The doctor tapped at his computer, ordering a routine prostate exam for an 80-year-old man, when a dramatic yellow alert popped up on the patient’s electronic health record. “You are ordering a test that no guideline recommends,” it warned. “Screening with PSA can lead to harms from diagnostic and treatment procedures. If you proceed without… read on > read on >
While marriage can be hard work, a new survey suggests it can also be a powerful elixir for happiness. Adults who are married report being more satisfied with their lives than those in any other type of relationship, the Gallup poll showed. “Any way you analyze those data, we see a fairly large and notable advantage to… read on > read on >
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is cracking down on air pollution. Specifically, the agency introduced a tougher air quality standard that takes aim at fine particulate matter — the tiny bits of pollution that can penetrate the lungs — by lowering the allowable annual concentration of the deadly pollutant that each… read on > read on >
Dementia care can eat through the savings of cash-strapped seniors, a new study warns. The average senior with dementia in non-nursing residential care facilities spent 97% of their monthly income on long-term care, researchers found. Meanwhile, those living in nursing homes spend nearly 83% of their monthly income on their care, results show. “Because dementia… read on > read on >
U.S. research into gun violence has started to expand following the ending of a two-decade drought of federal funding for such studies, a new report finds. Firearms violence studies had been stymied by severe restrictions on federal funding adopted by Congress in 1996, the researchers said. But those restrictions began to loosen in the mid-2010s,… read on > read on >
America’s most popular cold medications contain a nasal decongestant that doesn’t work, creating a knotty dilemma for regulators, a new study reports. Cold remedies containing phenylephrine remain consumers’ most popular choice, despite decades of concern that the decongestant simply isn’t effective, researchers say. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to pull phenylephrine… read on > read on >
Filling the day with simple activities could be the key to improving mood and well-being after a person has suffered the loss of a loved one, a new study finds. These “uplifts” — activities that can improve a person’s mood — helped ease grief on a day-to-day basis, researchers reported recently in the journal Applied… read on > read on >
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who helped Americans navigate the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, will reflect on his career in a memoir set for release this summer. His publisher, Viking, announced that the book, titled “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” will go on sale June 18. “I hope that this memoir will… read on > read on >
Preliminary data from the largest survey examining the quality of life for transgender and nonbinary Americans show they suffer high levels of unemployment and harassment. In the early findings, released Wednesday, the National Center for Transgender Equality gathered responses on 600 questions from more than 92,000 transgender and nonbinary Americans, age 16 and up, from… read on > read on >
Could drugs that give a boost to men’s sexual performance help them stave off Alzheimer’s disease? That’s the main finding from a study suggesting that erectile dysfunction meds like Cialis, Levitra and Viagra might lower the odds for the memory-robbing illness. The study wasn’t designed to prove cause-and-effect, cautioned British researchers at University College London.… read on > read on >
