When doctors advise patients to lose weight, an optimistic approach is more likely to get results. Researchers found that patients were more likely to participate in the recommended program and shed pounds if doctors presented obesity treatments as an “opportunity.” They compared that upbeat approach to emphasizing the negative consequences of obesity or using neutral…  read on >  read on >

Patients with osteoarthritis in their thumbs can get good long-term outcomes with orthotics and exercise therapy, and avoid surgery at the same time, new research shows. “Our findings support nonsurgical treatment as the first treatment choice and suggest that treatment effects are sustainable” in patients with problems in the thumb carpometacarpal joint, said study author…  read on >  read on >

Many people with type 2 diabetes also struggle with depression, and this combination can lead to premature death, researchers say. “More than 35 million Americans have diabetes, and more than 95 million have prediabetes, making diabetes one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.,” said study co-author Jagdish Khubchandani. He is a professor…  read on >  read on >

Exposure to wildfire-related air pollution in western states has taken its toll on U.S. patients who are on dialysis. New research linked it to elevated risks of hospitalization and death in patients who were receiving in-center hemodialysis treatment in Washington, Oregon and California. Wildfires have been increasing in frequency and severity. The researchers studied nearly…  read on >  read on >

Gun violence causes a ripple effect that creates a lasting impact on young people lucky enough to survive being shot, as well as their families, a comprehensive new study finds. Child and teenaged gunshot survivors carry the physical and emotional scars of violence, and their families suffer even more dramatic aftereffects, the Harvard-associated researchers found.…  read on >  read on >

A growing number of people have become unpaid caregivers for loved ones, and a new report says many are overlooking the financial consequences of their selflessness. One in five adults now provide uncompensated care to family and loved ones with health problems, according to the report from the TIAA Institute and the University of Pennsylvania…  read on >  read on >

Advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have voted to recommend that health providers wear masks during routine care for patients who are thought to be contagious. Still, health care workers were frustrated that the draft recommendation does not specify what kind of mask should be worn — loose-fitting surgical masks or…  read on >  read on >

Drones might prove a feasible way to deliver lifesaving defibrillators to cardiac arrests in remote areas, a new research simulation suggests. Delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by drone could dramatically improve emergency response times in both urban and rural areas, according to findings to be presented Saturday and Sunday at an American Heart Association meeting,…  read on >  read on >