Drugs and Medications News
- Anxiety, Your Brain, and Long COVID: What the Research Says
June 2, 2023 — Anxiety, depression, and COVID-19 can be a bad combination for your brain — and your long-term health. Having anxiety and depression before a COVID infection increases the risk of developing long COVID, researchers have found.
- Do You Need A Full-Body MRI Scan? Probably Not, Experts Say
June 2, 2023 — Whole-body MRI scans may lead to unnecessary follow-up tests that are not only expensive, but also anxiety-inducing, experts say.
- Biden Picks Another Physician to Lead CDC
June 2, 2023 — The former health secretary of North Carolina, Mandy Cohen, MD, is expected to be named the next director of the CDC.
- Study Says Software for Common Lung Test is Racially Biased
June 2, 2023 — Lung problems in Black people are widely underdiagnosed or missed altogether because racist medical ideas stretching back centuries have been programmed into medical software used today, a new study shows.
- Brain Abscesses in Children Increased Last Winter: CDC
June 2, 2023 — The number of brain abscesses in children rose sharply last winter, along with the number of respiratory infections, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday.
- Canada to Require Health Warnings on Individual Cigarettes
June 1, 2023 — Canada will be the first country in the world to require health warnings be printed on individual cigarettes, the country’s health ministry announced Wednesday.
- ‘BE FAST’: Time and Support Key for Younger Stroke Patients
June 1, 2023 — A study over 15 years found an overall increase of 11% nationwide, with a 38% increase in the 18 to 44 age group. Yet nearly 30% of U.S. adults younger than 45 are unaware of common stroke symptoms, according to a survey from the American Heart Association.
- The Wisdom of Morrie: An Antidote to Today’s Loneliness Epidemic
June 1, 2023 — Rob Schwartz, the son of the man made famous in the book Tuesday's with Morrie, has published a new volume of his late father's writings on life, love and joy.
- Sucralose Damages DNA, Linked to Leaky Gut: Study
June 1, 2023 — A new study reveals health concerns about the sugar substitute sucralose so alarming that researchers said people should stop eating it and the government should regulate it more.
- Study Says Brain Shape Affects Thoughts and Behavior
June 1, 2023 — The shape of the brain might play a greater role on our thoughts, feelings, and actions than traditionally believed, according to a new study in the journal Nature.
- About 1 in 3 With Diabetes Have Unknown Heart Risk: Study
May 31, 2023 — If you have type 2 diabetes, you could already be at a higher risk for heart disease without knowing it.
- FDA Warns People to Avoid Compounded Semaglutide Medicines
May 31, 2023 — The FDA is warning people to avoid using compounded medicines as substitutes for the popular weight loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy.
- Heart Attack Adds 6 Years to Brain Age: Study
May 31, 2023 — New research indicates that having a heart attack eventually leads to faster mental decline that is the equivalent of adding 6 years to the age of the brain.
- COVID and Leukemia: What’s the Connection?
May 31, 2023 — Once you test negative after a bout with COVID-19, it's a great idea to get a full health screening. This is especially important for people who are at risk for, or have, blood cancers like leukemia. Here's what to know.
- Food Poisoning Outbreaks Linked to Sick Restaurant Workers
May 31, 2023 — Sick food workers accounted for 40% of food poisoning outbreaks at restaurants from 2017 to 2019, a new report from the CDC says.
- Plant-Based Diet May Help Lower Bad Cholesterol: Study
May 30, 2023 — Compared to meat eaters, people who followed a vegan or vegetarian diet had lower blood levels of certain fats in their blood that can block arteries and possibly lead to heart disease and stroke, new research shows.
- ‘Exciting Time’: FDA Commissioner Talks AI and Misinformation
May 30, 2023 — AI’s potential depends on how it’s used, Robert Califf, MD, said. “It could be used for tremendous gain or it could be used for tremendous harm.”
- Best Time of Day to Exercise for Type 2 Diabetes
May 30, 2023 — Exercise is essential if you're living with type 2 diabetes and trying to keep blood sugar in check. To maximize exercise benefits, new research shows the best time of day to work out is in the afternoon.
- Can HPV Cause Breast Cancer? Research Shows Potential Link
May 30, 2023 — According to a recent study from Mexico, HPV has been found in breast cancer tissue, and in both malignant tumors and non-malignant breast disease.
- Ketamine Outperforms Shock Therapy for Depression: Study
May 30, 2023 — The desensitizing drug ketamine helped more people overcome treatment-resistant depression symptoms, compared to electroconvulsive therapy, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
- Weight-Control Surgery Surging Among Children, Teens, Report Says
May 30, 2023 — More children and teenagers are getting surgical procedures to lose weight, according to a report published in JAMA Pediatrics on Tuesday.
- Flavanols Can Boost Memory for Some People: Study
May 30, 2023 — A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that consuming certain nutrients may help the brain stave off the effects of aging. This latest indication, from researchers at Columbia and Harvard universities, shows that older people who had a diet low in flavanols boosted their scores on memory tests by 16% after taking a flavanol pill for one year.
- After Tragedy of Stillbirth, She Set Out to Help Others
May 26, 2023 — Every year at least 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States. That’s about one in every 175 births, according to the CDC. Elizabeth O'Donnell wants to see that number fall.
- One in 10 People Who Had Omicron Got Long COVID: Study
May 26, 2023 — About 10% of people infected with Omicron reported having long COVID, a lower percentage than estimated for people infected with earlier strains of the coronavirus, says a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
- Can a Saliva Test Predict the Best Way to Manage Obesity?
May 25, 2023 — Mayo Clinic researchers are working on saliva tests that may help figure out the type of obesity a person has and, based on the results, decide what may be the best course of action to treat it.
- Daily Multivitamin Improves Memory in Older Adults: Study
May 25, 2023 — Older people who took a daily multivitamin for 1 year appeared to stave off the equivalent of 3 years of age-related decline in mental skills, according to a new study.
- Hi-Tech Implant Helps Paralyzed Man Walk More Naturally
May 25, 2023 — The man was paralyzed 11 years ago from a bike accident. He can now walk 100 to 200 meters (up to about 660 feet) at a time, and can stand without using his hands for two or three minutes.
- Tick-Borne Powassan Virus Can Kill -- How to Protect Yourself
May 25, 2023 — Powassan virus is a rare and untreatable infection transmitted by ticks that can have fatal complications.
- Exercise Might Boost Your Tolerance for Pain
May 25, 2023 — A new study finds physically active people have greater pain tolerance compared to sedentary people. And, those with higher levels of activity also had higher pain tolerance.
- Amid Therapy Waitlists, New AI Coach May Be Quicker Option
May 25, 2023 — Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and their colleagues have found that their AI app appears to be useful in treating anxiety and depression.
- Researchers Discover Brain Abnormalities in Babies Who Had SIDS
May 25, 2023 — Researchers have discovered specific brain abnormalities in babies who died of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
- New HIV Cases Decline, But Prevention Still Falls Short: CDC
May 24, 2023 — The number of people diagnosed with HIV each year in the U.S. continues to decline, according to new CDC data released Tuesday.
- Standard Tests May Underestimate Severity of Sleep Apnea in Black Patients
May 24, 2023 — New research suggests current screening methods for sleep apnea may put Black patients at a disadvantage.
- Less Invasive Procedure for 'Leaky' Heart Valves Proves Successful
May 24, 2023 — A large study finds the minimally invasive intervention known as TEER (transcatheter edge-to-edge repair) effective for fixing tears in heart valves.
- Do Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic Cause Hair Loss?
May 24, 2023 — Experts consider claims that new weight loss medications cause hair loss. They find that hair loss is unlikely and actually more common with bariatric surgery.
- Mental Health Issues for Adolescents Spiked During Pandemic
May 24, 2023 — During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people experienced spikes in mental health difficulties, with girls taking a harder hit, particularly adolescents developing eating disorders, according to a report this week in JAMA Network.
- Mouth 'On Fire': Help for the Often Misdiagnosed Condition TMD
May 24, 2023 — There's a type of pain in the mouth and face that includes over 30 types of temporomandibular disorders, called TMDs, and they're hard to diagnose, leaving some patients on a long quest to find relief.
- FDA Approves New Nasal Spray to Reverse Overdoses
May 23, 2023 — The FDA has approved a second nasal spray for reversing an opioid overdose.
- PTSD, Other Mental Health Ills Haunt Gunshot Survivors
May 23, 2023 — A new study finds the trauma gunshot survivors experience can get worse as time goes by.
- The Weird World of Hydrogels: How They’ll Change Health Care
May 23, 2023 — It’s a liquid, it’s a solid – no, it’s hydrogel! And it’s poised to transform everything from dentistry to brain implants.
- Surgeon General Issues ‘Urgent’ Social Media Warning for Kids
May 23, 2023 — Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, called on policymakers and technology companies to fund more research and make social media safer.
- Pill Version of Wegovy Achieves Similar Weight Loss
May 23, 2023 — In a trial of 667 people who were overweight or obese, those who took the daily semaglutide pill lost 17% of their body weight after 68 weeks.
- Donor Hearts From Patients With COVID Tied to Lower Survival
May 23, 2023 — Heart transplantation centers need to thoroughly evaluate and continue to weigh the risks and benefits of using hearts from active COVID-19 donors because they may offer worse outcomes for the recipients, researchers say.
- Researchers Locate Signals in Brain Related to Chronic Pain
May 23, 2023 — Using surgical implants inside the brain, scientists have recorded for the first time electrical patterns that occur when a person is feeling chronic pain, a new study in Nature Neuroscience concludes.
- Study Finds COVID-19 Boosters Don’t Increase Miscarriage Risk
May 23, 2023 — COVID-19 boosters are not linked to an increased chance of miscarriage, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open.
- Severe Asthma and Lung Cancer: What’s the Link?
May 22, 2023 — Cutting-edge research is highlighting the link between heavily symptomatic asthma and lung cancer. Here's what to know.
- New Moms Breastfed Longer During Pandemic
May 22, 2023 — New research shows new moms tended to breastfeed their babies about two weeks longer than usual during the shelter-in-place period early in the COVID pandemic.
- Another Death, More Infections Linked to Recalled Eye Drops
May 22, 2023 — The number of people who developed treatment-resistant bacterial infections from tainted eye drops continues to grow. An additional 13 cases have been confirmed since the CDC’s last update in March, many of which were identified since the eye products were officially recalled.
- Mosquitoes Attracted to Humans’ ‘Stinky’ Cheese Smell, Study Says
May 22, 2023 — Researchers have found that mosquitoes are attracted to human scent that contained a high level of carboxylic acids, which are secretions that protect the skin, said the study published in Current Biology. Some of those carboxylic acids are also found in “stinky” cheeses.