With opioid addiction soaring in the United States, it should come as good news that an opioid painkiller may not be needed after a sports-injury repair. A mix of non-addictive medicines may be safer and equally successful in managing pain after shoulder or knee surgery, a study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit indicates. Concerned… read on >
An experimental vaccine helps protect monkeys against bacteria that cause diarrhea in millions of children worldwide, researchers report. Bacterial gastroenteritis — a digestive problem associated with malnutrition among millions of children younger than age 5 each year in developing nations — can be caused by Campylobacter bacteria. Repeated infections can stunt growth and impair brain… read on >
There’s new evidence that a 2,000-year-old medicine might offer hope against a modern scourge: COVID-19. The medication, called colchicine, is an anti-inflammatory taken as a pill. It’s long been prescribed for gout, a form of arthritis, and its history goes back centuries. The drug was first sourced from the autumn crocus flower. Doctors also sometimes… read on >
Americans continue to look to the medicine cabinet for pain relief, with 1 in 10 using some type of prescription painkiller, a new U.S. government report says. But use of prescription opioid painkillers leveled off from 2015 to 2018, while prescriptions for nonopioid pain meds rose, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for… read on >
In findings that could pave the way to a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease, scientists have figured out how to spur the production of new brain cells in mice. The advance centers on a protein found in various cells in mice and humans. Researchers found that blocking it in the mouse brain caused certain “support… read on >
Smoking, drinking too much and divorce are among the social and behavioral factors most strongly linked to dying early, a new study says. Researchers analyzed data from more than 13,600 U.S. adults between 1992 and 2008, and examined 57 social and behavioral factors among those who died between 2008 and 2014. The 10 factors most… read on >
WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2020 (American Heart Association News) — With the arrival of warm weather, and as states begin to loosen months of lockdown restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s only natural that people are itching to get outside. But what summer activities are safe during a pandemic? And with many air-conditioned movie theaters, libraries,… read on >
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, warned Congress on Tuesday of “disturbing spikes” in coronavirus cases, as seven states reported record-high numbers of hospitalizations and 33 states and U.S. territories saw sharp jumps in new infections. “The next couple of weeks are going to be critical in our ability to address those surges… read on >
Blood plasma transfusions from people who have developed antibodies to the new coronavirus appear to be safe for many COVID-19 patients, a large study suggests. The experimental treatment — called convalescent plasma therapy — is popular because no drug has been approved specifically to treat coronavirus infection. A week after 20,000 COVID-19 patients deemed at… read on >
Both cyberbullies and their victims can suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new British study finds. Cyberbullying is bullying online rather than in person. It’s so pervasive that pediatricians should routinely ask their patients about it as part of psychological assessment, the researchers said. “Parents, teachers and health professionals need to be… read on >
