TUESDAY, June 29, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — After a year of being COVID-cautious, Linda Matisoff counted the days until she could hug her 5-year-old granddaughter, Laila, again. In March, two weeks after getting her second dose of the vaccine, it was finally time. “We were coming down the street, getting closer and closer,”… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Unhappy Marriages Could Mean Shorter Lives for Men
Men, take note: An unhappy marriage might end in divorce, but staying unhappily hitched could also raise your risk of stroke or early death, a new Israeli study suggests. The increased risk was as much as that seen with smoking or a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle, said lead researcher Shahar Lev-Ari, chair of health promotion at… read on > read on >
CRISPR Therapy Fights Rare Disease Where Protein Clogs Organs
Early research suggests that CRISPR gene-editing technology may some day lead to dramatic relief for patients struggling with amyloidosis, a rare but serious disease that can trigger organ failure. “There are many different types of amyloidosis,” explained study author Dr. Julian Gillmore, a researcher in medicine with the Centre for Amyloidosis and Acute Phase Proteins… read on > read on >
Weekly Injected Drug Could Boost Outcomes for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes face heightened risks for heart attack and stroke, as well as progressive kidney disease. But a new once-a-week injected drug called efpeglenatide could greatly reduce their odds for those outcomes, new research shows. The clinical trial was conducted in over 28 nations and involved more than 4,000 patients with type… read on > read on >
Keeping Same Nurse for All Home Health Care May Be Crucial for Dementia Patients
Dementia patients who have the same nurse for all of their home health care visits are a third less likely to be readmitted to the hospital, a new study finds. “While continuity of nursing care may benefit every home health care patient, it may be particularly critical for people with dementia,” said study co-author Chenjuan… read on > read on >
Black Men Less Likely to Get Best Prostate Cancer Treatments
Black American military veterans with aggressive prostate cancer who would benefit from surgery or radiation are less likely to get those treatments than men of other races, despite equal access to health care, a new study finds. “Despite great strides in prostate cancer care over the past few decades, racial disparities in care persist, and… read on > read on >
Poorly Managed Diabetes Raises Odds for More Severe COVID
Hospitalized patients with diabetes who hadn’t been taking their medication had more severe cases of COVID-19, a new study shows. “Our results highlight the importance of assessing, monitoring and controlling blood glucose [sugar] in hospitalized COVID-19 patients from the start,” said study author Sudip Bajpeyi, associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at… read on > read on >
Kids Born Through Fertility Treatments Have No Higher Cancer Risk
Good news for couples considering fertility treatments: Children born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) don’t have an increased risk of cancer, researchers say. In the new study, kids born through high-tech fertility treatments — such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and frozen embryo transfer (FET) — were followed for 18 years on average. The results… read on > read on >
Healthy Living Can Lower Your Odds for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease has no cure, but one expert says it may be possible to reduce the risks of developing the disease with healthy lifestyle changes. There are two different types of Alzheimer’s. Early-onset typically affects patients before age 65. Late-onset affects older adults. “Early-onset dementia often is linked to genetics and can run in families,”… read on > read on >
Could Home Test for Colon Cancer Mean a Big Medical Bill to Come?
You decide to take a popular colon cancer screening test that can be performed at home, and it comes back positive. A follow-up colonoscopy is scheduled, but then you suddenly receive a large and unexpected medical bill. That’s what happened to a Missouri woman who was hit with $1,900 in medical expenses after using the… read on > read on >