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Wood-Fired Cooking a Cause of Lung Illness in Developing World

THURSDAY, Nov. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) – People who cook with wood instead of other fuels may be at risk of lung damage because of the pollutants and bacterial toxins they're breathing, a small study suggests.

Researchers studied the impact of cookstove pollutants on 23 people in Thanjavur, India, who use liquefied petroleum gas or woo...

Quick Bursts of Exercise Can Help Diabetics' Hearts

Frequent, short exercise sessions may be better for diabetes patients' blood vessels than longer and fewer workouts, and that may reduce their risk of heart disease, according to a new study.

People with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for heart disease and reduced vascular (blood vessel) function, the study authors noted. Measuring ...

Nurse Practitioners Key to Opioid Treatment in Rural U.S.: Study

In isolated areas of the United States, nurse practitioners are filling an important role in helping people access treatment for opioid addiction, according to a Washington State University (WSU) study.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants have only been authorized to prescribe buprenorphine (a drug that can treat opioid addiction)...

Quit Smoking, Your Bladder Will Thank You

If you smoke, you significantly increase your odds of developing bladder cancer, experts warn.

"Everyone knows smoking causes lung cancer, but they don't always know about bladder cancer," said Dr. Srinivas Vourganti, a urologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who specializes in treating bladder and other urinary tract cancer...

Heart Anatomy May Put Blacks at Higher Stroke Risk

Black Americans face a heightened risk of stroke, and a new study suggests that abnormalities in the heart's upper chambers play a role.

Experts said the findings, published Nov. 25 in the journal Neurology, point to an under-recognized factor in Black Americans' stroke risk.

It has long been known that in the United States,...

MS Has Mixed Impact on Patients' Cancer Risk: Study

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- How does having multiple sclerosis (MS) affect a person's odds for cancer? The answer may depend on the type of cancer, new research shows.

The study found that MS patients do have much greater odds of developing bladder cancer compared to people without the illness. But there...

Simple Move May Boost Spinal Fusion Outcomes

WEDNESDAY, Nov 25, 2020 (HealthDay) -- A new approach that could revolutionize spinal fusion surgery does away with the need to "flip" patients from their back or side onto their stomach midway through the operation -- a switch researchers say dramatically improves outcomes.

The new technique -- dubbed Single Position Lu...

Delirium May Be Only Sign of Severe COVID in Elderly: Study

Delirium is often the first symptom of COVID-19 to appear in older people, a new study finds.

They may have confusion with an altered level of consciousness, disorientation, inattention and other mental disturbances, but none of the other typical signs of the coronavirus infection, such as fever and coug...

AHA News: Teens' Ultra-Processed Diet Puts Their Hearts at Risk

If you think the teenagers in your life have been eating a lot of unhealthy food – you're probably right.

U.S. adolescents get about two-thirds of their calories from ultra-processed food, and the more they eat, the worse they score on important measures of heart health, a new study says.

Nutritionists started using the term "ultra...

AHA News: While Vacationing on an Isolated Island, She Had a Stroke

Lawnae Hunter was ecstatic to escape snowy Oregon and her hectic schedule for a 10-day Christmas vacation with her son, daughter-in-law and then-9-year-old granddaughter in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The foursome savored lounging by the pool, combing the beach for seashells and sampling the seafood in the remote Caribbean nation.

...

Fauci: 'People Should Feel Confident' New COVID Vaccines Safe, Effective

The turnaround time -- from the emergence of the new coronavirus to the advent of multiple vaccines to prevent it -- has been nothing short of "breathtaking," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on infectious disease.

Still, many Americans are still uncertain about getting a COVID-19 shot.

COVID Vaccine Rollout Could Begin Mid-December, Fauci Says

Approved vaccines against the new coronavirus could begin to be distributed to the most at-risk Americans as early as mid-December, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said Thursday.

"And as we get into the first quarter of 2021 — January, February, March — more and more people will get vaccinated," he added ...

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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• November 25, 2020
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Another Study Casts Doubt on 'Convalescent Plasma' as COVID-19 Treatment

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, anecdotal reports suggested that infusing very sick patients with the blood plasma of people who'd survived the disease might help boost outcomes.

But study findings released Nov. 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine, along with disappointing results from prior trials, suggest that those initia...

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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• November 25, 2020
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Most Americans Over 50 Would Get COVID Vaccine: Poll

The majority of older Americans say they're likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but many would want to wait a bit before getting the shot, a new survey reveals.

Older adults are among the groups with the highest priority for COVID-19 vaccination. This poll of more than 2,000 adults, ages 50-80, was conducted in October by the University of M...

• Robert Preidt
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• November 25, 2020
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Strong Sleeping Pills Tied to Falls, Fractures in Dementia Patients

Strong sleeping pills known as "Z-drugs" may increase the risk of falls, fractures and stroke among people with dementia, British researchers report.

People with dementia can have trouble sleeping and are often prescribed drugs such as zaleplon (Sonata), zolpidem (Ambien) and zopiclone to help them nod off, but higher doses of these drugs ...

• Steven Reinberg
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• November 25, 2020
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• Full Page

When COVID Strikes Cancer Patients, Men Fare Worse

Men with COVID-19 and cancer run a greater risk for severe symptoms and death than women with both conditions, a new study finds.

Researchers concluded that male cancer patients are 60% more likely to have severe COVID-19 and even die from it than women.

"Knowing this propensity for poorer outcomes in males with COVID-19 and cancer w...

• Steven Reinberg
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• November 25, 2020
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• Full Page

Could the TB Vaccine Help Prevent COVID-19?

A widely used tuberculosis vaccine may help protect people against the new coronavirus or reduce the severity of COVID-19, a new study suggests.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) was developed in the early 1900s and is given to more than 100 million children worldwide every year.

In the United States, BCG is approved as a vaccine f...

• Robert Preidt
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• November 25, 2020
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• Full Page

Black Cancer Survivors Often Face Added Challenges: Study

Social and financial struggles are common among Black American cancer survivors and take a heavy toll on their health-related quality of life, according to a new study.

Health-related quality of life among cancer survivors -- how a person perceives their mental, physical and social well-being -- tends to be significantly lower among Black ...

• Robert Preidt
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• November 25, 2020
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• Full Page

Obamacare Boosts Colon Cancer Diagnosis, Care: Study

Colon cancer treatment for low-income Americans has improved with Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a new study says.

That includes earlier diagnosis, increased access to treatment and better surgical care, according to the researchers.

They compared data for more than 4,400 patients in 19 states that expanded Medicai...

• Robert Preidt
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• November 25, 2020
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• Full Page

Could the Pill Reduce Asthma Attacks?

Women with asthma may suffer fewer severe symptom attacks if they are on birth control pills, a large new study suggests.

The study of more than 83,000 women with asthma found that those who used birth control pills for at least three years tended to have fewer severe flare-ups.

The difference between p...

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
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• November 24, 2020
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