The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat yeast ear infections in dogs. DuOtic is also the first ear infection medication that does not contain an antibiotic, the FDA said in its approval announcement. The drug will allow veterinarians to avoid using antibiotics when treating dogs with yeast-only ear infections,…  read on >  read on >

People with dementia — and their caregivers — need active social lives to stay healthy, a new study reports. However, researchers found that both dementia patients and their caregivers had declining social connections as the disease progressed. Patients’ social networks faltered, as failing memory made conversation difficult, causing family and friends to become uncomfortable in…  read on >  read on >

Artificial intelligence tools don’t always help radiologists better review a patient’s X-rays or CT scans, a new study claims. AI has been touted as a potential means of improving doctors’ ability to interpret medical images, the researchers said. However, the benefits of AI vary from doctor to doctor, and in some cases it can interfere…  read on >  read on >

Middle-aged Americans are lonelier than ever, with new research showing they are even more isolated than some of their peers in Europe. That does not bode well for their health. “Loneliness is gaining attention globally as a public health issue because elevated loneliness increases one’s risk for depression, compromised immunity, chronic illness and [premature death],”…  read on >  read on >

There may be an unexpected fix for ongoing shortages of insulin: A brown bovine in Brazil recently made history as the first transgenic cow able to produce human insulin in her milk. “Mother Nature designed the mammary gland as a factory to make protein really, really efficiently,” explained study leader Matt Wheeler, a professor of…  read on >  read on >

High school students who use tobacco and cannabis products miss more school and have lower grades than classmates who use them individually or not at all. That’s the conclusion of a study by researchers at UC Davis Health. “Substance use is a main predictor of educational outcomes, including absenteeism,” said first study author Melanie Dove,…  read on >  read on >

Breathing and relaxation techniques may offer relief to some patients battling Long COVID. In a new, small study of 20 patients, biofeedback therapy relieved both the physical and psychological symptoms of Long COVID, researchers said. Many participants had been dealing with symptoms for more than a year. “Our biggest hope is that we’ve identified a…  read on >  read on >

Astronauts who have never had headaches may develop migraines and other tension-type headaches for the first time when they go into space. A side effect of zero gravity, these headaches start with motion sickness as astronauts adapt to long-haul space flight, according to new research published March 13 in the journal Neurology.  “Changes in gravity…  read on >  read on >