The ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) program could grow into a source of accurate and comprehensive medical information, but it’s not quite ready for prime time yet, a new study reports. ChatGPT’s responses to more than 280 medical questions across diverse specialties averaged between mostly to almost completely correct, according to a report published online Oct.…  read on >  read on >

In yet another reminder of the psychic toll the pandemic has taken on young people, new research shows spending on mental health services for U.S. children and adolescents has risen sharply since 2020. It climbed 26% for youths aged 19 and younger between March 2020 and August 2022, the RAND Corp. study found. Among a…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Exposure to ubiquitous chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, may delay puberty in girls, new research indicates. The study is the first to consider the role hormones play in the delay, according to researchers from the University of Cincinnati. Delayed puberty can lead to negative…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Women who have breast reconstruction using their own tissue instead of implants ma be more satisfied with the results, new research shows. “The findings were unexpected, since autologous breast reconstruction is a more complex procedure, with a higher rate of severe complications,” said lead author Nadia Sadok, of…  read on >  read on >

Millions of people who live with the pain and stiffness of arthritis in their hands get steroid or hyaluronic acid injections directly into their finger joints in the hopes of feeling better. Now, a new review shows that even though these injections are widely recommended in treatment guidelines, they don’t really work. Joint injections to…  read on >  read on >

This year’s Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been awarded to two scientists who laid the groundwork years ago for the mRNA research that made COVID-19 vaccines possible. Dr. Katalin Karikó, the 13th woman to ever receive the honor, and Dr. Drew Weissman, began working together at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990s,…  read on >  read on >

Grandma knew it all along: Certain places on the body are “hot spots” for unhealthy microbes. That notion — which the authors of a new study dubbed “the grandma hypothesis,” after grandma’s admonitions to clean behind the ears — was tested by students in a genomics course at George Washington (GW) University in Washington, D.C.…  read on >  read on >

Mammograms have long offered early detection of breast cancer, which is why getting them regularly is crucial to women’s health, one expert says. “There are several risk factors associated with breast cancer. As with many other diseases, risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older,” said Dr. Mridula George, associate program director of…  read on >  read on >

Faced with growing reports of inaccurate clinical lab tests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced that it will for the first time regulate these vital diagnostic tools. Many Americans might have assumed that the FDA already had oversight of all medical tests; it does not. However, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said…  read on >  read on >