Cataract surgery could restore good vision to older people and by doing so cut their odds for potentially life-threatening falls, a new study finds. Folks who got the surgery had significantly lower odds for bone fractures and brain hemorrhages linked to falling compared to people with cataracts who didn’t get the operation, researchers report. The…  read on >  read on >

Experiments in sheep are hinting that doses of caffeine given to women in pregnancy, as well as their newborns after birth, could prevent cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a disabling condition often caused by asphyxia — reductions in oxygen supply — around the time of birth. Asphyxia can cause other neurodevelopmental disorders, as well. Researcher…  read on >  read on >

At-home brain stimulation therapy can safely and effectively treat severe to moderate depression, a new clinical trial shows. Rates of treatment response and depression remission were three times higher in people receiving the noninvasive brain stimulation, researchers said. “The study results bring promise that an innovative treatment modality may become available for patients suffering from…  read on >  read on >

Smokers find it easier to quit if they’re automatically offered support, even if they didn’t ask for it, a new clinical trial finds. Quit rates were higher among health system patients placed in an “opt-out” program, in which tobacco cessation medications and counseling are automatically prescribed upon learning they smoke, researchers found. It’s called an…  read on >  read on >

The skin condition eczema appears to be linked to a serious condition that can end in leg amputation, a new study finds. People with eczema are at significantly higher risk of developing peripheral vascular disease, researchers reported recently in the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. Peripheral vascular disease occurs in 11% of patients with eczema,…  read on >  read on >

The United States experienced a small but significant rise in infant deaths in the months following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturned Roe v. Wade, a new study shows. The Dobbs ruling, handed down in July of 2022, led to outright bans on abortion in 14 states and tighter restrictions in eight others. According to…  read on >  read on >

Teenagers are increasingly turning to protein-packed bars, shakes and powders to help them add muscle to their frames, a new study shows. Two in five parents say their teen consumed protein supplements in the past year, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Teen boys more…  read on >  read on >