Cancer affects families in numerous ways, and kids whose parents have had cancer are more likely to be hungry and to go without everyday essentials than their peers, a new American Cancer Society study reveals. “Cancer is a life-threatening disease, and parents with a history of cancer are often saddled with worry about paying for…  read on >  read on >

It’s not the late nights, but the smoking and drinking that happen during those late nights, that are killing people who are “night owls” earlier in life, a new study claims. Researchers studied twins in Finland for 37 years, looking at different chronotypes, the body’s natural inclination to sleep at a certain time. Although they…  read on >  read on >

Folks living in Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Hampshire may be among the nation’s healthiest, according to a new scorecard that ranks how well the health care system in each U.S. state is working. By contrast, people in Mississippi, West Virginia and Oklahoma fare the worst when it comes to access to quality care and overall…  read on >  read on >

Hot flashes are a common — and uncomfortable — symptom of menopause. More than 80% of menopausal women experience sudden, often debilitating bursts of heat that last several minutes, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They are the most common symptom of menopause that women note. This article will examine what hot flashes…  read on >  read on >

An advisory panel of the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Wednesday to recommend the first RSV vaccines for seniors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already approved the vaccines, one made by GSK called Arexvy and a version from Pfizer Inc. called Abrysvo. During the meeting, the panel called for “shared…  read on >  read on >

Space travel appears to weaken astronauts’ immune systems, and researchers believe changes in gene expression are the culprit. These immune deficits aren’t permanent. They disappear when back on Earth, often within weeks, according to new research published June 22 in Frontiers in Immunology. “Here we show that the expression of many genes related to immune…  read on >  read on >

Living in a walkable neighborhood fosters socialization and helps create a strong sense of community, new research shows. Among the active behaviors these walkable neighborhoods promote are walking for leisure or as transportation to school, work shopping or home. “Our built environments create or deny long-lasting opportunities for socialization, physical activity, contact with nature and…  read on >  read on >

Screening newborns for severe combined immunodeficiency — SCID, sometimes referred to as “bubble boy disease” — significantly increases survival rates, researchers say. Infants with SCID appear healthy at birth, but have no immune defenses, making them highly susceptible to severe and often fatal infections. The 1976 TV movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” promoted…  read on >  read on >