Latest Health News

29Jul
2020

HPV Shots: Safe and Effective, But Many Parents Still Hesitate

HPV Shots: Safe and Effective, But Many Parents Still HesitateWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- More than a decade of research has shown that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine protects against a host of cancers, yet a new study finds that only half of American teens complete the multiple-shot regimen. Why? Researchers discovered that many parents still harbor safety concerns about the vaccine, even though it guards against 90% of all cervical and anal cancers. Using data from the 2017-2018 National Immunization Survey, researchers analyzed responses from parents or caregivers of more than 82,000 U.S. teens. "We wanted to understand the dynamics of HPV vaccination, and why HPV vaccine rates are suboptimal despite the vaccine being in the market for over 10 years now," explained study author Kalyani Sonawane, an assistant...

More Americans Turning to Artificial Sweeteners, But Is...

29 July 2020
More Americans Turning to Artificial Sweeteners, But Is That a Healthy Move?WEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Americans may be heeding expert advice to reduce sugar intake. But instead of giving up sweets altogether, they're turning to certain sugar substitutes. A new study found that between 2002 and 2018, purchases of packaged food products containing sucralose (Splenda) jumped from 39% to 71%. Purchases of products containing a newer type of sweetener -- rebaudioside A (Stevia, Truvia) -- rose from 0.1% in 2002 to 26% in 2018. Not all sugar substitutes saw increased use, however. In 2002, 60% of households chose products containing Aspartame (Equal) compared to 49% by 2018. Use of the sweetener saccharin (Sweet'N Low) also declined. "Some of the messaging from public health folks, doctors and other health care professionals about the need...

Gene Study Shows How Coronavirus Swept Through the...

29 July 2020
Gene Study Shows How Coronavirus Swept Through the <i>Diamond Princess</i>WEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The fate of more than 3,600 quarantined passengers and crew on the cruise ship Diamond Princess made headlines in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic in February. An outbreak aboard the ship eventually led to nearly 700 infections and seven deaths from COVID-19. Now, a genetic retracing of events shows the outbreak likely stemmed from just one infected person, with the virus spreading rapidly as people mingled at crowded shipboard events, Japanese researchers report. One thing is certain, however: Quarantine and containment measures enacted after the virus was discovered did limit cases -- and probably saved lives. The first known case of coronavirus infection on the Diamond Princess was reported Feb. 1 in an ill 80-year-old...

AHA News: 5 Easy Ways to Keep Tabs on Heart Health

29 July 2020
AHA News: 5 Easy Ways to Keep Tabs on Heart HealthWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Tracking a few simple numbers can be a big help in keeping tabs on heart health. But you need to pay attention to those numbers long before your doctor says they're an urgent concern, said Nicole Spartano, a research assistant professor in the department of endocrinology, diabetes, nutrition and weight management at Boston University School of Medicine. She likened it to watching warning signs on a highway: Paying attention now alerts you to problems that might appear down the road. "Just because you haven't reached whatever threshold is there for the diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean you're in the clear in terms of whatever physiological measure you're tracking," she said. Blood pressure is particularly crucial, said Dr....

One Disease Mosquitoes Don't Spread: Coronavirus

29 July 2020
One Disease Mosquitoes Don`t Spread: CoronavirusWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Although scientists haven't nailed down how the new coronavirus jumped to humans, a new study confirms mosquitoes aren't to blame -- and you won't get COVID-19 from a mosquito bite. "While the World Health Organization has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory," said study author Stephen Higgs. He is director of the Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. The researchers found that the new coronavirus can't replicate in three common species of mosquitoes -- Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus -- and therefore cannot be transmitted to humans. The study was published recently...

Mastering the Violin Won't Help Your Child Master Math: Study

29 July 2020
Mastering the Violin Won`t Help Your Child Master Math: StudyWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- All the parents who force their children to play an instrument because it has been touted as a way to boost overall intelligence, take note. New research now suggests that it may not help develop memory, math, reading and writing skills after all. Earlier studies trying to pinpoint the value of music training on cognitive and academic performance have been conflicting, the researchers said. So, Giovanni Sala, from Fujita Health University in Japan, and Fernand Gobet, from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom, analyzed data on nearly 7,000 children from 54 previously published studies. The investigators found that music training seemed to have no effect on building mental or academic skills in...

Child Care Stresses, Hunger Are Harming U.S. Families During Pandemic

29 July 2020
Child Care Stresses, Hunger Are Harming U.S. Families During PandemicWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- With everyday life turned upside down, efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are taking a toll on the well-being and health of American families, a new poll reveals. More than 1,000 parents nationwide were surveyed in early June. "Without question, COVID-19 had a sudden and profound effect on families nationwide," said survey leader Dr. Stephen Patrick. He's director of the Center for Child Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. Physical distance requirements, he noted, resulted in total upheaval, with "abrupt closures of schools, child care, community programs and workplaces. Parents lost jobs, child care, social networks. For kids, schools closed, they stopped going to pediatricians." In many...

Coronavirus Cases Plateauing in Sun Belt, Spiking in the Midwest

29 July 2020
Coronavirus Cases Plateauing in Sun Belt, Spiking in the MidwestWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Coronavirus outbreaks throughout the Sun Belt started to show signs of leveling off on Tuesday, but the nation's top infectious disease expert warned that COVID-19 cases are now on the rise in the Midwest. "We just can't afford, yet again, another surge," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday, as the country reported more than 1,000 coronavirus fatalities for the second day in a row, the Washington Post reported. Florida, Arkansas, Oregon and Montana saw their highest single-day death tolls to date on Tuesday, the Post reported. However, the number of cases nationwide appears to have leveled off to a seven-day moving average of around 66,000 new cases daily, the Post reported. A slight decline in new cases registered Tuesday followed five weeks...

9/11 First Responders Have Higher Odds for Alzheimer's:...

TUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- First responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks appear to be at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and dementia, new research suggests. The...

Common Diabetes Meds Linked to Higher Odds for a Serious...

TUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People taking a class of diabetes medications called SGLT2s have up to three times the risk for a serious complication called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)...
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