Watch out for tall, fast-moving cars. The height of a vehicle, not only its speed, determines its potential danger to a pedestrian, new research shows. “Multiple factors — in this case speed and vehicle height—converge to create negative outcomes on the road,” said David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Measurements… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Are You a ‘Late Gift-Giver’? Study Finds Folks Mostly Don’t Mind
It can feel like a shameful moment, bracing yourself to hand over a Christmas or birthday gift that’s days or months overdue for one reason or another. But slackers take heart — a new study has found that your friend or loved one likely won’t be as upset about getting that late gift as you… read on > read on >
‘Ableism’ Prevents Many Americans From Getting Mental Health Care
Ableism, or prejudice against people with disabilities, is an established problem in general healthcare. Now, a small study shows those same issues persist in mental healthcare. Sometimes, the barriers to care are physical, such as inaccessible entrances or a lack of reliable transit. Other times, the hurdles are informational, such as hard-to-use online patient portals.… read on > read on >
Removing, Storing Patient’s Blood Before Liver Surgery Helps Avoid Transfusions
Canadian Rowan Ladd scratched her head when doctors said they might bank a blood donation from her at the start of her 2022 liver surgery, but she figured it couldn’t hurt. “You’re told before surgery that the liver is so full of blood vessels that there are risks of major bleeding,” Ladd, a 46-year-old Ottawa… read on > read on >
Wildfire Smoke Is Choking America’s Cities — Is Yours on the List?
Heavy smoke from wildfires more frequently chokes the skies over the Western United States, but cities farther to the east are no longer being spared, new research shows. Canada’s unusually intense 2023 wildfire season smothered American cities as far off as Baltimore and New York City, according to research presented Tuesday at the American Geophysical… read on > read on >
GLP-1 Meds May Lower Clot Risk in People With Diabetes
People with diabetes who are taking GLP-1 meds such as Ozempic or Mounjaro may be getting an added bonus: Reductions in their odds for a dangerous blood clot, new research finds. The study found that folks with diabetes who were using the drugs lowered their odds for a form of clot called venous thromboembolism (VTE)… read on > read on >
1 in 6 U.S. Adults With Asthma Can’t Afford Meds
Over 3 million Americans with asthma can’t afford to take their medications as prescribed, a new poll estimates. In total, about 1 in 6 folks with asthma are struggling to cover the costs of inhalers and other medications, according to survey results published Dec. 9 in the journal Thorax. The findings are troubling because people… read on > read on >
Teens, Booze and E-Scooters: A Rising Threat as Injuries Crowd ERs
Inebriated e-scooter and e-bike users, many of them teens, are increasingly showing up in the nation’s emergency rooms, new research shows. Overall, rates of injuries from these “micromobility” devices have tripled in recent years — from close to 23,000 in 2019 to nearly 66,000 by 2022, the new study found. Alcohol use was a factor… read on > read on >
1 in 3 Older Americans Say They Feel Lonely, Poll Finds
If you are middle-aged or older, you may often feel lonely and isolated as you deal with the strains of daily life. Now, a new survey suggests you are far from alone: More than one-third of middle-aged and senior Americans feel that way. The good news? That means that loneliness and isolation has mostly returned… read on > read on >
One Type of Blood Pressure Med May Help Prevent Post-Stroke Epilepsy
Some people develop epilepsy after surviving a stroke, as the injury they’ve sustained causes scarring and disorganized electrical activity in their brains. But one type of blood pressure medication seems to help stroke survivors avoid post-stroke epilepsy (PSE), according to a first-of-its-kind study presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society in… read on > read on >