After a sharp drop early in the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of routine breast and colon cancer screening soon returned to near-normal levels, a new study finds. “These are the first findings to show that, despite real fears about the consequences of drop-off in cancer screens, health facilities figured out how to pick this back up… read on > read on >
It was bound to happen: As the pandemic wore on, many older Americans couldn’t resist the urge to bring home a furry friend. According to a new poll from the University of Michigan, about 10% of all U.S. adults between the ages of 50 and 80 adopted a new pet between March 2020 and January… read on > read on >
COVID-19 transmission is rare in schools that follow precautions such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing, a new study finds. And that’s true even among close school contacts of people who test positive for the new coronavirus, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Schools can operate safely… read on > read on >
Health care workers were just as uneasy as everyone else when COVID-19 vaccines were about to be approved in the United States, with large numbers hesitant to take the shot in early December, a new study reveals. But that hesitancy dwindled over the next few weeks, as health system employees learned more about the safety… read on > read on >
The United States could save thousands of lives each year by addressing its lack of enough primary care doctors, a new study projects. There has been a shortfall of U.S. primary care doctors for a long time, with much of the problem concentrated in rural areas and poverty-stricken urban centers. And the future looks bleak:… read on > read on >
U.S. health officials called the results of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine trial into question early Tuesday, saying the company may have used outdated data that could have changed its conclusion about the efficacy of the vaccine. On Monday morning, AstraZeneca had announced that its vaccine was 79 percent effective in protecting against COVID-19 infection in the… read on > read on >
The smoke from forest fires is sending children to emergency rooms with respiratory problems at higher rates than ever before, a new study finds. “Kids are particularly vulnerable to pollution from wildfires, so they can have asthma exacerbation and other respiratory problems,” said senior researcher Tarik Benmarhnia, an associate professor of family medicine and public… read on > read on >
Those little blue pills were designed to help men experiencing impotence. But Viagra and drugs like it might also lower the risk of dying or experiencing a new heart attack in men with heart disease, according to new Swedish research. “Potency problems are common in older men and now our study also shows that PDE5… read on > read on >
More than half of the food Americans eat is “ultra-processed” — and it’s making them sick. Higher consumption of these highly processed foods is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to a new study, and yet they account for 58% of calories in a U.S. diet. Each additional serving increased… read on > read on >
Blood sugar levels in youngsters with type 1 diabetes improved during Britain’s first national COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, researchers say. “Children and families found it easier to manage this disease when they were forced to stay at home. This helps us to understand the pressure that is put on patients and families when trying to live… read on > read on >
