The chance of dying from a common heart rhythm disorder is higher for people treated at rural rather than urban hospitals, a new study finds. The researchers analyzed data from hospitalizations for the heart ailment known as atrial fibrillation — or a-fib — in the United States between 2012 and 2014. A-fib can lead to… read on >
Coming just days after reports of a gene therapy that pushed the bleeding disorder hemophilia B into remission, new research suggests the same could be true for adults with the “A” form of the disease. That’s significant because, due to the complexities of the gene responsible for hemophilia A, experts had thought it might be… read on >
If your pooch responds well to your smiling face, the “love hormone” oxytocin might have something to do with it, new research suggests. Produced naturally by humans and dogs, the hormone “influences what the dog sees and how it experiences the thing it sees,” said study co-author Sanni Somppi. She’s a graduate student at the… read on >
Hospital operating rooms produce thousands of tons of greenhouse gases each year, but changing the type of anesthesia used in surgery can help lower those emissions, researchers report. For the study, investigators assessed the carbon footprint of operating rooms at three hospitals: Vancouver General Hospital in Canada; University of Minnesota Medical Center in the United… read on >
As a parent, you may worry most about your kids when they aren’t with you. But many of the falls that send a million children to the ER each year happen at home. Plenty of these accidents involve falls from beds, chairs, baby walkers, bouncers, changing tables and high chairs. Some of these injuries are… read on >
Norovirus is a highly-contagious germ that triggers vomiting and diarrhea. It tends to lurk in confined areas, such as on cruise ships and in college dorms. Each year in the United States, norovirus causes up to 21 million illnesses, about 70,000 hospitalizations and as many as 800 deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and… read on >
As the baby boomer population ages, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease will double by 2060, researchers report. The study findings, which show cases of Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment going from 6 million this year to 15 million in four decades, highlight the need to better identify people with a brain-related disease, and… read on >
In a challenge to current medical practice, new research suggests the use of powerful clot-busting drugs in people with dangerous leg clots may not be routinely warranted. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) – the development of a clot in the lower legs – can prove deadly, since the clot can travel to the heart and lungs.… read on >
THURSDAY, Dec. 7, 2017Some common breast cancer medications can trigger joint pain, but new research suggests acupuncture may ease that side effect. The finding could be a win-win for breast cancer patients, said one oncologist who reviewed the study. “Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and has no real downside,” said Dr. Lauren… read on >
The doctor who diagnosed Grace Anne Koppel with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) didn’t pull any punches. She should start getting her affairs in order, because she only had three to five years left due to her incurable lung disease. Expect to be hospitalized and on full-time oxygen support within a couple of years. “If… read on >
