Older adults are more easily distracted than younger folks, especially if they’re also physically exerting themselves, according to new research. “Our results suggest that older adults might have heightened distractibility,” said study co-author Lilian Azer, a graduate student from the University of California, Riverside. For the study, the researchers assessed the interaction between physical exertion…  read on >  read on >

Becoming a mother is an experience like no other — a time of joy, anticipation and love. But, for some women, new motherhood can come with challenging emotions. Many women struggle with feelings of sadness, anxiety and overwhelming exhaustion. These emotional struggles, coupled with the physical demands of caring for a newborn, can be signs…  read on >  read on >

There’s a glimmer of good news when it comes to the mental health of America’s adolescents: Visits to U.S. emergency departments for psychiatric troubles declined among kids aged 12 to 17 by the fall of 2022, compared to a year prior. Overall, mean weekly adolescent emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions fell by…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – A gene-targeted personalized vaccine may delay the return of pancreatic cancer according to a small, but promising, trial. The mRNA vaccine, which was tailored to the genetic makeup of each patient’s tumor, worked in half of those who received it during 18 months of follow-up, researchers reported May 10 in the journal…  read on >  read on >

Poor sleep brought on by sleep apnea may ultimately undermine the brain health of older men and women, new research suggests. The concern stems from a new brain scan investigation that involved 140 sleep apnea patients. “Sleep apnea is a medical condition in which patients … stop breathing during sleep, which can affect their sleep…  read on >  read on >

While the U.S. Veterans Affairs health system has been criticized for long appointment wait times and limited access to specialists, the quality of care and access to a range of surgical services is as good as or better than at non-VA health centers on several measures, new research reveals. “Surgery involves many steps of care,”…  read on >  read on >

Cats who became infected with COVID-19 had the same variants as their owners throughout the different phases of the pandemic, new research finds. Scientists looked at retrospective samples to assess COVID-19 infections in U.K. cats from April 2020 to February 2022. The cats had been infected with the Alpha and Delta variants following their emergence…  read on >  read on >