Latest Health News

26Nov
2020

Wood-Fired Cooking a Cause of Lung Illness in Developing World

Wood-Fired Cooking a Cause of Lung Illness in Developing WorldTHURSDAY, Nov. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) – People who cook with wood instead of other fuels may be at risk of lung damage because of the pollutants and bacterial toxins they're breathing, a small study suggests.Researchers studied the impact of cookstove pollutants on 23 people in Thanjavur, India, who use liquefied petroleum gas or wood biomass (wood, crop waste or wood brush) to cook.They measured concentrations of pollutants in participants' homes and used tests, including spirometry and advanced CT scans, to study individuals' lung function. For example, they acquired one scan when a person inhaled and another after he or she exhaled, then measured the difference to see how the lungs were functioning.The researchers found that people who cooked with wood had greater exposure to...

Heart Anatomy May Put Blacks at Higher Stroke Risk

25 November 2020
Heart Anatomy May Put Blacks at Higher Stroke RiskWEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans face a heightened risk of stroke, and a new study suggests that abnormalities in the heart's upper chambers play a role.Experts said the findings, published Nov. 25 in the journal Neurology, point to an under-recognized factor in Black Americans' stroke risk.It has long been known that in the United States, Black adults are particularly hard-hit by ischemic strokes -- where a blood clot impedes blood flow to the brain. Their rate is twice that of white Americans.Part of the disparity is related to health conditions that can lead to stroke: About half of Black Americans have high blood pressure, and they often develop it at a relatively young age, according to the American Stroke Association.Some other stroke risk factors,...

MS Has Mixed Impact on Patients' Cancer Risk: Study

25 November 2020
MS Has Mixed Impact on Patients` Cancer Risk: StudyWEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- How does having multiple sclerosis (MS) affect a person's odds for cancer? The answer may depend on the type of cancer, new research shows.The study found that MS patients do have much greater odds of developing bladder cancer compared to people without the illness. But there was good news, too: Their risk of breast and colon cancer is no higher than for people who don't have MS, according to the Canadian researchers. Why MS patients are prone to bladder cancer isn't clear."We can only speculate about the reason for this finding," said lead researcher Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, a professor of medicine and community health sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.She pointed out that people with MS have an increased rate of urinary tract...

Simple Move May Boost Spinal Fusion Outcomes

25 November 2020
Simple Move May Boost Spinal Fusion OutcomesWEDNESDAY, Nov 25, 2020 (HealthDay) -- A new approach that could revolutionize spinal fusion surgery does away with the need to "flip" patients from their back or side onto their stomach midway through the operation -- a switch researchers say dramatically improves outcomes.The new technique -- dubbed Single Position Lumbar Surgery (SPLS) -- lets surgeons complete the entire spinal fusion operation while the patient lies on his or her side. Researchers looked at 244 patients (average age: 61) who had this procedure between 2012 and 2019. Spinal fusion is used to treat degenerative or deformity-related spinal conditions, including spinal stenosis, scoliosis and spondylolisthesis.The results were positive on many levels, investigators say. Compared with 153 patients who had standard...

Delirium May Be Only Sign of Severe COVID in Elderly: Study

25 November 2020
Delirium May Be Only Sign of Severe COVID in Elderly: StudyWEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Delirium is often the first symptom of COVID-19 to appear in older people, a new study finds.They may have confusion with an altered level of consciousness, disorientation, inattention and other mental disturbances, but none of the other typical signs of the coronavirus infection, such as fever and cough, researchers say."COVID can operate through multiple ways to affect the brain, including inflammation, mini-strokes, multiple organ system failure, and then, the usual stressors of being sick and hospitalized can contribute to delirium," said senior study author Dr. Sharon Inouye. She is director of the Aging Brain Center at Hebrew SeniorLife and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in...

AHA News: While Vacationing on an Isolated Island, She Had a Stroke

25 November 2020
AHA News: While Vacationing on an Isolated Island, She Had a StrokeWEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Lawnae Hunter was ecstatic to escape snowy Oregon and her hectic schedule for a 10-day Christmas vacation with her son, daughter-in-law and then-9-year-old granddaughter in the Turks and Caicos Islands.The foursome savored lounging by the pool, combing the beach for seashells and sampling the seafood in the remote Caribbean nation.Over what was supposed to be their final breakfast, they reminisced about how much fun they'd had, then headed to the pool one last time. Lawnae's granddaughter, Lauren, begged her to go down the pool slide with her."I wanted to be that hip Nana," Lawnae said. "I said, 'Sure, honey, let's go.'"Hand-in-hand, Lawnae and Lauren climbed the steps to the windy slide. Lauren went first, squealing as she...

COVID Vaccine Rollout Could Begin Mid-December, Fauci Says

25 November 2020
COVID Vaccine Rollout Could Begin Mid-December, Fauci SaysWEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Approved vaccines against the new coronavirus could begin to be distributed to the most at-risk Americans as early as mid-December, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said Thursday."And as we get into the first quarter of 2021 — January, February, March — more and more people will get vaccinated," he added in an HD Live! interview. But to put a real end to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of Americans will need to get the shot."Somewhere between 75% and 80% of the people [need] to get vaccinated in order to get a real umbrella of protection over the community — the 'community' being the United States of America," Fauci said. "And hopefully that can get done worldwide so that we globally crush this...

Another Study Casts Doubt on 'Convalescent Plasma' as COVID-19 Treatment

25 November 2020
Another Study Casts Doubt on `Convalescent Plasma` as COVID-19 TreatmentWEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, anecdotal reports suggested that infusing very sick patients with the blood plasma of people who'd survived the disease might help boost outcomes.But study findings released Nov. 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine, along with disappointing results from prior trials, suggest that those initial hopes may have been unfounded.The new study was conducted by researchers in Argentina. It compared outcomes for 228 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who got an infusion of so-called "convalescent plasma" against those of 105 patients who did not (the "placebo group"). All were so sick as to have developed pneumonia.However, one month later, "no significant difference was noted between the convalescent plasma group...

Strong Sleeping Pills Tied to Falls, Fractures in...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Strong sleeping pills known as "Z-drugs" may increase the risk of falls, fractures and stroke among people with dementia, British researchers...

When COVID Strikes Cancer Patients, Men Fare Worse

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Men with COVID-19 and cancer run a greater risk for severe symptoms and death than women with both conditions, a new study finds.Researchers concluded...
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