An Oregonian who was diagnosed with the bubonic plague — the disease that killed millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages — probably got it from an infected pet cat, health officials said. The patient and all close contacts have been provided medication, officials in Deschutes County, Ore., stated in a health notice, and people… read on > read on >
Alaska health officials say a man in that state has died after contracting Alaskapox, a rare virus that mostly infects small mammals. In a statement, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology said the patient was “an elderly man from the Kenai Peninsula with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression” due to cancer treatments. “This is the first… read on > read on >
Being a class clown is something that humans likely inherited from their ape ancestors millions of years before the first banana-peel prank, a new study claims. Everyone’s seen kids tease one other, whether they’re poking, pulling hair or engaging in the time-old ritual of “I’m not touching you!” This sort of playful teasing also occurs… read on > read on >
New, proposed guidance being weighed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to routinely stay home for five days. This is the first time the agency has even considered loosening its COVID isolation guidelines since 2021, and the thinking behind the possible shift… read on > read on >
Aromatherapy might be able to improve memory and help treat depression Depressed individuals better recalled specific personal memories after exposed to scents These memories could help them rewire their thought patterns Aromatherapy might be able to help people recover from depression by helping them more clearly recall specific, often positive, memories, a new study shows.… read on > read on >
Everyone’s heard of fighting fire with fire. Now that tactic is coming to breast cancer treatment. Researchers think they’ve figured out a better way to fight breast cancer fueled by the female hormone estrogen – by employing mechanisms used by the male hormone androgen. An experimental drug called enobosarm stimulates the androgen receptor on cancer… read on > read on >
Acupuncture may protect people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from stroke, new research suggests. The study indicates that a course of acupuncture treatment may lower blood levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines that are linked to heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in people with RA. “Inflammation is a consistent and independent predictor of… read on > read on >
School districts could be severely underestimating how many kids are homeless in their communities, allowing those children to fall through the cracks, a new study warns. Schools around the United States report that more than 1.2 million students are homeless every year. But the information gathered by the districts isn’t enough to accurately track homelessness,… read on > read on >
When bullies destroy a young victim’s trust, mental health problems are likely to follow them into adulthood, a new study warns. “There are few public health topics more important than youth mental health right now,” said senior study author George Slavich, director of UCLA Health’s Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research, who called for investments… read on > read on >
As if painful migraines, hot flashes and night sweats weren’t bad enough, many women in menopause are facing a significantly bigger threat. New research suggests that women with both migraines and vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) are significantly more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. “There is a critical need… read on > read on >
