There’s yet another downside to global warming: Higher health care expenditures for medical scans on hot days. So report Canadian researchers who discovered that periods of heat and air pollution bumped up demand for X-rays and CT scans by about 5%. Over time, that could really add up, said lead researcher Dr. Kate Hanneman. She’s…  read on >  read on >

Two Wyoming abortion bans, including the first state law to prohibit the use of abortion pills, violate the state’s constitution, a judge ruled Monday. In her decision, Judge Melissa Owens, of Teton County District Court, wrote that both a ban on medication abortion and a broader ban on all methods of abortion “impede the fundamental…  read on >  read on >

Japanese researchers say they have found a pill that works as well as existing medication to prevent blood clots after heart valve surgery, with fewer trips to the doctor. Unlike warfarin, the standard treatment, edoxaban does not require regular monitoring of blood clotting activity and doesn’t interact with other meds. “Edoxaban could make life easier…  read on >  read on >

People using blood thinners to control their heart rhythm shouldn’t expect the medications to head off thinking declines as well, new research suggests. The study, presented Saturday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago, is the first large trial to investigate whether anti-clotting medication can lower the risk of mental decline, stroke…  read on >  read on >

Drugs already taken by millions of diabetes patients appear to also help slash asthma attacks by up to 70%, new British research shows. The two drugs are metformin, one of the most widely used diabetes medications, and the GLP-1 class of medications that include Ozempic, Mounjaro and Saxenda. A study of nearly 13,000 people with…  read on >  read on >

It’s long been known that certain structural qualities of the human heart — its size, chamber volume — can influence cardiovascular health. British scientists say they’re now discovering that the gene-directed shape of a person’s heart might matter, too. “This study provides new information on how we think about heart disease risk,” said study senior…  read on >  read on >