An inner-ear implant may help people with a debilitating balance disorder get steady on their feet again, an early study suggests. The study involved eight patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH). The disorder arises from a problem in the balance system of both inner ears, leading to chronic dizziness and instability when standing or walking.… read on > read on >
Spina bifida is a diagnosis no parents-to-be want to hear as they await their child’s birth, and the idea of performing surgery on a baby while it is still in the womb can be terrifying. But new research shows that performing the delicate procedure before the baby is born, and not after, is worth it.… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Keeping track of your heart rate is probably a good thing. Obsessing about it probably isn’t. That’s one drawback of the increasing popularity of wearable devices that constantly monitor heart rates, said Dr. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas… read on > read on >
Obesity is the culprit in up to half of new diabetes cases among Americans each year, a new study estimates. Researchers found that over nearly two decades, obesity contributed to anywhere from 30% to 53% of new type 2 diabetes diagnoses among middle-aged and older Americans. That higher percentage was seen in recent years, as… read on > read on >
If you have cancer and you’re trying to exercise to boost your health, new research suggests you don’t have to knock yourself out during your workout. Light exercise is just as beneficial as more demanding workouts for cancer patients, the researchers found. Previous research has shown that physical activity can improve cancer patients’ physical and… read on > read on >
Could it be that a strange-looking creature known as a pangolin was the conduit by which the new coronavirus jumped to humans and prompted an international pandemic? New research suggests the theory is a plausible one. Pangolins are sold for food in live-animal “wet markets” in China — facilities that have long been suspected of… read on > read on >
If you have bleeding gums, you may need to increase the amount of vitamin C in your diet, a new study suggests. The American Dental Association says bleeding could be a sign of gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease. These new findings from University of Washington (UW) researchers suggest you should also check your… read on > read on >
Few older adults with prediabetes will actually go on to develop type 2 diabetes, new research concludes. The surprising finding suggests that while prediabetes is a useful predictor of diabetes risk in young and middle-aged adults, that’s not the case in older folks. “Our results suggest that for older adults with blood sugar levels in… read on > read on >
An experimental antiviral drug known as peginterferon lambda can speed up COVID-19 patients’ ability to shed the virus and recover, scientists report. “One of the important things about this treatment that’s different from the other things that have been studied for COVID-19 is that this is working on the person, not on the virus. So… read on > read on >
Although Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating diagnosis that is better delivered earlier rather than later, new research suggests poor patients living in rural areas may not have access to the specialists who could spot the first signs of memory declines. The team from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., led by Sayeh Nikpay, now an assistant… read on > read on >
