As you head into the great outdoors this summer, keep safety in mind, an expert says. Drowning is one of summer’s risks. It only takes a few seconds and can happen without an obvious struggle, according to Dr. Seth Hawkins, a wilderness medicine expert and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health…  read on >  read on >

A native South American population that lives a pre-industrial lifestyle may have a slower rate of brain aging than the typical Westerner, a new study finds. The study focused on the Tsimane population, whose roughly 16,000 members dwell in a remote part of the Bolivian Amazon. They live by farming, hunting, gathering and fishing —…  read on >  read on >

Surgery soon after a diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer is crucial in reducing the risk of recurrence and death, a new study finds. “Patients with early-stage cancer have the best chance for survival,” said senior author Dr. Varun Puri, a thoracic surgeon and professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.…  read on >  read on >

If more proof of the safety of vaccines is needed, a new study delivers fresh evidence that they carry few harms for children, adults and pregnant women. “This in-depth analysis found no evidence of increased risk of serious adverse events following vaccines, apart from a few — previously known — associations,” said Susanne Hempel, director…  read on >  read on >

Researchers who pinpointed 178 gene variants linked to major depression say their findings could improve diagnosis and treatment of a disorder that affects 1 in 5 people. The study draws on a huge database, analyzing the genetic and health records of 1.2 million people from three databanks in the United States, the U.K. and Finland,…  read on >  read on >

Adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder, a common mental health condition known as OCD, may have more than triple the risk of having a stroke, according to a new report from Taiwanese researchers. As to why, the study authors aren’t sure. The investigators speculate that other mental health problems suffered by OCD patients — “comorbidities” such as…  read on >  read on >