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MONDAY, Jan. 23, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- Several years ago, researchers published in JAMA a promising discovery: intensively lowering blood pressure appeared to reduce the risk for cognitive decline in people 50 and older with high blood pressure. But questions remained about whether the strategy was safe or effective in people whose diastolic blood pressure – the bottom number in a blood pressure reading – was low. Some data suggested intensive control might raise the risk for dementia in this group.A new study led by researchers in China suggests otherwise. The findings, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, show no evidence that intensive systolic (top number) blood pressure control is harmful to people whose diastolic blood...

MONDAY, Jan. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Intravenous (IV) lines are generally associated with medical centers — picture a patient in a hospital bed, an IV drip-dropping needed fluids, nutrients and medicines into their arm.But millions now are receiving IV treatments at home, and a new study warns that not enough people are being properly trained to watch out for potentially dangerous IV-associated infections.There are no standard protocols for training home care nurses, caregivers or the patients themselves how to watch out for and report signs of infections caused by IV lines, said co-author Dr. Sara Keller, an assistant professor of infectious disease at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md.“There are more patients receiving home infusion therapy now...

MONDAY, Jan. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- When kids suffer a concussion, an extended period of rest at home is always the best course, right? Perhaps not.In fact, a new study suggests that -- despite what many people may presume -- getting kids back to school quickly is the best way to boost their chance for a rapid recovery and better outcomes.The finding stems from a look at post-concussion outcomes of more than 1,600 children between the ages of 5 and 18."There has been minimal research to date that provides guidance to clinicians, parents and schools regarding an appropriate time for youth to return to school after a concussion," said study leader Christopher Vaughan, a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children's National Hospital in Rockville, Md.The current guidance, he said, is...

MONDAY, Jan. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The COVID-19 Omicron variant caused fewer cases of a rare but sometimes deadly complication for children than the earlier Delta variant did, new research shows.“Our study is one of the first to show that during the change to Omicron, MIS-C has become milder and increasingly rare,” said senior researcher Dr. Mark Hicar, a University at Buffalo infectious disease specialist. “This trend has continued and MIS-C is currently quite rare, per anecdotal reports from colleagues across the country.”MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) typically occurs two to six weeks after a child’s COVID infection, and can cause dangerous inflammation in different organs throughout the body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control...