The majority of antibiotic prescriptions for U.S. seniors and Black and Hispanic Americans are inappropriate, a new report reveals. For the study, researchers analyzed federal government data on more than 7 billion outpatient visits to doctors’ offices, hospital clinics and emergency departments nationwide between 2009 and 2016. Nearly 8 million visits (11%) led to antibiotic… read on > read on >
Genetic mutations build up faster in the brain cells of Alzheimer’s disease patients than in other people, new research reveals. The discovery could point the way to new Alzheimer’s treatments. DNA errors called somatic mutations can occur in brain cells as people age. The authors of this study compared somatic mutations in hippocampal and prefrontal… read on > read on >
Showing highway death tolls on roadside message boards in a bid to curb crashes may actually cause more accidents, a new study suggests. That’s because they distract drivers, the researchers said. At least 27 states have used such messages. The new report focused on Texas, where officials decided to display highway death tolls one week… read on > read on >
College football players live longer than those who didn’t play, but they suffer more brain-related issues as they age, a new study finds. Among former Notre Dame football players, being physically fit was tied to lower deaths from heart disease and diabetes. But the former players were five times more likely to have impaired thinking… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, April 21, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — In her late 40s, Alicia Wilson had a hectic schedule. She had a full-time job administering contracts, was a single mom of a busy high schooler, and had decided to take on the challenge of going back to school for a master’s degree. So when Alicia,… read on > read on >
The Biden administration on Wednesday appealed a Florida ruling that struck down a federal mask mandate for planes, trains and other forms of public transportation. The announcement, made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, came after the agency deemed the mandate was still needed to protect Americans from the spread of COVID-19.… read on > read on >
A fully vaccinated health care worker got COVID-19 twice in less than a month — the shortest known time between infections, Spanish researchers report. The 31-year-old was infected with the Omicron variant just 21 days after catching the Delta variant. “This case highlights the potential of the Omicron variant to evade the previous immunity acquired… read on > read on >
Larger and more intense wildfires in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are causing a spike in air pollution across North America that endangers millions of people, a new study warns. Wildfire smoke has been linked to significant respiratory problems, and may also cause heart and pregnancy complications. “Wildfire emissions have increased so substantially that they’re changing… read on > read on >
A prior COVID-19 infection may provide unvaccinated adults with as much immunity against reinfection as the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines, new research suggests. However, the study was conducted before the surge of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. “We found that, before the emergence of the Omicron variant, natural immunity provided a similar degree of… read on > read on >
The most common treatments for sleep apnea are mechanical — CPAP machines, mouthguards and the like. But researchers think they’ve found a drug that might ease sleep apnea in some. The drug sulthiame, normally used to treat epilepsy, appeared to reduce breathing pauses by more than 20 events an hour, on average, in obstructive sleep… read on > read on >
