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USDA Gets Tougher on Salmonella in Raw Breaded Chicken Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is clamping down on salmonella bacteria found in breaded, stuffed raw chicken products, with the agency issuing a final rule on the issue Friday.

The agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has declared salmonella an “adulterant” if the amount of it in a product exceeds a very low level. Th...

Fragments of Bird Flu Virus Found in 1 in 5 Milk Samples

Bits of bird flu virus have been discovered in roughly 20% of retail milk samples tested in a national survey, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The finding suggests that bird flu has spread far more widely among dairy cows than officials first thought.

Samples from parts of the country that have infected dairy her...

Clients Got HIV Through 'Vampire Facial' Microneedling Treatments

FRIDAY, April 26, 2024 (HealthDay) -- Between 2018 and the spring of 2023, a cluster of clients who had gotten 'vampire facial' microneedling skin treatments at a New Mexico spa were diagnosed with HIV, probably via poorly cleaned instruments, a new report finds.

When HIV arises among people without known risk factors, doctors "might consi...

Take the Stairs & Step Up to Longer Life

Want to live longer? Choose the stairs over the elevator, a new review suggests.

Folks who regularly climb stairs have a 24% reduced risk of dying from any cause, and a 39% reduced risk of dying from heart disease, compared to those who always take the elevator, researchers found.

Stair climbing also is associated with a lower risk o...

'Drug Take Back Day' is Saturday: Check for Leftover Opioids in Your Home

Each year, thousands of Americans head home after a surgery clutching prescription opioids to help ease post-surgical pain.

Trouble is, most won't use all those pills, and that could lead to a lot of misuse and addiction, one study found.

And with National Prescription Drug Take Back Day slated for Saturday, it's time yet again to ...

Loneliness Can Shorten Lives of Cancer Survivors

Cancer survivors in the throes of loneliness are more likely to die compared to those with companionship, a new study finds.

Further, people who are the most lonely are the most likely to die, results show.

“Loneliness, the feeling of being isolated, is a prevalent concern among cancer survivors,” said lead researcher Jingxuan Zh...

A Stolen Dog Feels Like Losing a Child, Study Finds

The emotional turmoil caused by a stolen dog is akin to that of a parent losing a child, a new study finds.

The findings support the idea that pets truly become family members to their owners, researchers said. When faced with the theft of a pet, owners tend to feel a similar sense of powerlessness, grief and loss.

In fact, some stud...

Better Scans Spot Hidden Inflammation in MS Patients

Advanced scanning techniques can find hidden inflammation in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a new study shows.

This “smoldering” inflammation detected by positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans could help explain why patients continue to decline even though imaging shows no brain changes, researchers reported r...

Which Patients and Surgeries Are 'High Risk' for Seniors?

Most seniors probably view any emergency surgery with a certain level of anxiety.

Now, a new study seeks to sort out who might be at highest risk for a complication from such surgeries -- and which surgeries are more prone to trouble.

Two key factors emerged: How frail any patient over 65 was prior to their emergency procedure, and...

Vancomycin May Be Losing Strength Against Common Deadly Infection

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a leading cause of illness and death, especially for frail and hospitalized Americans.

Now, a new study suggests that the leading antibiotic used to fight it, vancomycin, may be losing potency against this killer.

“It's an alarming development in the field of C. diff, as...

Medicare Warnings Stop Nursing Homes From Overusing Antipsychotic Meds

Warning letters sent by Medicare officials can prompt a decline in antipsychotic prescriptions for seniors with dementia, a new study finds.

Letters sent to heavy prescribers of quetiapine (Seroquel), the most popular antipsychotic in the United States, led to a significant decline in drugs handed out to seniors, researchers reported April...

U.S. Births Declined in 2023, Marking End to Post-Pandemic Rise

The short post-pandemic uptick in U.S. births may be over, with 2023 numbers showing a decline in births.

According to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just under 3.6 million babies were born in America in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before.

It's also the lowest number of births r...

FDA Approves New Antibiotic Against UTIs

As many patients already know, urinary tract infections (UTIs) can recur despite the use of antibiotics.

So, it's welcome news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Pivya (pivmecillinam) to fight bacterial UTIs.

"UTIs are a very common condition impacting women and one of the most frequent reasons for ant...

New School Lunch Rules Target Added Sugars, Salt

School lunches will soon contain less added sugars and salt under new nutrition standards announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday.

“We all share the goal of helping children reach their full potential,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release announcing the changes. “Like teachers, classrooms, bo...

Dairy Cows Moved Across State Lines Must Now Be Tested for Bird Flu

As bird flu continues to spread among dairy cows in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it will start requiring testing of the animals if they are moved across state lines.

The "USDA has identified [bird flu] spread between cows within the same herd, spread from cows to poultry, spread between dairies asso...

TikTok Riddled With Misleading Info on Health: Study

Young people researching health topics on TikTok will find an alarming amount of misinformation on the platform, a new study says.

About 44% of TikTok videos related to sinusitis contained non-factual information, researchers reported recently in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Further, almost half of the v...

Emulsifier Chemicals Are Everywhere in Foods. Could They Raise Diabetes Risk?

Emulsifiers -- substances that are essential ingredients in processed foods -- appear to increase people’s risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

In fact, the more emulsifiers that people eat as part of their food, the higher their risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers reported April 23 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology ...