Hearing dogs make a huge difference in deaf people’s lives, a new British study shows. The dogs are trained to alert deaf people to everyday sounds such as doorbells, human voices, baby monitors and alarm clocks, as well as safety-related sounds such as smoke and intruder alarms. The animals also provide companionship and emotional support.…  read on >  read on >

With HIV a continuing threat to women’s health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the first long-acting device to protect women from sexually transmitted HIV. The device is a vaginal ring made of silicone elastomer, a flexible rubber-like material that makes it easy to insert and comfortable to use. The ring releases the antiretroviral…  read on >  read on >

Vaping can be tough on the lungs, but new research warns of another possible danger to men: It may more than double the risk for erectile dysfunction. After tracking erectile dysfunction (ED) risk among nearly 25,000 men aged 20 and older, investigators found that even vapers with no history of heart disease or other health…  read on >  read on >

Parents who want to read to their toddlers and give them a developmental boost ought to pick up a traditional paper book rather than an e-book on a tablet, a new study reports. Toddlers are more likely to interact with their parents when they’re sharing a paper children’s book rather than a tablet, University of…  read on >  read on >

As the world struggles with ways to stem the spread of the new Omicron variant, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that international travelers to the United States will soon have to provide a negative result from a coronavirus test taken within 24 hours of departure. That’s a much tighter turnaround:…  read on >  read on >

People who are prescribed opioid painkillers after receiving a heart pacemaker or defibrillator may be at risk for opioid abuse — and the higher the initial dose, the greater the risk, according to a new study. “The significance of this study is to make other electrophysiologists aware that even a low-risk procedure like a pacemaker…  read on >  read on >

Americans who are vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 should have enough antibody protection to prevent severe illness if they become infected with the new Omicron variant, White House COVID response officials said Tuesday. Omicron has caused concern among medical experts due to a “large number of mutations, around 50, much larger than previous variants,” including…  read on >  read on >