TUESDAY, Nov. 12, 2024 — The epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States appears to be cooling off after more than two decades, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study says. Gonorrhea cases dropped for a second year in 2023, declining 7% and falling below pre-pandemic levels, researchers say.…  read on >  read on >

Grandchildren are a true blessing for seniors, helping them avoid loneliness and keeping them on their toes, a new poll reports. Overall, 72% of people with grandkids say they hardly ever feel isolated, compared with 62% of those without grandchildren, according to results from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging. People without…  read on >  read on >

A cutting-edge genetic test can rapidly detect and identify almost any kind of disease-causing microorganism in the human body, whether it’s a virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite, researchers say. Doctors have been using the genetic test for more than a decade to identify pathogens in spinal fluid, after its development at the University of California-San…  read on >  read on >

Asthma is associated with memory problems in children, a new study has found. Further, the early onset of asthma might worsen potential memory deficits in kids, researchers found. This is the first study to make such a connection, researchers said. “This study underscores the importance of looking at asthma as a potential source of cognitive…  read on >  read on >

Americans’ well-being varies widely between different regions of the nation, a new study reports. People in the southern U.S., Appalachia and the Rust Belt states score lowest on the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite measure that includes a population’s life expectancy, education and income, researchers report in The Lancet. The highest levels of well-being…  read on >  read on >

People with both type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease face a heart health double-whammy, a new study says. Men with both diabetes and kidney disease will develop heart health problems 28 years earlier than those without either condition, researchers reported today at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago. Women with diabetes and kidney…  read on >  read on >

Recurring angina chest pain in people with a certain type of heart disease can be tough to treat, but a new hourglass-shaped stent could be a real advance, researchers report. People with what’s known as microvascular disease — impeded blood flow in tiny blood vessels within the heart — improved significantly once they got  the…  read on >  read on >