Latest Health News

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- In an advance in treating spinal cord injuries, researchers have pinpointed nerve cells that are key to allowing people with paralysis to walk again.The findings come, in part, from nine patients involved in an ongoing Swiss study that is seeking to restore movement to people with paralysis.All nine rapidly regained the ability to stand and walk with the help of implants that electrically stimulate spinal nerves that control lower-body movement.Now the researchers are reporting that they've identified a specific group of cells in the lower spine that appear necessary for that movement recovery to happen.The hope, experts said, is that the discovery will help in refining the electrical stimulation therapy -- and, eventually, aid in developing...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday warned health care workers to look out for patients who may have been exposed to a potentially deadly animal sedative, possibly through illicit drug use.The veterinary medication xylazine is sometimes added to fentanyl, heroin or other drugs, after either being diverted from the legal animal supply or illicitly produced, the FDA said. "FDA is aware of increasing reports of serious side effects from individuals exposed to fentanyl, heroin, and other illicit drugs contaminated with xylazine," the agency announced in a news release.The non-opioid -- sometimes called tranq -- is approved for use in animals as a sedative and pain reliever. It is not safe for use in humans. Deaths tied to xylazine...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- Science is about discovery. It's about answering questions and, often, raising new ones.For Elise and Demir Dilci – 16-year-old twins whose research was presented Sunday at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago – it was certainly all that. The two high school sophomores from Houston's Awty International School set out to answer a single question and found they had so many more.Their work, done in partnership with Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine as part of a school internship project, investigated whether there was an association between living in historically redlined neighborhoods and risk of dying from heart disease. What the teens found not only surprised them, it has inspired...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors know a lot about the best ways to treat heart attacks and strokes, but until now they really didn’t have this kind of information for peripheral artery disease (PAD).Affecting as many as 10 million people in the United States, PAD is marked by a plaque buildup in the arteries of the legs, causing pain and trouble walking. More than 10% of people with PAD develop chronic limb-threatening ischemia, which increases their risk for amputation and death.Chronic limb-threatening ischemia can be treated with surgery but which of two approaches was more effective and for whom has been unclear. Now, a new study finds a clear benefit with one type of surgery. If you have chronic limb-threatening ischemia plus a sufficient major (saphenous) leg...