it also have heart disease, U.S. officials announced Thursday. The move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s application to add cardiovascular benefits to the medicine’s label earlier this month. As a result, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid… read on > read on >
A surgical treatment used to treat conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and back sciatica might also help relieve the pain of patients with diabetic neuropathy, a new study finds. Surgical nerve decompression significantly eased pain among a small group of people with diabetic neuropathy for up to five years, researchers report. In the surgery, researchers… read on > read on >
Some people diagnosed with schizophrenia might instead be suffering from a rare visual condition that can cause other people’s faces to appear “demonic,” a new study argues. The condition, called prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), can cause others’ facial features to appear horrific — drooped, larger, smaller, out of position or stretched in disturbing ways. “Not surprisingly, people… read on > read on >
Working stiffs in the United States are dying at higher rates than those in other wealthy nations, a new study finds. Death rates among working-age Americans are 2.5 times higher than the average of other high-income countries, researchers report in the March 21 issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology. These deaths among people ages… read on > read on >
