Laboratory tests used by millions of Americans are soon to be classified as medical devices, and as such be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced Monday. The new rule does not apply to tests and kits made by big medical device manufacturers — those already face FDA review. Instead, the… read on > read on >
Live bird flu virus has not been found in any of the first batch of retail milk samples tested, federal health officials said Friday. Amid an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in U.S. dairy cows, the early findings should reassure the public that the milk sold in stores remains safe, officials added. In the online… read on > read on >
A long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes has been delayed indefinitely, the Biden administration said Friday. “This rule has garnered historic attention, and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” U.S. Health and Human Service Secretary Xavier Becerra said in… read on > read on >
A blood test could help doctors spot the signs of knee osteoarthritis at least eight years before it shows up on X-rays, a new study claims. After analyzing the blood of 200 white British women, half diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and half without, researchers discovered a small number of biomarkers distinguished the women with osteoarthritis… read on > read on >
People worry about contracting Lyme disease from ticks, but they should be concerned for their furry friends as well, veterinarians say. Dogs throughout the United States are increasingly vulnerable to the tick-borne illness, say experts from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Lyme disease was traditionally thought to be limited mostly to… read on > read on >
Syphilis cases are on the rise in the United States, and doctors in Chicago say they are increasingly seeing cases that don’t display typical symptoms, such as rash or skin ulcers. Instead, patients are presenting with headaches or disruptions in their vision or hearing, said a team co-led by Dr. Amy Nham. She’s a first… read on > read on >
Global vaccination efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives, including 101 million infants, a new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows. Immunization has contributed more to the health and survival of newborns than any other medical advance, researchers concluded. The measles vaccine has had the most significant impact on reducing infant… read on > read on >
Researchers have conclusively identified the genetic cause of a rare, progressive movement disorder. A rare extra-long version of a gene appears to cause nerve cells to become poisoned by toxic proteins in people with spinocerebellar ataxia 4 (SCA4), researchers report. SCA4 causes muscle weakness and difficulty coordinating body movement, most notably resulting in a jerky… read on > read on >
Current and former smokers might lower their risk for emphysema if they adopt a highly nutritional plant-based diet, a new study shows. People with a history of smoking who adopted a plant-based diet had a 56% lower risk of developing emphysema, compared to those who ate more meat, researchers report. Further, the more veggies and… read on > read on >
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is clamping down on salmonella bacteria found in breaded, stuffed raw chicken products, with the agency issuing a final rule on the issue Friday. The agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has declared salmonella an “adulterant” if the amount of it in a product exceeds a very low level.… read on > read on >
