Insured Black patients are less likely to undergo minimally invasive heart valve replacement or repairs — relatively safe procedures — than their white counterparts, new research shows. Black patients who need a mitral valve replacement are more likely to have operations that involve opening the chest and cutting through the breastbone to reveal the heart,… read on > read on >
When a toddler or an infant accidentally ingests a prescription opioid medication, the immediate results can prove deadly, experts warn. But another new worrisome dynamic is afoot in the United States, a just-published study reveals: pediatric poisonings from a particularly lethal combo — a potent synthetic opioid known as fentanyl and a powerful veterinary sedative… read on > read on >
China plans to roll back some of its strict COVID-19 controls, including allowing more of its people to travel abroad. During the pandemic, the country has limited passports, allowing them only for family emergencies or some work travel, but the government announced Tuesday that it will begin taking applications for tourism passports on Jan. 8,… read on > read on >
It’s a scenario no parent would ever want to witness: Their child suffers a mental health crisis and is taken to the emergency room, only to have to wait 12 hours or more for the right medical care. Sadly, it is what 1 in 5 of these young patients now face, new research finds. “For… read on > read on >
While getting a COVID-19 vaccine provides antibodies against the coronavirus, getting a booster shot creates a longer-lasting antibody response, according to new research. “These results fit with other recent reports and indicate that booster shots enhance the durability of vaccine-elicited antibodies,” said senior researcher Dr. Jeffrey Wilson of the University of Virginia (UVA) Health division… read on > read on >
Many Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults may have trouble accessing health care and insurance because of language barriers, a new analysis indicates. In a new report by the Urban Institute and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, researchers found that more than 30% of people in this group had limited English proficiency… read on > read on >
For people with heart disease, new research suggests loneliness, social isolation and living alone can shave years off your life. This trio puts people with established cardiovascular disease at greater risk of premature death, according to the international study. Cardiovascular disease refers to heart disease and stroke. “Social health factors such as loneliness and social… read on > read on >
If you struggle with urinary incontinence and worry that diet drinks may make matters worse, new research suggests they may not have a significant effect. “This study is important in that it may guide clinicians counseling women with urinary incontinence to focus more on behavioral modifications, such as total volume intake, rather than on the… read on > read on >
U.S. communities with higher Hispanic, American Indian or Black populations also have the highest concentrations of metal in public water systems, new research reveals. Researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City found significantly higher arsenic and uranium levels in public drinking water in Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native communities… read on > read on >
The Mediterranean diet delivers plenty of health dividends, and new research now discovers it may lower complications during pregnancy. Specifically, women who stuck to the diet had a 21% overall reduced risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, delivery of a small baby and stillbirth, researchers report. “We know adverse pregnancy outcomes are becoming more… read on > read on >
