Whether a patient experiences pain a year after a heart attack — and not necessarily heart pain — may predict a person’s long-term survival. New research suggests it is linked with higher likelihood of death within the next eight years. “Pain causes significant loss of function and may lead to disability, all of which contribute…  read on >  read on >

Some patients with acute brain injuries can’t respond to verbal commands, making them appear to be unconscious though they still have some level of awareness. Researchers recently studied this hidden consciousness to better understand this puzzling phenomenon. “Our study suggests that patients with hidden consciousness can hear and comprehend verbal commands, but they cannot carry…  read on >  read on >

All infants should receive the new long-acting preventive monoclonal antibody for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the nation’s leading pediatrics group said. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged that access to the new medication, called nirsevimab, be equitable. RSV is common, contagious and sometimes deadly, the AAP said. The antibody boosts the immune system. The…  read on >  read on >

People who daily breathe in air pollution, particularly from wildfires or agricultural sources, might need to add a heightened risk of dementia to their list of health concerns. New research looked at the potential effects of particle pollution on dementia, finding an association even when pollution levels did not exceed national ambient air quality standards.…  read on >  read on >

Mosquitoes can be a big pest, leaving behind itchy bumps on skin and potentially spreading serious diseases, such as West Nile virus. Sam Telford III is a professor of infectious disease and global health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and a commissioner for the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project. Some counties…  read on >  read on >