AI programs can exhibit racial bias when evaluating patients for mental health problems, a new study says. Psychiatric recommendations from four large language models (LLMs) changed when a patient’s record noted they were African American, researchers recently reported in the journal NPJ Digital Medicine. “Most of the LLMs exhibited some form of bias when dealing… read on > read on >
Want your asthma to improve? Cultivate a positive outlook, researchers say. An asthma patient’s level of optimism or pessimism can influence how their symptoms progress, a new study says. People who expect their asthma and health to get worse wind up reporting more symptoms over time, researchers reported recently in the journal Health Expectations. This… read on > read on >
AAP maintains RFK Jr. violated federal law by unilaterally changing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations without scientific evidence read on >
If you shop at Costco, you may want to check your home for items that have recently been recalled. In the past few months, the retailer has flagged nearly a dozen products due to safety or health risks. Some were sold directly in Costco stores, while others were purchased through Costco Next, a program that… read on > read on >
There’s no evidence that common medications can trigger a chronic inflammatory bowel disease called microscopic colitis, a new study says. Microscopic colitis is responsible for more than 30% of all chronic diarrhea cases in seniors, and cases are rising worldwide, researchers said in background notes. Previous studies had suggested that a wide range of meds… read on > read on >
Older women carrying excess weight have a higher risk of a life-threatening double-whammy, a new study says. Women past menopause with a higher body mass index (BMI) were more likely to develop breast cancer if they had heart disease, researchers reported July 7 in the journal Cancer. BMI is an estimate of body fat based… read on > read on >
Two drugs used in lung cancer treatment appear to be tripping over each other, reducing patients’ chances for a cure, a new study says. Corticosteroids are commonly prescribed to alleviate cancer-related symptoms in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, researchers said. But these steroids appear to dampen the effectiveness of immunotherapy against lung cancer, researchers… read on > read on >
More Florida teens are roaming the streets packing heat, a new study says. Handgun carrying among Florida middle and high school students increased by 65% between 2002 and 2022, researchers reported July 7 in the journal Pediatrics. Teenage girls, middle school students and white children contributed substantially to this increase, researchers said. However, the study… read on > read on >
A single mood disorder might have driven a rapid increase in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, a new study says. Enrollment dramatically spiked after officials added anxiety to the list of conditions that could be treated with medical weed, researchers reported July 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Chronic pain had been the condition most… read on > read on >
Trump administration’s denial of visas for citizens of certain countries preventing medical residents from filling critical positions in U.S. hospitals read on >
