Nonsmokers usually try to avoid secondhand smoke, but many kids have no option, and now a new study finds tobacco smoke exposure puts them at higher risk of hospitalization. Compared to other kids, those exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to have had an urgent care visit over a one-year period, and to incur…  read on >  read on >

If you’re one of the many people who’ve switched to working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you need to take care of your eyes, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says. Staring at a screen too long can lead to digital eye strain. Symptoms include blurry vision, headaches and tired, dry eyes. It happens because…  read on >  read on >

When people die some cells in their brains go on for hours, even getting more active and growing to gargantuan proportions, new research shows. Awareness of this activity, spurred on by “zombie genes,” could affect research into diseases that affect the brain. For the study, researchers analyzed gene expression using fresh brain tissue collected during…  read on >  read on >

Using cellphones to track patients’ painkiller use, a new study found more than 60% of opioid painkillers prescribed to surgical patients after their procedures went unused. That has implications for the ongoing epidemic of opioid misuse in the United States, where unused medications can be diverted to others. Giving surgical patients only the amount of…  read on >  read on >

Here’s a silver lining to having to strap a mask across your face when you go out in public: That mask may also help guard against severe spring allergies, an expert says. Many patients with spring allergies are doing well this season because they’re spending more time indoors and wearing a mask when they go…  read on >  read on >

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is more common among new mothers than previously thought, and it’s often driven by worries about things that may happen to their newborns, a new study finds. Many new moms may keep the issue hidden, the Canadian researchers said. “When mothers have these kinds of thoughts they might think, ‘There’s something wrong…  read on >  read on >