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Chronic illnesses plus functional limitations increase death risk for older heart failure patients

Heart failure affects more than 6 million people in the U.S.--most of whom are older adults. Roughly half the older adults who have heart failure also live with five or more other chronic health conditions.

5 Apr 2018

Positive lifestyle changes could reduce risk of developing cancer

There are many factors that determine your likelihood of developing cancer, including age, genetic predisposition and lifestyle.

5 Apr 2018

New analysis on skin cancer screening rates among indoor tanners

Skin cancer screening is underused by indoor tanners.

5 Apr 2018

Poverty linked to increased risk of death and disability from NCDs in lower income countries

Poverty increases the risk of death and disability from non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes in low- and middle-income countries, a new systematic review shows. Researchers also found evidence that developing an NCD increases the risk of falling into poverty in these countries.

5 Apr 2018

Researchers reveal new tactic to fight antibiotic-resistant pneumonia

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat in bacterial pneumonia. While immune-stimulating treatments can help the body kill the bacteria, they can also cause inflammation that damages and weakens lung tissue. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital now describe an approach that offers the best of both worlds: enhanced bacterial killing with reduced lung damage.

4 Apr 2018

Cataract surgery can be safely performed on Ebola survivors with eye disease

Cataract surgery can be safely performed on Ebola virus disease survivors with impaired vision, Emory Eye Center ophthalmologists and 40 colleagues around the world report.

4 Apr 2018

Atlanta struggles to meet MLK’s legacy on health care

While public safety commissioner Bull Connor's police dogs in 1963 attacked civil rights protesters in Birmingham, Ala., leaders in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown of Atlanta were burnishing its reputation as "the city too busy to hate."

4 Apr 2018

Women with type-1 diabetes face tough situation after giving birth

Holding a newborn baby - and, at the same time, dealing with a blood sugar level that is fluctuating like never before. For some women with type-1 diabetes, the situation right after giving birth is overwhelming, and they need more support, according to research at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden.

4 Apr 2018

Obesity may have negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old

A new study published today in The Journal of Pediatrics is the first to show that weight gain may have a negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old. The study found that bigger waist circumference at age 3 raises the likelihood that by age 8, children will have markers for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

4 Apr 2018

Older Americans are hooked on vitamins despite scarce evidence they work

When she was a young physician, Dr. Martha Gulati noticed that many of her mentors were prescribing vitamin E and folic acid to patients. Preliminary studies in the early 1990s had linked both supplements to a lower risk of heart disease.

4 Apr 2018

Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage — even groceries

Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year.

3 Apr 2018

‘Nightmare bacteria’ stalk U.S. hospitals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected more than 220 cases last year of a rare breed of "nightmare bacteria" that are virtually untreatable and capable of spreading genes that make them impervious to most antibiotics, according to a report released Tuesday.

3 Apr 2018

Study highlights disconnection between patient satisfaction scores and online physician reviews

Physicians who receive negative reviews online do not receive similar responses in rigorous patient satisfaction surveys, according to new Mayo Clinic research in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Yet, compared with colleagues without negative reviews, they score lower on factors that go beyond patient interactions and are beyond their immediate control.

3 Apr 2018

Many older adults support marijuana use with doctor’s recommendation, poll finds

Few older adults use medical marijuana, a new national poll finds, but the majority support its use if a doctor recommends it, and might talk to their own doctor about it if they developed a serious health condition.

3 Apr 2018

Americans have mixed feelings about the ACA’s future — but like their plans

Most Americans are happy with the insurance they buy on the individual market, yet those same people think the markets are collapsing before their eyes.

3 Apr 2018

Don’t get tripped up by the IRS’ tweak to health savings accounts

It's tax time, and this week I answered questions from readers about the penalty for not having health insurance as well as changes to health savings accounts. I also discuss health insurance coverage options for a reader's parents who are immigrants and green card holders.

3 Apr 2018

Psychiatrist stays close to home and true to her childhood promise

Dr. Yamanda Edwards, the daughter of a truck driver and a stay-at-home mom, grew up just a few miles from Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center, at the time an iconic yet troubled hospital in South Los Angeles.

3 Apr 2018

Study suggests HIV testing in emergency department as effective strategy to identify undiagnosed cases

South Africa has the worst epidemic of HIV in the world. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 19 percent of the global number of people living with HIV are in South Africa. Many people in South Africa and around the globe do not even know they have HIV.

3 Apr 2018

Combined treatment prolongs survival in mouse models of malignant mesothelioma

Combined treatment with two cancer immunotherapy drugs - one a novel immune modulator and one that focuses and activates the antitumor immune response - significantly prolonged survival in mouse models of the aggressive cancer malignant mesothelioma.

2 Apr 2018