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NYC mice carry deadly bacteria and viruses

Almost all types of housing and living facilities house mice. Researchers have found in their year-long study on New York City mice that many of these carry on them deadly bacteria and viruses. These bacteria could be resistant to antibiotics and thus they may cause life threatening infections in humans.

18 Apr 2018

People who use medical marijuana have higher rates of prescription drug use, study finds

Can medical marijuana help to fight the opioid epidemic? Many believe that it can. But a new study finds that people who use medical marijuana actually have higher rates of medical and non-medical prescription drug use--including pain relievers.

18 Apr 2018

Gene affects some women's body fat distribution and increases their diabetes risk

A natural variation of the gene KLF14 causes some women to store fat on their bellies and hips and puts them at significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, new research reveals.

17 Apr 2018

NSAIDs alone or with acetaminophen better than opioids at easing dental pain

Opioids are not among the most effective-or longest lasting- options available for relief from acute dental pain, a new examination of the results from more than 460 published studies has found.

17 Apr 2018

Study on arthritis prevalence and trends reveals unexpected findings

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability and pain in the United States and the impact on individuals is quite significant. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA), which often affects the knees, hips and lower back.

17 Apr 2018

People with high LDL cholesterol levels likely to get greater benefits from statins

Cholesterol-lowering drugs are more likely to save thousands of additional lives when used in people with higher levels of LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol, according to a new study from the University of Iowa, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

17 Apr 2018

Researchers identify new Listeria species in Costa Rica

Listeria costaricensis is the official name given to the new bacterial species described by investigators from the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC) and the WHO-collaborating center on Listeria at Institut Pasteur.

17 Apr 2018

Bacterial 'gene swapping' affects emergence and spread of infectious diseases

A new study by scientists at the University of Liverpool documents, for the first time, how the ability of bacteria to swap genetic material with each other can directly affect the emergence and spread of globally important infectious diseases.

17 Apr 2018

Computer-based intervention to increase parents’ knowledge about HPV vaccination

It's been almost 30 years since Salt-N-Pepa implored Americans to set their puritanical misgivings aside and talk about sex, and yet we still struggle with the subject; that fact is abundantly clear when you consider national HPV vaccination rates.

16 Apr 2018

Safety violations compound pain of painkiller shortages

Safety violations at a major compounding pharmacy are exacerbating hospital shortages of key painkillers, particularly in California where health officials have taken the "extraordinary" step of prohibiting sales from one of its plants.

16 Apr 2018

Flesh eating ulcer cases on the rise in Victoria

Recent reports have shown a rise in cases of flesh eating ulcers in and around Victoria, Australia. Health experts have said that this could become a serious problem if not handled carefully. They have called for funds to deal with this menace. These flesh eating ulcers, according to sources have infected hundreds of individuals in regional Victoria.

16 Apr 2018

Increase in prehospital mortality potentially points to greater intensity of violence

A new Johns Hopkins Medicine analysis of national trauma data shows that trauma patients were four times more likely to die from gunshot wounds and nearly nine times more likely to die from stab wounds before getting to a trauma center in 2014, compared with rates in 2007.

16 Apr 2018

Artificial antimicrobial peptides may help fight against drug-resistant bacteria

During the past several years, many strains of bacteria have become resistant to existing antibiotics, and very few new drugs have been added to the antibiotic arsenal.

16 Apr 2018

Finding ways to reverse obesity’s lingering, pro-cancer effects

Like exposure to too much sun and drinking alcohol, obesity is a risk factor for cancer. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center are working to be a part of the solution -- they want to find ways to reverse obesity-linked biological changes in the body that are associated with cancer growth.

16 Apr 2018

Single foodborne outbreak can have large ramifications for restaurants

A single foodborne outbreak could cost a restaurant millions of dollars in lost revenue, fines, lawsuits, legal fees, insurance premium increases, inspection costs and staff retraining, a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

16 Apr 2018

Eating red meat regularly linked to higher rates of distal colon cancer

When comparing the effects of red meat, poultry, fish or vegetarian diets to cancer development in specific subsites of the colon, a study found that those regularly eating red meat compared to a red meat-free diet had higher rates of distal colon cancer -- cancer found on the descending section of the colon, where faeces is stored.

13 Apr 2018

Evaluating risks of severe heat and cold waves on public health

Heat and cold waves affect people with certain health conditions differently, highlighting the need for tailored public service risk communication.

13 Apr 2018

Study reveals prevalence of substance use and suicide among U.S. adolescents

Examining more than 20 years of national data for U.S. adolescents, a research team led by Andrew Subica at the University of California, Riverside reports that adolescents have high prevalence of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, and concerning rates of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors.

13 Apr 2018

'Night owls' have higher risk of early death than 'larks'

"Night owls" - people who like to stay up late and have trouble dragging themselves out of bed in the morning - have a higher risk of dying sooner than "larks," people who have a natural preference for going to bed early and rise with the sun, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.

13 Apr 2018

PrEP campaign aims to block HIV infection and save lives in D.C.

A big part of Washington, D.C.’s plan to get its HIV rate down is to get more uninfected people on PrEP, a two-medicine combination pill that’s sold under the brand name Truvada.

13 Apr 2018