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Changing nature of opioid epidemic could be responsible for increase in overdose deaths

The opioid epidemic in the United States could be responsible for 700,000 overdose deaths between 2016 and 2025, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open.

8 Feb 2019

Utah voters approved Medicaid expansion, but state lawmakers are balking

Utah residents may have thought they were done fighting about Medicaid expansion last November. But when Utah lawmakers opened a new legislative session in late January, they began pushing through a bill to roll back the scope and impact of an expansion that voters approved in a ballot measure.

8 Feb 2019

'Trojan horse' drug shows promise for untreatable cancers

A new cancer drug that uses a ‘Trojan horse’ approach to destroy cancer cells from within has shown promising results for patients with untreatable cancers.

8 Feb 2019

Misinformation is causing measles cases to rise worldwide

Misinformation and anti-vaccination groups have caused a rise in cases of vaccine-preventable viral disease measles around the world, according to the WHO.

8 Feb 2019

Beer before wine does not change hangover severity

Despite popular belief, drinking beer before wine does not reduce the severity of veisalgia, otherwise known as a hangover, the following day.

8 Feb 2019

New blood drop emoji due to hit smartphone keyboards in the spring

Blood donors can soon use their time in the donation chair to let people know they are saving lives – using a new blood drop emoji.

8 Feb 2019

What ‘dope sick’ really feels like

Detoxing off heroin or opioids without medication is sheer hell. I should know. For many users, full-blown withdrawal is often foreshadowed by a yawn, or perhaps a runny nose, a sore back, sensitive skin or a restless leg. For me, the telltale sign that the heroin was wearing off was a slight tingling sensation when I urinated.

8 Feb 2019

IAS 2019 plenary program spotlights urgent developments in HIV science

The International AIDS Society has announced the plenary presentations that will lead the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science, which will take place in Mexico City, Mexico, on 21-24 July 2019. IAS 2019 is the largest open scientific conference on HIV and is expected to bring together more than 6,000 participants from more than 140 countries.

8 Feb 2019

Household rules and conversations help guide teen marijuana use

When Washington voters legalized marijuana in 2012, many parents found themselves with a new teachable moment.

8 Feb 2019

New study aims to investigate lifestyle effects on cognitive function in older adults

Researchers in Finland recently found that lifestyle choices can help older adults stay mentally sharp. Now scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine hope to find confirmatory evidence this is indeed the case by coordinating a large, national clinical trial sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association through a $28 million grant.

8 Feb 2019

Illness and medical bills contribute to 67% of all bankruptcies, study finds

Medical problems contributed to 66.5% of all bankruptcies, a figure that is virtually unchanged since before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, according to a study published yesterday as an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health.

8 Feb 2019

Physical activity may help fight depression in seniors

The benefits of exercise are widely known but kinesiologists at McMaster University have for the first time found that physical activity may help fight depression in seniors by stimulating muscle-generated mood boosters.

8 Feb 2019

Inaccurate tests carried out on tuberculosis patients lead to high mortality rate

Inaccurate tests carried out on tuberculosis patients in developing countries often fail to reliably detect resistance to drugs, leading to incorrect treatment and a higher mortality rate.

8 Feb 2019

Ideal patient selection may hold promise for strokes damaging large areas of brain tissue

Mechanical clot removal has been shown to be safe and effective in stroke patients with minimal damaged brain tissue.

8 Feb 2019

Researchers develop intervention to encourage couples HIV testing

It's long been known that couples HIV testing and counseling is an effective way to mutually disclose HIV status and link to health care--unfortunately, couples don't use it even though it's widely available.

8 Feb 2019

New project aims to develop entomological indicators to assess malaria control tools

The project is led by Professors Ranson and McCall at LSTM, in collaboration with Imperial College, and national medical research institutes in Burkina Faso and Tanzania.

7 Feb 2019

Study: Having high-calorie dessert first may lead to eating lower-calorie meals

If you're going to choose dessert first, then the high-calorie option might lead to your eating a healthier meal, unless you have a lot on your mind, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

7 Feb 2019

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ A ‘healthy’ state of the union

Health policy played a surprisingly robust role in President Donald Trump's 2019 State of the Union address.

7 Feb 2019

Task force outlines strategy to address California’s shortfall of health workers

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed bold steps to ensure more Californians have health coverage, but a new report underscores that his success may depend in part on large-scale investments to expand the state's health care workforce.

7 Feb 2019