Latest Health News

2Sep
2020

Multiple Studies Confirm Steroids Can Fight Severe COVID-19

Multiple Studies Confirm Steroids Can Fight Severe COVID-19WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A slew of "gold standard" clinical trials offer new hope for patients battling severe COVID-19: cheap, common drugs known as corticosteroids appear to cut the death rate by a third. Publication of new data on treatment with corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone or dexamethasone "represents an important step forward in the treatment of patients with COVID-19," said Dr. Hallie Prescott of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Dr. Todd Rice, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. They wrote an editorial accompanying four studies on corticosteroids and COVID-19, all published online Sept. 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). One of the studies was a "meta-analysis" -- a review of data looking at the...

AHA News: How to Keep Kids Active While Learning From...

2 September 2020
AHA News: How to Keep Kids Active While Learning From Home – and Why That`s VitalWEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- When schools close to protect families from the coronavirus, the main worry for many parents might be the lost learning. But for students who end up staying indoors and staring at phones and monitors most of the day, there could be health costs, too. "You have to give the parents some grace and say we're all sort of in survival mode right now," said Hildi Nicksic, a clinical assistant professor in the department of health and kinesiology at Texas A&M University in College Station. Still, the increase in screen time and inactivity makes for "a really scary reality." If you're a kid who has lost access to school, you've also lost recess and all the other opportunities for moving around during a school day. You've lost physical...

Rare Tumor Slows, But Won't Stop Young Drama Teacher

2 September 2020
Rare Tumor Slows, But Won`t Stop Young Drama TeacherWEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Christina Kosyla, a drama and yoga teacher in her late 20s, was about to take the trip of a lifetime when she felt a strange twinge in her shoulder. A co-worker also pointed out some slight swelling in Kosyla's shoulder. Kosyla and her best friend were planning to hike the Camino De Santiago -- a 500-mile pilgrimage from France to Spain that required exceptional physical fitness and stamina. She was concerned that her symptoms might interfere with her ability to complete the trip, so she went to her doctor to get checked out. Her doctor ordered an X-ray and an ultrasound. "I had noticed the tension sensation, but attributed it to my yoga practice. The doctor suspected it was a lipoma (a noncancerous growth of fatty tissue)," Kosyla...

Antibody Study Suggests More Lasting Immunity Against...

2 September 2020
Antibody Study Suggests More Lasting Immunity Against COVID Than BelievedWEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that should encourage scientists who are racing to develop coronavirus vaccines, a new study out of Iceland suggests that immunity to the disease may not be as fleeting as first thought. Among 30,000 Icelandic residents who were tested for antibodies to COVID-19, researchers discovered the antibodies stayed in people's systems for at least four months, the study found. Of those who tested positive for the coronavirus, 487 had received multiple antibody tests. In the first two months after a patient was diagnosed, the antibodies that can confer immunity rose significantly. For the next two months, antibody levels remained stable, according to the study published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a...

'Spare Tire' Might Up a Man's Prostate Cancer Risk

1 September 2020
`Spare Tire` Might Up a Man`s Prostate Cancer RiskTUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Men: A bulging belly may be bad for more than your heart. A new study suggests it might also up your risk of dying from prostate cancer. Researchers analyzed data from more than 218,000 men in Britain who were free of cancer when they enrolled in the U.K. BioBank study between 2006 and 2010. Over almost 11 years of follow-up, nearly 600 of the men died of prostate cancer. There was no clear association between risk of prostate cancer death and body mass index (BMI -- an estimate of body fat based on weight and height) or total body fat percentage. However, there was a link between high levels of fat around the belly and waist (central adiposity) and prostate cancer death risk, according to the study being presented this week at the virtual...

Eating in the Evening Could Be Bad for Your Health

1 September 2020
Eating in the Evening Could Be Bad for Your HealthTUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- To get a handle on your eating habits, keep a close eye on the clock, researchers suggest. Consuming most of your daily calories in the evening is associated with a less nutritious diet and higher calorie intake, a new study shows. Unfortunately, hunger pangs are often strongest later in the day. And this pattern could influence both the type and amount of food we eat, the study authors warned. To learn more, the investigators analyzed data from nearly 1,200 adults who took part in the U.K. National Diet and Nutrition Survey between 2012 and 2017. Overall, eating in the evening accounted for nearly 40% of daily calorie intake, according to the new report. For the study, adults were placed in four groups based on the percentage of calories...

Kids, Teens Usually Have Mild COVID-19 Infections, Rarely Fatal Ones: Study

1 September 2020
Kids, Teens Usually Have Mild COVID-19 Infections, Rarely Fatal Ones: StudyTUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Severe COVID-19 is rare in kids and teens, and death is exceptionally rare, occurring only in those with serious underlying conditions, according to a new study. The study, published Aug. 27 in the BMJ, also showed that Black children have a disproportionately high rate of severe COVID-19 illness. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 651 children and teens with COVID-19 who were admitted to 138 hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales between mid-January and early July. During a minimum follow-up of two weeks, 18% of the patients were admitted to critical care, with the highest risk among those who were Black, younger than 1 month of age or between 10 and 14 years old. Six children (1%) died in the hospital, and all of these...

Smartwatch EKGs Quickly Deliver Crucial Heart Data

1 September 2020
Smartwatch EKGs Quickly Deliver Crucial Heart DataTUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Could a smartwatch app save a heart attack patient's life? Quite possibly, according to Italian researchers. They found that electrocardiograph (EKG) readings from a smartwatch were nearly as accurate as standard EKGs among patients with suspected heart attacks. "A [standard] electrocardiograph is not always readily available," said study author Dr. Ciro Indolfi. "[So] the ability to identify an ongoing heart attack quickly and easily thanks to the use of a simple smartphone could be of great help in certain situations in reducing the negative consequences of a heart attack." Indolfi is director of cardiovascular research at Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy. An EKG is a graphic representation of the heart's electrical activity....

Being a Jerk Not a Recipe for Getting Ahead at Work

TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Being a selfish jerk won't pave a path to success, new research suggests. The study involved hundreds of participants who completed personality...

1 in 20 Older Americans Smoke Pot Regularly, Survey Finds

TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Marijuana use is on the rise among older Americans, with one in 20 saying they had used within the previous month, according to a new study. About 5%...
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