Your gut bacteria could affect your risk for the fatty deposits in heart arteries — and future heart attacks, researchers say. A new study finds a link between the levels of certain microbes in the gut and these coronary atherosclerotic plaques. Led by researchers from Uppsala and Lund Universities in Sweden, the study analyzed gut… read on > read on >
Racial discrimination may drive health inequities from an early age, according to researchers who found that it puts kids at risk for obesity. “Exposure to racial discrimination must be acknowledged as both a social determinant of obesity and a significant contributor to obesity disparities among children and adolescents,” said lead researcher Adolfo Cuevas. He is… read on > read on >
Ticks may be responsible for the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wisconsin’s deer population, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that ticks can harbor transmissible amounts of the protein particle that causes CWD, a fatal neurological disease seen in deer, elk and moose. The pathogen, prion,… read on > read on >
Treatment can control the symptoms of the most common type of glaucoma and save someone’s vision. The catch is that a person can’t feel the changes in eye pressure that can damage vision, so they often won’t know they even have it before it’s too late. That is, unless they’ve been seeing an eye doctor… read on > read on >
Call it a hand signal of sorts. New research from Germany shows that the common nerve disorder carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), may be a harbinger for heart failure among older folks. In a study of 164,000 people, those 60 years or older who had the condition, which causes pain, weakness and numbness in the hand… read on > read on >
More kids in the United States are getting a developmental disability diagnosis, with prevalence close to 9% in 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Among 3- to 17-year-olds, 8.56% have ever been diagnosed with a developmental disability, compared to 7.4% in 2019, according to the agency’s National Health Interview Survey. The… read on > read on >
Black women are more likely to die during or soon after childbirth due to systemic racism and sexism in the medical system, not genetics or lifestyle, according to the United Nations. A U.N. agency, the United Nations Population Fund, released a report on these issues after analyzing the health care experience for Black women during… read on > read on >
Low doses of the eyedrops ophthalmologists use to dilate your pupils during an eye exam are not able to slow the progression of nearsightedness (myopia) in children, a new clinical trial has found. Atropine eyedrops at a concentration of 0.01% did not outperform placebo drops in slowing either myopia progression or elongation of the eye… read on > read on >
Depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems sent record numbers of American kids, especially girls, to emergency rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once there, many waited days or even weeks to be admitted to the hospital, a new study reports. “The system was already stretched to begin with and then the pandemic hit and… read on > read on >
Older adults who regularly spend time with family and friends may have bigger brains to show for it, a new study suggests. Healthy brain aging is a complex matter, and researchers are still trying to understand which factors keep the mind sharp and which ones feed declines in memory and thinking. But a number of… read on > read on >
