Latest Health News

8Aug
2020

What Parents Need to Know About Teens and Concussions

What Parents Need to Know About Teens and ConcussionsSATURDAY, Aug. 8, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Concussion symptoms aren't always evident, so parents of student-athletes need to know the signs and seek a diagnosis if their teen gets hurt, experts say. Only those closest to a teen may be able to identify the sometimes subtle changes in mood and emotion stemming from a concussion, said Dr. Rory Tucker, a sports medicine specialist at Penn State Bone and Joint Institute in Hershey, Penn. "Parents may notice a change in their teen's sleep patterns," Tucker explained. "He or she may be more withdrawn, socializing less with friends or family members, more emotional or tearful. They may have anger outbursts or be more nervous than they were before." Since doctors may be unfamiliar with a patient's usual mental state, parents need to...

Baby's Meningitis Case Highlights Growing Danger of...

7 August 2020
Baby`s Meningitis Case Highlights Growing Danger of Antibiotic ResistanceFRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Antibiotic-resistant bacteria affected the treatment of meningitis at a major children's hospital in Washington, D.C. This single case at Children's National Hospital raises concerns about drug resistance in the common bacterium that caused the infection, and researchers say it could change lab and clinical procedures around the world. Normally, when doctors first suspect meningitis in children, they usually give the broad-spectrum antibiotic ceftriaxone, which acts against a wider range of disease-causing bacteria. When the meningitis organism is identified through lab tests, penicillin or ampicillin are used, the researchers explained. People who have had close contact with the patients are also given ciprofloxacin as a precaution. In...

Simple Test Shows Which Face Masks Are Best

7 August 2020
Simple Test Shows Which Face Masks Are BestFRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to face masks, not all are equally effective, a new study finds. Duke University researchers developed a way of testing various types of masks to see which did the best job of stopping droplets coming from people's mouths, preventing spread of the new coronavirus. They relied on a makeshift apparatus consisting of a box, a laser, a lens and a cellphone camera. "We confirmed that when people speak, small droplets get expelled, so disease can be spread by talking, without coughing or sneezing," said Martin Fischer, a chemist and physicist at the Durham, N.C., campus. "We could also see that some face coverings performed much better than others in blocking expelled particles." What masks do the best job? That would be N95 masks...

As in Adults, Minority Kids Hit Hardest by COVID-19

7 August 2020
As in Adults, Minority Kids Hit Hardest by COVID-19FRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. minorities have been particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and a new study suggests kids are no exception. Researchers found that at one community testing site, nearly half of Hispanic children and teens were positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The same was true of 30% of Black kids. The rate among white kids hovered around 7%. At this point, racial disparities in the U.S. pandemic are well-documented -- at least among adults. "But those adults also live with children," said lead researcher Dr. Monika Goyal. Her team's findings -- published online Aug. 5 in Pediatrics -- offer a glimpse at how the pandemic is disproportionately affecting kids and teens, as well. What the study cannot discern is why,...

AHA News: Program Helps New Immigrants Blend Into Their Communities

7 August 2020
AHA News: Program Helps New Immigrants Blend Into Their CommunitiesFRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Social justice warrior Geralde Gabeau has worked for over two decades advocating for and developing public health initiatives for immigrants, especially for women and children. But while working on her doctorate degree in strategic leadership several years ago, Gabeau learned something that moved her in a new direction and, in turn, is impacting the lives of thousands of immigrants in the Boston area. "I came across some articles on immigrant integration and how long it takes for a new immigrant to integrate into the U.S.," she said. "So that really pushed me to research more and realize that it can take five to 10 years for an immigrant to fully integrate and that time means a lot of challenges for families, a lot of...

Beware of Hand Sanitizers Containing Methanol

7 August 2020
Beware of Hand Sanitizers Containing MethanolFRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The American Association of Poison Control Centers has issued a warning on hand sanitizers that contain methanol (methyl alcohol). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already warned that some hand sanitizers are contaminated with methanol. Methanol is very toxic and can make you "blind drunk" because of its ability to damage the optic nerve, poison experts say. Depending on the concentration of methanol and the amount swallowed, patients can experience nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Other symptoms can include headache, dizziness, drowsiness and slurred speech, the poison control center said in a news release. These contaminated products have various concentrations of methanol, which means that some may be very toxic and...

What Athletes Should Know About COVID-19, Heart Damage and Working Out

7 August 2020
What Athletes Should Know About COVID-19, Heart Damage and Working OutFRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- With evidence mounting that COVID-19 can damage the heart, experts urge people to take precautions when doing vigorous exercise. Up to 30% of patients hospitalized with coronavirus infection have signs of cardiac injury, according to Dr. Sunal Makadia, health director of sports cardiology at LifeBridge Health in Baltimore. The prevalence of heart damage in milder cases of COVID-19 is unknown. Still, experts worry about the potential for serious heart complications from engaging in vigorous exercise while infected with the virus. The American College of Cardiology's Sports and Exercise Council recommends that people get a COVID-19 test and heart screening before playing sports or exercising. Even if they show no symptoms, those who test...

Will a Cheap Pill Cure Gonorrhea? New Test Can Tell

7 August 2020
Will a Cheap Pill Cure Gonorrhea? New Test Can TellFRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say a new test can tell which patients with gonorrhea will benefit from treatment with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. The low-cost drug has been out of use amid concern that the bacterium that causes gonorrhea was becoming resistant to it. In this study, 106 patients identified as having a gonorrhea strain called wild-type gyrA serine were cured with a single dose of ciprofloxacin. A test to screen for that strain has been available for three years, but this is the first time it has been systematically studied in humans, researchers said. "Gonorrhea is one of the most common drug-resistant infections worldwide and is becoming harder to treat. Current treatment methods require an antibiotic injection, which is expensive and...

Model Shows 300,000 American Deaths by December if More...

FRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the U.S. coronavirus case count neared 5 million on Thursday, a new model predicted that nearly 300,000 Americans could die of COVID-19 by December if...

Men's Genital Bacteria Help Predict Partners' Risk for...

THURSDAY, Aug. 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The makeup of bacteria that colonize a man's penis can help predict the risk of a serious and hard-to-treat vaginal infection in his female partner, new...
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