Folks undergoing cardiac catheterization procedures to diagnose heart problems may be able to safely skip the traditional pre-op fasting that’s now the norm, new research shows. “Just as our techniques and technology for cardiac catheterization have evolved, so should our approach to pre-procedure management,” lead researcher Dr. Brian Mitchell said in a news release from… read on > read on >
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will spend $3 billion to help states and territories identify and replace lead water pipes. “The science is clear, there is no safe level of lead exposure, and the primary source of harmful exposure in drinking water is through lead pipes,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said, announcing… read on > read on >
After investigation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that the nation’s ground beef supply is so far testing negative for the presence of H5N1 avian flu. In a statement, the agency said that its Food Safety and Inspection Service tested 30 samples of ground beef from retail outlets in “states with dairy cattle herds that… read on > read on >
The number of American women who died at or soon after childbirth declined significantly in 2022, the latest government data shows, but the rate is still higher than pre-pandemic levels. The report from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics found that, in 2022, 817 women died within 42 days of the end of a… read on > read on >
A looming presidential election, continued economic struggles and the threat of gun violence have a rising number of Americans more anxious this year compared to last, a new poll finds. The survey, conducted in early April among 2,000 adults by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), found 43% of respondents saying they were more anxious this… read on > read on >
Giving your kid a drink, snack or small bag of fast food on the way home from day care might distract them during a busy commute, but it’s not doing their daily diet any favors, a new study warns. The hour after kids are picked up from day care stands out as a high-calorie, less… read on > read on >
Brianna Starr, 29, didn’t think twice about sunbathing without sunscreen, hoping to get a golden tan that to many connotes health and beauty. But when her sister was diagnosed with melanoma at the age of 19, she got serious about protecting her skin health, says Starr, a certified physician assistant at Orlando Health in Florida.… read on > read on >
Artificial intelligence might be able to help doctors by filling out rote paperwork, but it’s not going to be useful in the ER anytime soon, a new study shows. OpenAI’s ChatGPT program provided inconsistent conclusions when presented with simulated cases of patients with chest pain, researchers report. The AI returned different heart risk assessment levels… read on > read on >
Add one more damaging consequence of sleep apnea to the list: New research suggests it’s related to late-life epilepsy. Late-onset epilepsy is defined as seizures that tend to begin only after the age of 60. The condition might be related to underlying heart or brain illnesses, noted study co-author Dr. Rebecca Gottesman, chief of the… read on > read on >
The active chemical in magic mushrooms could prove to be a powerful antidepressant, a new review finds. Psilocybin outperformed a variety of “control” treatments in easing symptoms of depression, researchers reported May 1 in the BMJ. Those control groups received either placebo medications, the dietary supplement niacin (vitamin B), or microdoses of psychedelics. “This review’s… read on > read on >
