Some smokers who take up vaping may give up tobacco cigarettes altogether — without ever intending to, a new study suggests. The researchers see this as a hopeful sign that daily use of e-cigarettes can play a role in helping people quit smoking. “Our study focused on smokers who were not planning to ever quit… read on > read on >
New antiviral pills for COVID-19 recently authorized for emergency use in high-risk people by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should give doctors an easier means of keeping people out of the hospital. But the initial hype is giving way to reality, as doctors and public health officials grapple with the challenges of getting the… read on > read on >
In an update that illustrates just how challenging it is to track the spread of a fast-moving virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday lowered its estimate of how prevalent the Omicron variant is in the United States. The latest agency data pegs Omicron’s prevalence at 59%, a sharp drop from… read on > read on >
Early research suggests that some rapid COVID-19 tests may be less able to detect the Omicron variant, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. To come to that conclusion, the agency used samples from patients confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant to see how well the rapid antigen tests work. In a… read on > read on >
Hearing loss can happen with advancing age, but fewer American women appear to be affected now than in the past. Researchers who studied hearing loss between 2008 and 2017 found in the earliest of those years, 16.3% of older U.S. adults reported serious hearing loss. But by 2017 that had dropped to 14.8%, or 739,000… read on > read on >
Researchers say they may be closer than ever to detecting ovarian cancer earlier and improving the odds for women with this life-threatening disease. In a new study, scientists used stem cells created from the blood samples of women with BRCA mutations and ovarian cancer to fashion a model of fallopian tube tissue. There, they found… read on > read on >
Having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can make communication a challenge, and some of these children are also deaf, making social interactions even more daunting. But new research suggests that cochlear implants can go a long way toward helping these kids understand speech and connect with others. A long-term survey that followed 30 children who had… read on > read on >
While climate change calls to mind extreme weather and melting polar ice caps, government officials’ inaction to stop it is also affecting the mental health of young people, new research reveals. “This study paints a horrific picture of widespread climate anxiety in our children and young people. It suggests for the first time that high… read on > read on >
A program meant to encourage the use of a drug that can help people overcome opioid addiction led to dramatic increases in its use in emergency rooms, researchers report. Buprenorphine is a medication that stabilizes opioid withdrawal and soothes cravings. Using it can help people with opioid use disorder stay engaged with care, while reducing… read on > read on >
Every year in the United States, a few hundred children die suddenly and without explanation. Now researchers have found gene variants that may contribute to some of those tragic deaths. The hope, experts said, is that understanding the underlying mechanisms will eventually lead to ways to save lives. Since the 1990s, the term SIDS —… read on > read on >
