PFAS compounds are known as “forever chemicals” because they degrade slowly in the environment and accumulate in the body, potentially harming human and animal health. Bacteria can’t eat them. Fire can’t incinerate them. Water can’t dilute them. Instead, these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances break down on their own schedule, posing a potential health hazard for… read on > read on >
A new and inexpensive same-day test could help pregnant women learn if their developing fetus has genetic problems that increase their risk of miscarriage. The Short-read Transpore Rapid Karyotyping (STORK) test can detect extra or missing chromosomes using samples collected from standard prenatal tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, a new study found. The… read on > read on >
Countries that are closer to achieving universal health coverage saw smaller declines in routine childhood vaccinations during the pandemic, a new study reveals. The World Health Organization describes universal health coverage as “all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship.” Researchers were able to use the pandemic as a… read on > read on >
Pregnant women with epilepsy battle anxiety and depression more often than their peers who aren’t pregnant or don’t have epilepsy, a new study reveals. “The good news is we did not find that pregnant women with epilepsy were any more likely to have episodes of major depression than the other two groups,” said study author… read on > read on >
Amid a stark shortage of psychiatric beds that only worsened for millions suffering from mental illnesses during the pandemic, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is rolling out a new model that can help communities determine exactly how many beds they need. Having enough in-patient beds would cut down on overcrowding in emergency departments and early… read on > read on >
People might want to think twice before relying on federal quality ratings to help choose a nursing home for an elderly or frail relative, a new study warns. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Nursing Home Compare website in the 1990s to publicly report patient safety indicators for every nursing… read on > read on >
Are you one of those folks who thinks they have somehow miraculously managed to avoid COVID-19 infection more than two years into the pandemic? You might be mistaken, claims new research that discovered most people hit by the highly contagious Omicron variant had symptoms so mild they didn’t know they were infected. A full 56%… read on > read on >
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, making it the most significant health care legislation enacted in more than a decade. How will it affect health care? Millions of Americans covered by Medicare will see big reductions in costs for both health care and prescription drugs. And those covered by… read on > read on >
The Biden Administration plans to stop buying COVID tests, vaccines and treatments as early as the fall, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said Tuesday. Under that plan, those products would be provided through the regular health care system, Jha said at an event sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, CNN… read on > read on >
A smartphone video could detect a blocked blood vessel in your neck that could cause a stroke, a new study suggests. The American Heart Association says videos may provide a non-invasive way to screen people who are at risk of stroke. Nearly 87% of strokes are the ischemic type, which happens when fatty deposits build… read on > read on >
