Everyday tasks like taking a shower or navigating stairs can be risky business for folks in the aftermath of a stroke. But grab bars, shower seats, ramps and other safety interventions allow many to live independently and reduce the risk of premature death, new research confirms.  One in eight stroke survivors die within a year…  read on >  read on >

A surgery that helps 7- to 10-year-olds with cerebral palsy walk also helps older kids and teens with the condition, a groundbreaking study shows. “We had thought that the older kids would not do as well, but there was really no difference in outcomes between the two groups,” said senior study author Dr. Robert Kay,…  read on >  read on >

They aren’t exactly ready to open a jungle clinic, but new research suggests wild chimpanzees are practicing a kind of medicine. Fifty-one chimps living in two communities in Uganda appear to select edible plants specifically for their medicinal qualities, reports a team led by Elodie Freymann of the University of Oxford in the UK. The…  read on >  read on >

Transgender and bisexual adults have rates of loneliness that are much higher than that of cisgender and heterosexual people, new data shows. Federal health data on U.S. adults from 2022 finds the highest rates of self-reported loneliness among people who identify as bisexual (56.7%) or transgender (rates ranging from 56.4% to 63.9%), according to researchers…  read on >  read on >

A Colombian family’s genetics are shining a spotlight on a gene that might help protect people from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. About 1,200 out of 6,000 family members carry a genetic variant called the “Paisa mutation,” which dooms them to early Alzheimer’s, researchers said. But 28 family members with the Paisa mutation dodged early…  read on >  read on >

Prostate medications might help reduce the risk of a specific type of dementia, a new study suggests. People were less likely to develop Lewy body dementia when taking drugs designed to treat urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, researchers reported June 19 in the journal Neurology. “These results are exciting, because right now there…  read on >  read on >

The yards of 1 in every 4 U.S. households have soil lead levels that exceed new federal lead screening levels of 200 parts per million (ppm), a new study finds. “I was shocked at how many households were above the new 200 ppm guideline,” said Gabriel Filippelli, a biochemist at Indiana University who led the…  read on >  read on >

A class of blood pressure medications appears to also help lower seniors’ risk of developing epilepsy, a new study finds. The drugs, called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), might prevent epilepsy in people at highest risk of the disease, researchers reported June 17 in the journal JAMA Neurology. “This is incredibly exciting because we don’t currently…  read on >  read on >

A record-breaking heat wave is spreading across the United States, baking the Northeast and Midwest with high temperatures and sweltering humidity. Everyone is at risk for heat-related illness as body temperatures rise, experts warn. Heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps can fell anyone who overheats. People who are outdoors for too long also might…  read on >  read on >