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WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People with irregular sleep patterns may be at increased risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 2,000 Americans between 45 and 84 years of age who did not have heart disease. Participants wore a wrist device that monitored their sleep for seven days, including bedtime, sleep duration and wake time. They were then followed for an average of nearly five years. During that time, 111 participants had a heart attack, stroke or other heart event. Those whose sleep varied two hours or more a night were twice as likely to have heart events as those whose sleep varied by fewer than 60 minutes. Over one year, eight of every 1,000 people with the most consistent sleep patterns had a heart...

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Coronaviruses that are common in poultry and livestock worldwide don't jump to humans, but those found in wildlife are another matter, an expert says. "In wildlife, bats are known to carry over 100 different strains of coronavirus, and wild civets are the source of the coronavirus that causes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), first reported in China in 2002-2003," said Heather Simmons, a Texas A&M AgriLife veterinary epidemiologist. "Although our understanding is still limited, wild pangolins (a scaly anteater) sold at live markets may be associated with the recently reported coronavirus outbreak in China," Simmons said in a Texas A&M news release. So far, that outbreak has infected more than 93,000 and killed 3,198 people in...

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Like the baby boomers before them, millennials tend to do things their own way, and that's not just a reference to their often-stereotyped love of avocado toast. Surveys have shown the generation born between 1981 and 1996 – people aged 24 to 39 at the end of 2020 – favor organic foods, dine out more often and value convenience. How will their distinct food and dining preferences change the food industry? If 27-year-old Laura Godenick has anything to say about it, the result will be healthier and more sustainable. A third-generation vegetarian, Godenick grew up eating a diet rich in organic fruits and vegetables. That was more difficult at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she was disappointed by the campus...

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- E-cigarettes were initially thought to be a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, but a recent outbreak of serious lung illnesses and deaths linked to the nicotine delivery devices called that belief into question. Now, a new case report details another type of lung illness in a 15-year-old girl who regularly used e-cigarettes: necrotizing pneumonia. Necrotizing pneumonia is an uncommon complication of pneumonia. It destroys areas of lung tissue, and can occur even if someone has been treated with antibiotics, according to a previous review in Biomed Central. "It's pretty unusual for a generally healthy person to get an invasive pneumonia like this, but not impossible," said Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a professor of medicine and preventive...