Urinary tract infections: They’re the bane of millions of women, and a new study finds that many sufferers are unhappy that diagnosis and treatments are still limited for this painful condition. One of the biggest concerns researchers found was that many women think frequent antibiotic use to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) might not be… read on > read on >
If you thought the air was cleaner at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you weren’t imagining it. But clean skies were less evident in poorer areas of the United States, a new study finds. COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns reduced overall levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution in many U.S. cities. However, levels remained higher in… read on > read on >
One day before the official start of the Tokyo Olympics, the city has recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in six months. The 1,979 cases reported on Thursday are the most seen since 2,044 cases were recorded on Jan. 15, according to the Associated Press. Japan has reported about 853,000 cases and 15,100… read on > read on >
Black Americans admitted for inpatient hospital care are far more likely than white patients to experience safety-related health complications — even when both are treated in the same facility, a new report warns. And having good insurance didn’t appear to bridge racial differences in patient safety, investigators found: Even when Black patients had coverage similar… read on > read on >
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine provides surprisingly robust protection against the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 — but only if you’ve gotten both doses. Fresh data out of England shows that two doses of the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine is 88% effective in protecting people against the Delta variant, compared with about 94% effectiveness against the… read on > read on >
As he urged Americans who are still hesitant to get vaccinated, President Joe Biden told an Ohio town hall on Wednesday night that he expected the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would soon give final approval to COVID-19 vaccines. At the moment, all three vaccines being used in this country have only emergency use approval.… read on > read on >
Changes in Americans’ grocery shopping habits during the pandemic made pre-existing gaps in access to food even worse, researchers report. While many wealthier people switched to online ordering and did more stocking up, most low-income people still had to shop in-person at local small grocers and dollar stores and do so regularly because they couldn’t… read on > read on >
Thinking of starting a family? Start getting your heart in shape. New research suggests that how healthy a woman’s heart is before conception affects outcomes in her pregnancy. Study author Dr. Sadiya Khan said the findings make a case for more comprehensive heart assessments prior to pregnancy rather than focusing on isolated individual risk factors,… read on > read on >
Here’s yet another reason to limit screen time and get moving: Boosting your activity levels could reduce your risk of sleep apnea, according to a new study. Compared to the most active people in the study, those who spent more than four hours a day sitting watching TV had a 78% higher risk of obstructive… read on > read on >
Many Americans are being charged for preventive — and supposedly free — health care, new research shows, and those bills may keep them from booking appointments in the future. Out-of-pocket charges for preventive care that should be free under the Affordable Care Act can discourage patients from receiving recommended care, said study lead author Alexander… read on > read on >
