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THURSDAY, Sept. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers have a significantly raised risk of dying from a bleeding stroke, a new study warns. For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 16,000 same-sex twin pairs in Finland. The twins were born before 1958 and followed for about 42 years (between 1976 and 2018). During the follow-up, there were 120 deaths from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This is a type of bleeding stroke that occurs under the membrane that covers the brain. The median age at death was about 61. Compared to nonsmokers, the risk of fatal bleeding in the brain was three times higher among heavy and moderate smokers, and 2.8 times higher among light smokers. The findings were published Sept. 17 in the journal Stroke. "Our study provides further evidence about...

THURSDAY, Sept. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the coronavirus pandemic wears on, it's clear that not everyone's on the same page when it comes to preventing the risk of infection. Lots of people wear masks, try to maintain social distancing and avoid large gatherings. But plenty of others forgo a mask or wear it on their chin, go to busy bars and attend social gatherings, like weddings. Both sides think they're right. And that's led to friction and frustration among friends and families. How can you deal with these differences and keep your relationships intact? "This is a super-charged topic. Your beliefs about science are now injected with politics," said Dr. Richard Catanzaro, chief of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. "My fundamental...

THURSDAY, Sept. 17, 2020 (Healthday News) -- The details of a plan to rapidly deliver a future coronavirus vaccine to Americans were unveiled by federal officials on Wednesday. Two of the key parts of the plan are to begin distributing a vaccine with 24 hours of any approval or emergency authorization and offering the vaccine for free, The New York Times reported. Officials from Operation Warp Speed -- the multiagency effort to quickly vaccinate Americans against coronavirus -- also said the timing of a vaccine was still unclear, the Times reported. That despite repeated statements from President Donald Trump that a shot could be ready before the election on Nov. 3. "We're dealing in a world of great uncertainty. We don't know the timing of when we'll have a vaccine, we don't know...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The answer to saving lives from cardiac arrest someday could include sending drones to the rescue. A recent randomized trial tested whether delivering an automated external defibrillator (AED) by drone would be faster than an ambulance and more accessible for bystanders than looking for AEDs in nearby buildings. About 350,000 people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the United States, according to the study. Only 10% survive. Though their chance of survival doubles when a bystander administers CPR and defibrillation, bystanders use an AED in only 2% of cardiac arrests. "They really need to be defibrillated within less than five minutes because every minute that goes by, your chances of survival decrease...