Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Largely dismissed heart failure drug may help solve costly problem for medicare and hospitals
The heart failure drug digoxin, used less and less since it “failed” in its 1997 clinical trial, may do something no drug has achieved since: reduce by 34 percent the...
Temp-controlled 'nanopores' may allow detailed blood analysis
Tiny biomolecular chambers called nanopores that can be selectively heated may help doctors diagnose disease more effectively, according to a new research.
National Briefing | South: Arkansas: Republicans Seek More Limits on Abortions
State Republicans, who have enacted the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, are considering other ways of making abortions harder to get.
Whoa there! Quick switch to 'barefoot' shoes can be bad to the bone
A new study from a team of exercise science professors found that runners who transition too quickly to 'barefoot' running shoes suffer an increased risk of injury to bones in...
Chance of dying in 10 years estimated with tool
Want to know your chances of dying in the next 10 years? Here are some bad signs: getting winded walking several blocks, smoking, and having trouble pushing a chair across...
Visceral fat causally linked to intestinal cancer
Visceral fat, or fat stored deep in the abdominal cavity, is directly linked to an increased risk for colon cancer, according to new data from a mouse study.
New opportunities for 3-D technology in medicine
Until now, physicians have largely been skeptical of the advantages of 3D technology. But this may be about to change: the findings of a new study show that even experienced...
Early evidence shows 'good' cholesterol could combat abdominal aortic aneurysm
New research provides early evidence that ‘good’ cholesterol may possess anti-aneurysm forming properties. In laboratory-based investigations, scientists found that increased levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol, blocked...
A better way of estimating blood loss
Research suggests that there may be a better way of measuring blood loss due to trauma than the current method, finds a new article. The study shows that base deficit...
Herbal medicine through an evolutionary lens
A phylogenetic study has shown that related plants are used traditionally in three disparate regions to treat similar medical conditions.
How healthy is your breath?
A baseline measurement of healthy human breath could one day enable the routine diagnosis of disease from a single exhalation
Inflammation find may help prevent premature labor
In the UK premature birth affects roughly one in 10 deliveries and complications arising from pre-term birth are a leading cause of deaths amongst new-born babies. Babies that survive going...
Breath test 'spots stomach cancer'
Trials of a novel breath test for stomach cancer prove promising, say experts.
The New Old Age Blog: Amid CPR Controversy, Many Unanswered Questions
How could a nurse refuse to give CPR to a retirement community resident in apparent cardiac arrest?
Scientists focus on another Sandy loss—lab mice
(AP)—When Superstorm Sandy struck a New York hospital four months ago, hundreds of patients were safely evacuated, but mice in a nearby research building were not so lucky.
Square Feet: Healthy Design Becoming a Factor in Construction
Some projects are now including health impact assessments, which include environmentally friendly materials and ways to promote physical activity.
Is it a stroke or benign dizziness? A simple bedside test can tell
A bedside electronic device that measures eye movements can successfully determine whether the cause of severe, continuous, disabling dizziness is a stroke or something benign, according to new results.
Use of certain therapies for inflammatory diseases does not appear to increase risk of shingles
Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a disproportionately higher incidence of herpes zoster (shingles), an analysis that included nearly 60,000 patients with RA and other inflammatory diseases found that...
Scarring of heart muscle linked with increased risk of death in patients with type of cardiomyopathy
Detection of midwall fibrosis (the presence of scar tissue in the middle of the heart muscle wall) via magnetic resonance imaging among patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition affecting...
New clinical tool assesses health risks for older adults
Medical researchers have developed a tool that can help determine – and perhaps influence – senior citizens’ 10-year survivability rates.
Scientists discover new mechanisms for relaxing airways using bitter tasting substances
An interdisciplinary team of scientists have taken a step forward in understanding how the substances that give some foods their bitter flavor also act to reverse the contraction of airway...
New tool better estimates pandemic threats
A simple new method better assesses the risks posed by emerging zoonotic viruses (those transmissible from animals to humans), according to a new study. Scientists have shown that the new...
Safe, long-term opioid therapy is possible
Medical researchers say that prescription opioid abuse can be minimized by monitoring patients closely for harm by using urine drug testing, pill counts, and reviewing prescription drug monitoring program data...
Focal therapy offers middle ground for some prostate cancer patients
For men with low-risk prostate cancer, focal laser ablation treats just the diseased portion of the prostate rather than the entire gland. A phase 1 trial found it was safe....
Putting HiFi into cochlear implants
Scientists have developed a way to reprogram cochlear implants that dramatically improves the quality and clarity of users’ hearing.
How Healthy Is Your Country?
New Global Burden of Disease data allows detailed analysis of—and comparisons between—nations
FDA panel sees risk in long-used osteoporosis drug
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A panel of federal health experts says a long-established bone strengthening drug should no longer be used by women because there is little...
Well: Back Pain Unrelieved by Steroid Shots
Epidural steroid injections for spinal stenosis may do more harm than good, a small study suggests.