Human Cell Atlas Will Be 'Google Maps' for Health Research

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

Scientists from around the world are making headway in compiling a Human Cell Atlas -- a deep dive into the myriad types of cells in the body and their disparate roles in health and disease.

The atlas is not yet complete, but 40 different scientific papers on cell resear...

U.S. Postpartum Depression Diagnoses Doubled in a Decade

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

Rates of postpartum depression have more than doubled in little over a decade among American women, a new analysis shows.

While about 1 in every 10 new moms (9.4%) suffered postpartum depression in 2010, that number rose to almost 1 in every 5 (19%) by 2021, report a tea...

California Child Tests Positive for Bird Flu

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

A child in California has tested positive for bird flu, despite having no known contact with infected animals, state officials reported Tuesday.

"California has identified a possible bird flu case in a child in Alameda County who was te...

About 1 in 10 U.S. Adults Have High Cholesterol

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

Nearly 1 in every 10 American adults is living with high levels of cholesterol in their arteries, according to the latest report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data, from 2021 through 2023, found that 11.3% of adults have high total cholest...

Four Million Americans Could Lose Health Coverage Once ACA Credits Expire

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

If Congress lets healthcare tax credits established during the pandemic expire, 4 million Americans will become uninsured, a new analysis warns.

The tax credits, which have significantly lowered out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans, are set to expire at the end ...

Child-Teacher Bond in Early Education Could Have Lasting Impact

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

Fostering good relationships with teachers in the early grades may have long-lasting benefits, new research suggests.

"These early connections significantly influence not only academic achievement, but also social and emotional development and executive functioning skill...

Surgeon General Says U.S. Smoking Rates Have Tumbled, But Not for Everyone

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

Although the United States has made significant headway in curbing cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, a new report finds deep divisions remain and they run along predictable fault lines.

Disparities in tobacco use continue to persist by income and occupatio...

Earlier Type 2 Diabetes Diagnoses Bring Higher Odds for Dementia

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A type 2 diabetes diagnosis before age 50 comes with a health risk that patients might not expect.

Especially if they are obese, these folks are more likely to develop dementia later, new research warns.

"Our study ...

A-fib Plus Heart Failure a Dangerous Combo

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

For the 4 in 10 patients with newly diagnosed heart failure who also have the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation, the prognosis can be poor.

"Atrial fibrillation can make heart failure much more problematic, and more complex to treat," said researcher Heidi May, a...

Psychologists' Group Issues First Guidance to Parents on Teen Online Video Use

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2024
• Full Page

Parents can't monitor everything their kids watch online, but a set of new guidelines may help young people manage their own viewing habits.

"Research consistently shows that video content, and the platforms that host it, have the potential to help or harm teens," said A...

Climate Change Is Pushing More People to Get X-rays, CT Scans

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

There's yet another downside to global warming: Higher health care expenditures for medical scans on hot days.

So report Canadian researchers who discovered that periods of heat and air pollution bumped up demand for X-rays and CT scans by about 5%. Over time, that coul...

Judge Declares Wyoming's Abortion Bans Unconstitutional

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

Two Wyoming abortion bans, including the first state law to prohibit the use of abortion pills, violate the state's constitution, a judge ruled Monday.

In her decision, Judge Melissa Owens, of Teton County District Court, wrote that both a ban on medication abortion and ...

Why Alarm Is Easing Over a Rise in Pancreatic Cancer Among the Young

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

Experts have been concerned by rising rates of pancreatic cancer in young adults, but new research reveals the jump in cases has not been accompanied by any increase in deaths from the disease.

Why? According to the scientists behind the finding, today's more highly sen...

More Than Half of U.S. Adults Could Be Candidates for Ozempic

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

More than half of all American adults, almost 137 million people, could be candidates for the blockbuster GLP-1 drug semaglutide, a new analysis finds.

Sold as Ozempic for treating diabetes and Wegovy to spur weight loss, the medication could be indicated for those two p...

U.S. Alcohol-Linked Deaths Doubled in 20 Years

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

Alcohol-related deaths have surged in the United States, nearly doubling over 20 years, and a growing number of victims are women, a new study warns.

"Our study found significant gender differences in alcohol-related [death rates]," said senior author Yiota Kitsantas, he...

There's Been a Big Improvement in Lung Cancer Survival

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

More people with lung cancer are living longer, but it remains America's deadliest cancer, a new state-by-state report shows.

"There is more work to do, but I am incredibly optimistic about the future of lung cancer care," said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the Ame...

Newer Blood Thinner Cuts Odds for Stroke After Heart Valve Surgery

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

Japanese researchers say they have found a pill that works as well as existing medication to prevent blood clots after heart valve surgery, with fewer trips to the doctor.

Unlike warfarin, the standard treatment, edoxaban does not require regular monitoring of blood clot...

Most of the World's Cities Lack Enough Trees to Cool, Calm Residents

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

As climate changes sends summer temperatures higher worldwide, new research finds most urban residents don't have a key source of cooling shade: trees.

A study of eight cities around the globe found that only two -- Seattle and Singapore -- reached even the minimum recom...

Ablation Best Treatment for Rapid Heartbeat in Heart Attack Survivors

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

New research suggests that a procedure now regarded as Plan B when patients have episodes of rapid heartbeat after a heart attack should be the go-to treatment.

Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure to treat abnormal electrical short circuits caused by a heart attac...

Want to Lower Chemical Exposures in Pregnancy? Quit Nail Polish, Makeup and Hair Dye

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2024
• Full Page

Women who won't leave the house without makeup or a spritz of hairspray may want to think twice about those habits when they're pregnant or breastfeeding.

New research links these and other personal care products, including hair dyes, fragrances, lotions, moisturizers an...