Doctor News and Research

RSS

Sleep disruptions may increase brain volume in the hippocampus

People with breathing problems during sleep may have a larger hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory and thinking, according to a study published in the December 18, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Dec 2024

Study finds no link between antibiotic use and cognitive decline in older adults

For healthy older adults, using antibiotics is not associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment or dementia, according to a study published in the December 18, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Dec 2024

Rage has long shadowed American health care. It’s rarely produced big change.

Among the biggest-grossing films in America in February 2002 were a war drama about American troops in Somalia ("Black Hawk Down"), an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie ("Collateral Damage"), and a future Oscar winner about a brilliant mathematician struggling with schizophrenia ("A Beautiful Mind").

18 Dec 2024

Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump's choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives.

17 Dec 2024

Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes

President-elect Donald Trump's promise of mass deportations and tougher immigration restrictions is deepening mistrust of the health care system among California's immigrants and clouding the future for providers serving the state's most impoverished residents.

17 Dec 2024

Danish studies find increased risk of optic nerve damage with diabetes medicine

Two independent studies from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) show that patients with type 2 diabetes who are treated with the drug Ozempic have an increased risk of developing damage to the optic nerve of the eye, which can lead to severe and permanent loss of vision.

16 Dec 2024

Study reveals tumor and immune cell interactions in craniopharyngiomas

Craniopharyngiomas are brain tumors that negatively impact the hormonal function of the nearby pituitary.

16 Dec 2024

How are states spending opioid settlement cash? We built a database of answers

In the past few years, state and local governments across the U.S. have begun spending billions in opioid settlements paid by companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis. But where is that money going, who is getting it, and is it doing any good?

16 Dec 2024

How AI is advancing mammographic density-based breast cancer risk prediction

Innovative AI techniques are uncovering mammographic features that enhance breast cancer risk prediction, crucial for effective screening and risk mitigation.

16 Dec 2024

Smoke from Canadian wildfires leads to surge in heart and lung problems in the U.S.

Wildfire smoke has long been known to exacerbate health problems like heart disease, lung conditions, and asthma, but now a new study finds that smoke from these fires can lead to poor health thousands of miles away.

15 Dec 2024

New technique offers safer option for head and neck reconstruction

Sometimes, moving just a few inches can go a long way. Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a promising technique for head and neck reconstruction that shifts the placement of transferred tissue with blood vessels attached, offering a safer, faster option for patients with complex tissue defects, especially those at high risk.

13 Dec 2024

Removing a splinter? Treating a wart? If a doctor does it, it can be billed as surgery

When George Lai of Portland, Oregon, took his toddler son to a pediatrician last summer for a checkup, the doctor noticed a little splinter in the child's palm.

13 Dec 2024

DTI detects precancerous lesions in the pancreas

Precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer are very difficult to characterize with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But now, in a new study, researchers led by Noam Shemesh and Carlos Bilreiro – respectively head of the Preclinical MRI lab at Champalimaud Research and a doctor at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre's Radiology Department – have shown, for the first time, that a particular form of MRI, called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), is capable of robustly detecting pre-malignant lesions in the pancreas.

13 Dec 2024

Improving head and neck reconstruction with a modified pedicled flap

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a promising technique for head and neck reconstruction that shifts the placement of transferred tissue with blood vessels attached, offering a safer, faster option for patients with complex tissue defects, especially those at high risk.

13 Dec 2024

Active monitoring for low-risk DCIS results in similar quality of life as standard treatment

Patients with low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who underwent active monitoring reported comparable physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes to patients who received upfront treatment, according to results from the COMET clinical trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 10-13, 2024.

12 Dec 2024

Blood pressure fluctuations linked to problems with thinking and memory skills

Older adults whose blood pressure fluctuates over time may be more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills, according to a study published in the December 11, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Dec 2024

Olaparib provides survival benefits for high-risk BRCA-positive breast cancer patients

Patients with high-risk, BRCA-positive breast cancer who received olaparib (Lynparza) after standard treatment continued to have better survival outcomes than those who received placebo after a median follow-up of 6.1 years, according to the latest results from the phase III OlympiA clinical trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 10-13, 2024.

11 Dec 2024

Study highlights disparities in stroke costs across healthcare services in Latin America

This study assesses acute ischemic stroke costs in Latin America, revealing treatment variations and economic challenges that impact healthcare accessibility.

11 Dec 2024

Accelerated aging linked to early-onset colorectal cancer, study shows

New research from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine suggests that one's biological age, which can be higher than his or her chronological age – a concept called accelerated aging – may predict who's at risk for developing colon polyps, a known risk factor for colorectal cancer.

11 Dec 2024

A centenarian thrives living alone, active and engaged

"The future is here," the email announced. Hilda Jaffe, then 88, was letting her children know she planned to sell the family home in Verona, New Jersey. She'd decided to begin life anew — on her own — in a one-bedroom apartment in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan.

10 Dec 2024