Latest Health News

2Mar
2020

Tougher Laws Reduce Gun Deaths in Kids

Tougher Laws Reduce Gun Deaths in KidsMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Gun deaths in kids younger than 15 are 13% lower in U.S. states with gun-storage laws than in states without these regulations, a new study finds. Researchers from Boston Children's Hospital conducted a 26-year analysis of states with and without child access prevention (CAP) laws. CAP laws are in place in half of U.S. states. They're designed to protect children from accessing firearms by holding the guardian legally responsible for the child's access. "Looking at all these laws, the negligence laws seem to have the best effect," said senior investigator Dr. Eric Fleegler, a pediatric emergency physician at Boston Children's Hospital. "And as the negligence laws get more stringent in terms of holding a gun owner legally responsible for a...

Thrill-Seeking Fuels Many First Crimes

2 March 2020
Thrill-Seeking Fuels Many First CrimesMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to committing first crimes, the thrill of it all is what matters most, new research suggests. The finding could point to ways to prevent people from becoming habitual offenders, researchers say. "It's important to understand under what circumstances young people make that initial decision to commit a crime, so we can think about intervention," said study leader Claire Nee. She's a reader in forensic psychology at the University of Portsmouth, in England. "The role of emotion in driving the desire to commit crime is a much neglected area, and our research indicates it could be key to stopping it in its tracks," she added in a university news release. The study included younger (average age 20) and older (average age 39)...

Sleepy Seniors Have Higher Health Risks

2 March 2020
Sleepy Seniors Have Higher Health RisksMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If you're over 65 and sleeping well at night, yet find yourself nodding off during the day, you may have a higher risk of developing new medical conditions like diabetes and cancer. New research found that people who were excessively tired during the day had about twice the risk of being diagnosed with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or cancer. "Healthy people, without major medical conditions, are minimally sleepy through the day," said the study's lead author, Dr. Maurice Ohayon. He's a professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Stanford University. "Getting older doesn't mean you have to be tired and sleepy. [Excessive daytime sleepiness] is mostly linked to a medical condition that deserves to be addressed by your...

FDA OKs First Generic Version of Daraprim, Best Known as...

2 March 2020
FDA OKs First Generic Version of Daraprim, Best Known as the `Pharma Bro` DrugMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The first generic version of Daraprim (pyrimethamine) tablets for the treatment of toxoplasmosis has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Today's approval is especially important for populations that are more susceptible to toxoplasmosis infections, such as pregnant women and individuals with HIV or AIDS, by paving the way for more choices in treatment options," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in an agency news release. Daraprim first gained notoriety in 2015 when its maker, Turing Pharmaceuticals, jacked up the price of the drug by 5,000%, from $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill, CNN reported. Martin Shkreli, who was the company's CEO at the time, became known by the moniker "pharma bro," according to CNN. The new...

U.S. Kids Waiting a Little Longer to Try Alcohol, Drugs

2 March 2020
U.S. Kids Waiting a Little Longer to Try Alcohol, DrugsMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- It's never good news that kids are using drugs and alcohol, but fewer U.S. teens are starting before their 16th birthday, a new study finds. Researchers found that between 2004 and 2017, the age at which teens started drinking alcohol and smoking rose from 16 to 17 years. The age for trying heroin went from 17 to 18, and for cocaine it increased from 18 to 19 years. For crack cocaine, opioids and some other drugs, however, no increase in age was seen. "We think this is great news because delaying initiation of drugs prevents early exposure, which we know is associated with various long-term negative health outcomes," said lead researcher Karl Alcover, a postdoctoral research associate at Washington State University, in Spokane. "Also,...

AHA News: Stroke at 39 Left College Professor Unable to Speak

2 March 2020
AHA News: Stroke at 39 Left College Professor Unable to SpeakMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- A few months before her 39th birthday, Sherry Pinkstaff challenged herself to run for at least 15 minutes every morning and she did, often jogging along the ocean near her home and sometimes pushing a stroller carrying her two young children. The benefits went beyond physical fitness. "I can't tell you how many times I get ideas, personally and professionally, when I'm out for a run," said Pinkstaff, a physical therapist, college professor and researcher. "Getting my body moving like that really greases the mind too." One morning several months later, she woke up in her Atlantic Beach, Florida, home and laid in bed thinking about the day to come. At first, nothing seemed out of sorts, but when she tried to get up, she wondered...

Every American Adult Should Be Tested for Hepatitis C: Task Force

2 March 2020
Every American Adult Should Be Tested for Hepatitis C: Task ForceMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Every adult in the United States should be tested for hepatitis C as part of their basic health care, an influential panel of preventive medical experts says. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that screening for hepatitis C infection occurs in everyone between 18 and 79, the group announced Monday. Hepatitis C infections have soared as a result of the opioid epidemic, with heroin users spreading the virus as they share needles, said task force member Dr. Michael Barry, director of the Informed Medical Decisions Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. An estimated 2.4 million Americans are currently living with chronic hepatitis C, the USPSTF says. An estimated 44,700 new infections occurred in 2017, nearly four times...

Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Lung Disease Many Don't Recognize

2 March 2020
Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Lung Disease Many Don`t RecognizeMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- More than 200,000 people in the United States have pulmonary fibrosis, but more than eight in 10 Americans don't know the symptoms of the lung disease, a new survey finds. Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive disease that causes scarring of the lungs. Symptoms include persistent, dry cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. There is no known cure. An online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults was conducted by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, and found that 86% did not know the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis. The most common form of pulmonary fibrosis is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which has no known cause. Certain people are at increased risk for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including those older than 60 and those with a history of...

Harvard Spearheads International Effort to Understand,...

MONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A Harvard/China collaboration has entered the coronavirus COVID-19 fray, with researchers on both sides of the globe working to expand understanding of...

U.S. Coronavirus Cases Now at 89, as 2nd Death, New...

MONDAY, March. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Two dozen new U.S. cases of coronavirus were reported in multiple states across the country over the weekend, as Washington State officials raced to...
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