Latest Health News

21Sep
2023

Substance Abuse Greatly Raises Odds of Heart Attack, Stroke During Pregnancy

Substance Abuse Greatly Raises Odds of Heart Attack, Stroke During PregnancyTHURSDAY, Sept. 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Substance abuse and pregnancy may be a dangerous combination.New research finds that pregnant women with a history of substance abuse had a dramatically increased risk of death from heart attack and stroke during childbirth compared to women with no drug history.“This telling research shows that substance use during pregnancy doubled cardiovascular events and maternal mortality during delivery,” said senior author Dr. Martha Gulati, associate director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “Substance abuse also doubled the risk of acute heart failure," she said in an institute news release.Researchers studied a variety of substances, including cocaine, opioids,...

Millions Are Exposed to Secondhand Smoke and Don't Know It

21 September 2023
Millions Are Exposed to Secondhand Smoke and Don`t Know ItTHURSDAY, Sept. 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A lot of people who think they don’t have secondhand smoke exposure actually do, according to a new study that compared survey answers with blood tests.According to the results of sensitive blood tests, more than half of American adults in the study had recently been exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke. Most were not aware of it.“There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure, and long-term exposure can increase the risk of many chronic conditions, such as coronary heart disease, respiratory disease and cancers,” said lead author Ruixuan (Roxanne) Wang, a doctoral candidate in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida.“We want people to be aware of their exposure so they can take protective...

Wildfire Smoke Is Reversing Recent Clean-Air Gains...

20 September 2023
Wildfire Smoke Is Reversing Recent Clean-Air Gains Across the U.S.WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- When Canadian wildfire smoke shrouded the New York City skyline and spread to parts of New England this summer, millions of East Coast residents saw firsthand just how pervasive it can be.Now, a new study quantifies exactly what wildfire smoke is doing to hard-fought gains in cleaning up the air, even in Eastern states not typically affected by wildfires.“Since 2000, there's been enormous progress on improving air quality throughout much of the contiguous U.S., however around 2016 those declines in PM2.5 began to stagnate or even reverse in some states,” said study author Marissa Childs, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Wildfires release fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, into the air, driving...

Could Artificial Sweeteners in Processed Food Raise...

20 September 2023
Could Artificial Sweeteners in Processed Food Raise Depression Risk?THURSDAY, Sept. 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Highly processed packaged foods and drinks may be quick, cheap and tasty, but new research suggests they’re also likely to up your risk for depression.Among big consumers of ultra-processed foods, depression risk may rise by as much as 50%, the new study found, particularly when those foods are artificially sweetened.“Given what we know about these foods and the important role of diet in mood, we were not surprised to find this association,” said study author Dr. Andrew Chan, vice chair of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.At issue, he said, are foods that are “highly altered, often through industrial processes such as hydrogenation.”Hydrogenation is a chemical...

FDA Wants More Data on First Needle-Free Antidote for Severe Allergic Reactions

20 September 2023
FDA Wants More Data on First Needle-Free Antidote for Severe Allergic ReactionsWEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In a surprising move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has opted not to approve a needle-free alternative to the EpiPen for emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions.Approval of the Neffy nasal spray was widely anticipated. An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend approval of the drug for children and adults in May. While the FDA is not obligated to follow the advice of their advisory panels, it usually does. Instead, the FDA told the drug’s maker, ARS Pharmaceuticals, that it needed to conduct another study on the drug before it is approved, the company said in a statement late Tuesday night."We are deeply disappointed that this action further delays the availability of Neffy for the millions of people who are at risk...

Rat-Borne Parasite That Can Cause Brain Disease Spreading in Southern U.S.

20 September 2023
Rat-Borne Parasite That Can Cause Brain Disease Spreading in Southern U.S.WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Brown rats found and analyzed near Atlanta now carry rat lungworm, researchers report.It's a parasite that can trigger a dangerous brain encephalitis in both people and pets, and which now threatens a wide area of the U.S. Southeast.Researchers in Georgia say the microscopic rat lungworm, known scientifically as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, typically begins its life cycle in native and exotic snails — rats probably contract the parasite after eating snails.A. cantonensis was first identified in Asia and was for many years not endemic to the United States. It first appeared in Hawaii before being spotted in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, "likely introduced by infected rats and gastropods [snails] through trade routes, such as on...

Patient-to-Patient Transmission Not to Blame for Most C. Difficile Infections in Hospitals

20 September 2023
Patient-to-Patient Transmission Not to Blame for Most C. Difficile Infections in HospitalsWEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A deadly infection associated with hospitalization may not be the fault of the hospital, but may instead stem from the patients themselves, a new study suggests.Infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is still common in hospitals, despite extensive infection control procedures. The new research may help explain why that's so. Among more than 1,100 patients at a Chicago hospital, a little over 9% were "colonized" with C. diff. Analysis of nearly 4,000 fecal specimens showed very little evidence that the strains of C. diff from one patient to the next were the same, which would imply in-hospital acquisition.But only six possible patient-to-patient transmissions were found. Instead, people who already carried...

Few Doctors, Spotty Internet: Finding Mental Health Care Tough for Many Americans

20 September 2023
Few Doctors, Spotty Internet: Finding Mental Health Care Tough for Many AmericansWEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one in five counties across the United States lack psychiatrists or internet service, making it difficult for around 10.5 million Americans to find mental health care, a new study shows. The counties examined in the study were more likely to be in rural areas, have higher unemployment rates, and have populations that were more likely to be uninsured and lack a bachelor’s degree. What’s worse, individuals who fall into any one of these categories are also more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. So, the need for mental health services is especially critical in areas with the greatest barriers to access, the researchers noted. And while the pandemic created a rapid demand for telehealth, the medium has yet to reach the...

Diabetes Drug Maker Sues Over Compounded Versions of...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Another diabetes drug maker is taking legal action against businesses in several states, alleging that they’re “fraudulently claiming” that...

Bats Don't Get Cancer, and Scientists Are Closer to...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Bats have an extraordinary ability to avoid cancer and handle infections, and researchers now think they might know why.Specific genetic adaptations...
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