People taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy need to drop them in the days or weeks prior to surgery, a new study warns. Folks on one of these drugs — known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — have a 33% higher risk of developing pneumonia by breathing in their own vomit during surgery, researchers found.… read on > read on >
There has been a troubling rise in cases of a rare bacterial illness that can cause meningitis, U.S. health officials warned Thursday. In an alert issued to doctors, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 422 cases of one type of invasive meningococcal disease in 2023, the most seen since 2014.… read on > read on >
Tuberculosis cases are on the rise in the United States, with the number of reported infections in 2023 the highest seen in a decade. Forty states logged an increase in tuberculosis (TB) cases, and rates were up among all age groups, the study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. More than 9,600… read on > read on >
Artificial intelligence programs could be an effective way to relieve the paperwork burden that keeps doctors from seeing more patients, a new study finds. The AI program Chat GPT can write administrative medical notes up to ten times faster than doctors without compromising the quality of the reports, Swiss researchers report. Human orthopedic doctors and… read on > read on >
Children who are obese face double the odds of developing multiple sclerosis later in life, a new study warns. The overall odds for any one child to develop the neurodegenerative illness remains very low. However, the Swedish researchers believe the link could help explain rising rates of MS. “There are several studies showing that MS… read on > read on >
Folks suffering from dry eyes might have a problem with the naturally occurring bacteria found on the surface of their eyes, a new study suggests. There are key differences in the microbes found on dye eye patients compared to folks with normal eyes, researchers found. “Once we understand the eye microbiota properly, it will improve… read on > read on >
Some pain-relieving skin products contain potentially harmful doses of the numbing agent lidocaine and should be avoided, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. These creams, gels, sprays and soaps are marketed for topical use to relieve the pain of cosmetic procedures like microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, tattooing and piercing, the FDA said. The agency… read on > read on >
Ever immersed yourself in a book and lost all sense of the time and place you’re currently in? That’s how reading can meld with mindfulness, one neuropsychologist explains. The experience can bring real mental health benefits, said Dr. Samantha Henry, an assistant professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “Reading is a… read on > read on >
A strain of highly antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea first emerged in China in 2016, and cases of this tough-to-treat infection have tripled there in just five years, Chinese researchers report. It’s a warning to the rest of the world, they said. Strains resistant to the first-line treatment ceftriaxone (and many other antibiotics) “have spread internationally and collaborative… read on > read on >
Dr. Gary Gibbon didn’t have long to live. A harsh cocktail of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy for his advanced lung cancer had permanently destroyed his lungs and caused irreparable damage to his liver. But Gibbon, a 69-year-old resident of Santa Monica, Calif., remains alive thanks to a groundbreaking, combined lung-liver transplant, according to his doctors… read on > read on >
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