Exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of developing dementia, according to a review of prior research. The new Harvard study is the latest look at a host of health issues — from dementia to heart disease and stroke — linked to pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), as well as nitrogen oxide… read on > read on >
It’s highly unlikely, but COVID-19 can be transmitted from mother to baby through the placenta, causing injury to the developing fetus’ brain, a new study finds. Researchers shared two unusual cases among hundreds of pregnant and delivering mothers they saw who were infected with COVID. In both cases, the infants tested negative for COVID at… read on > read on >
Where a woman lives in the United States has a lot to do with whether she has severe maternal complications from childbirth, according to new research using Medicaid data. Her race or ethnicity also greatly affects this, researchers found. “Near misses” — where complications could have led to the death of the woman during pregnancy… read on > read on >
(HealthDay News) – Two ongoing outbreaks of Marburg virus in Africa prompted U.S. health officials to issue an alert on Thursday for doctors to be on the lookout for any cases that might surface in the coming weeks. The virus causes a deadly hemorrhagic disease that is similar to Ebola. The U.S. Centers for Disease… read on > read on >
For what they say is the first time, British researchers report that they have found the spread of COVID-19 in households is linked to the presence of the virus on hands and surfaces, not just in the air. The investigators collected data from households at the height of the pandemic, finding that people were much… read on > read on >
Four out of 10 people who have lingering health issues after COVID-19 infection can count bothersome sleep problems among them. About 41% of those with so-called long COVID have moderate to severe sleep issues, according to new research from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Black patients are three times more likely to develop these sleep… read on > read on >
New research suggests that gender and money matter when it comes to getting a last-resort treatment after mechanical ventilation. Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the study found that certain groups are more likely to receive advanced pulmonary support through ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). Who is more likely to get it? Men, those… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday formally withdrew its approval of a drug that was meant to prevent preterm births. Sold as Makena, the drug was first approved in 2011 under the FDA’s accelerated approval program, but subsequent research questioned the medication’s effectiveness and noted serious side effects that included blood clots and… read on > read on >
A therapy that arms the immune system to find and destroy tumor cells has shown early promise against a rare and aggressive childhood cancer. Experts called the findings “promising.” But they cautioned that much larger studies are needed to see whether and how the treatment can fit into battling the cancer, called neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma begins… read on > read on >
Scientists have created an embryo-like structure using monkey embryonic stem cells for the first time, part of an effort to better understand early human development and organ formation. The researchers created the structures in a lab in China and then transferred them into the uteruses of female monkeys, according to a report published April 6… read on > read on >
