ChatGPT is likely to be hit-or-miss when it comes to figuring out symptoms for a particular illness, a new study says. The AI program has 49% to 61% accuracy when it comes to identifying symptoms associated with specific diseases, researchers reported recently in the journal iScience. This might have to do with how AIs like…  read on >  read on >

Updated opioid safety labeling is based on new data from two large postmarketing observational studies  read on >

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) begin experiencing new health issues up to 15 years before the classic signs of the illness appear, Canadian research shows. “MS can be difficult to recognize as many of the earliest signs — like fatigue, headache, pain and mental health concerns — can be quite general and easily mistaken for…  read on >  read on >

Long after floodwaters recede, the impact of flooding on the health of older adults is profound, new research shows.  Rates of hospitalizations for a range of conditions affecting the skin and nervous system, as well as poisonings, injuries or mental health woes were all elevated during and after major floods, according to a new data analysis.…  read on >  read on >

California’s emergency departments will be more clogged than ever as climate change pushes daily temperatures higher, a study finds. But there is one silver lining to the new research, however: Thousands of fewer deaths in California from extreme cold.  Nevertheless, high temperatures will also be flooding hospitals with patients as heat triggers injuries and worsens…  read on >  read on >

Pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack, Florida officials confirmed Thursday. The 71-year-old entertainer, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, died last week in Clearwater, Florida. The official cause of death was acute myocardial infarction, the medical term for a heart attack, according to records from the medical examiner  obtained by…  read on >  read on >

It’s no laughing matter: Kids and teens across America are increasingly inhaling nitrous oxide, better known as “laughing gas,” to get high.  Too often, this ends in tragedy. U.S. deaths linked to misuse of the common, legal inhalant climbed nearly sevenfold (578%) between 2010 and 2023, a new report finds.   In 2023, 156 Americans,…  read on >  read on >

There may be a connection between a community’s homicide and suicide rates: When murder rates rise, there’s typically a local uptick in suicides a year later, new U.S. research shows. These trends were especially strong for gun-related incidents, according to a team from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.  The findings suggest that “local violence…  read on >  read on >

A life-threatening condition involving out-of-control brain swelling can occur in kids who are battling the flu, but it’s extremely rare.  A review of recent cases highlights the importance of quick diagnosis and aggressive treatment to saving the lives of kids with the condition, called influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). “It is essential that doctors promptly…  read on >  read on >

State bans on enticing flavors of e-cigarettes bring real benefits in terms of lowering vaping among adults of any age, new research finds. But it points to a downside, too: A slowdown in statewide declines of cigarette smoking after flavored vapes were banned.  “Both e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes are essentially a source of nicotine for…  read on >  read on >