The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. It’s been still harder for everyday people, most of whom have no medical background and little experience analyzing risks and benefits. People have experienced confusion about mask-wearing, physical distancing, travel, remote […]
Researchers at the University of York are calling for more stringent regulatory measures to reduce the health burden of smokeless tobacco, a product often found in UK stores without the proper health warnings and as a result of illicit trading. Smokeless tobacco is particularly popular in Asia and Africa and includes chewing tobacco as well […]
Ocean pollution is widespread and getting worse, and when toxins in the oceans make landfall they imperil the health and well-being of more than 3 billion people, according to a new report by an international coalition of scientists led by Boston College’s Global Observatory on Pollution on Health and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, supported […]
(HealthDay)—Two preliminary studies offer mixed news for heart patients who fall ill with COVID-19: Those on certain blood pressure-lowering drugs are not at increased risk of dying, but those with atrial fibrillation (a-fib) may be. In one study, researchers reviewed records from nearly 400 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized at their center between March and […]
(HealthDay)—The risks for prematurity, small for gestational age, and cesarean section are increased in pregnancies among women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study published in the November issue of Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Antoine Meyer, M.D., from the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, and colleagues used data from the French national health system […]
A new risk tool, developed by UK researchers to predict a person’s risk of being admitted to hospital and dying from COVID-19 has been published by The BMJ today. With cases increasing in the UK and elsewhere, and winter approaching, there is an urgent need for reliable models that predict the likely course of COVID-19, […]
As many as 70% of very premature infants (born earlier than 32 weeks gestation) show signs of white matter abnormalities at birth. But only some of those infants go on to develop cognitive, language, motor, or behavioral disorders as they grow. Now, scientists say a new software tool can employ MRI scan data to predict […]
Young adults and adolescents who are prescribed opioids for the first time may be at a slightly greater risk of developing a substance-related problem later in life, according to a new study co-authored by Indiana University researchers. However, the risk may not be as high as previously thought. The study was published today in JAMA […]
Each cigarette smoked a day by heavier smokers increases the risk of contracting some diseases by more than 30 percent, according to a new international study published today. The Australian Center for Precision Health based at the University of South Australia led the study, which links heavier smoking with 28 separate health conditions, revealing a […]
Zinc supplementation did not reduce mortality, cardiovascular risk, levels of inflammation, or microbial translocation among people with heavy alcohol use living with HIV/AIDS, according to a Vanderbilt-led study. Although low adherence likely influenced the outcome in the trial, zinc significantly lowered mortality risk among those who were adherent, said the study’s lead author, Matthew Freiberg, […]
