Merely reducing antibiotic use will not be enough to reverse the growing prevalence of antibiotic resistance to some types of bacteria, researchers say. Besides passing along the genes bestowing antibiotic resistance to their offspring, many bacteria can also swap genes among themselves through a process called conjugation. There has long been a debate, however, as… Continue reading Managing Antibiotics Not Enough to Reverse Resistance
Author: Jane Farrell
Laser Toys: How to Keep Kids Safe
Many kids (and parents) who have seen Luke Skywalker battle Darth Vader with a light saber think lasers are cool. What they may not know is this: When operated unsafely, or without certain controls, the highly-concentrated light from lasers—even those in toys—can be dangerous, causing serious eye injuries and even blindness. And not just to… Continue reading Laser Toys: How to Keep Kids Safe
The Aged Brain and Dementia
Researchers working with aged human brains have discovered details that will help experts better understand the biological bases for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The analysis, from the Allen Institute for Brain Science, University of Washington Medicine and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, was published in the journal eLife. The investigation also highlights surprising variability… Continue reading The Aged Brain and Dementia
New Guidelines for Managing Blood Transfusions
After analyzing data from clinical trials about approaches to blood transfusions, experts from Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and NYU Langone Medical Center have come up with recommendations that reduce blood use as well as improve patient safety. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, also provides a how-to guide for launching a patient blood management… Continue reading New Guidelines for Managing Blood Transfusions
Cognitive Training Leads to Positive Brain Changes
A pilot study demonstrates that in healthy adults over 55, cognitive training improves innovative thinking, along with corresponding positive brain changes. The study, from researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas, was published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, reveals that a strategic cognitive-training program enhanced innovation in healthy adults. Performance was measured by… Continue reading Cognitive Training Leads to Positive Brain Changes
What to Do if You Have Scabies
The experts from the American Academy of Dermatology share tips on symptom and treatment of scabies: Scabies is a common skin condition caused by the human itch mite. People get scabies when the mite burrows into the top layer of their skin to live and feed. When the skin reacts to the mite – which… Continue reading What to Do if You Have Scabies
How You Can Benefit Emotionally from Exercise
Research has shown that the benefits of exercise go beyond just physical wellbeing. Exercise helps support emotional and mental health. So next time you’re feeling down, anxious, or stressed, try to get up and start moving! Physical activity can help: Reduce feelings of depression and stress, while improving your mood and overall emotional well-being. Increase… Continue reading How You Can Benefit Emotionally from Exercise
The Patient/Doctor Relationship Is Improving
Patients report an increased partnership with their physicians in making medical decisions, new research shows. The pattern represents a departure the previous pattern of all-knowing doctor and dutiful patient. Shared decision-making between patients and their clinicians increased 14 percent from 2002 to 2014, according to the study, done by Northwestern Medicine and Harvard University. The… Continue reading The Patient/Doctor Relationship Is Improving
Sharing Caregiving Responsibilities: What the Experts Say
From the National Institute on Aging, strategies for making a difficult task easier: Caring for an older family member often requires teamwork. While one sibling might be local and take on most of the everyday caregiving responsibilities, a long-distance caregiver can also have an important role. As a long-distance caregiver, you can provide important respite… Continue reading Sharing Caregiving Responsibilities: What the Experts Say
Estrogen Therapy May Help Protect Against Glaucoma
Women who took estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy after ovary removal had a lower risk of developing glaucoma, according to research presented in November at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The study, conducted at Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Francisco, appears to… Continue reading Estrogen Therapy May Help Protect Against Glaucoma
How Much Are You Eating?
Editor’s note: In the midst of hearty holiday-season eating, it can be easy to forget how much you’re actually scarfing down. Here, the experts from Go4Life, a division of the National Institute on Aging, have some good reminders about how to calculate your eating habits, even into the New Year. Don’t let your eyes get… Continue reading How Much Are You Eating?
A Non-Opioid Alternative for Pain in the ER
A combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen proved as good as opioids in treating arm or leg pain for adults coming to the emergency department, new research shows. According to a release from the JAMA Network Journals, in the randomized clinical trial researchers analyzed 416 patients, aged 21 to 64 years, in two urban emergency departments.… Continue reading A Non-Opioid Alternative for Pain in the ER
Men Likelier than Women to Get CPR in Public Places
Men are more likely to receive bystander CPR in public locations compared to women, and they are more likely to survive after the life-saving measure, according to preliminary research presented in November at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.… Continue reading Men Likelier than Women to Get CPR in Public Places
Online Marijuana Products Are Often Inaccurately Labeled
When it comes to buying marijuana products online, let the consumer beware. Researchers have found that products sold containing cannabidiol, a chemical compound found in marijuana and thought to have medicinal benefits, often do not contain the amount of cannabidiol indicated on the label. Marcel O. Bonn-Miller, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of… Continue reading Online Marijuana Products Are Often Inaccurately Labeled
Seven Steps to Making Love Last in Your Later Years
There are few things more heartwarming than seeing a sweet-looking couple in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond holding hands and laughing together in a park, on an airplane, or standing behind you in the checkout line. The stereotype of older couples is that they’re grumpy and always nagging and snapping at each other. So what’s that… Continue reading Seven Steps to Making Love Last in Your Later Years
Twenty Percent of U.S. Adults Use Tobacco Products
Although the dangers of tobacco use have been known for decades, about one in five U.S. adults used some form of tobacco product in 2015, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products. The statistics were published in… Continue reading Twenty Percent of U.S. Adults Use Tobacco Products
Cancer Cells and Glucose
Researchers have identified a method that restricts the ability of cancer cells to consume glucose, a key source of energy. Malignant cells consume exorbitant amounts of glucose, and shutting down this process has long been a goal of scientists. But until now, there have been no good pharmacological methods to stop cancers’ ability to uptake… Continue reading Cancer Cells and Glucose
Sex Rarely A Heart-Stopping Activity
Sexual activity is rarely associated with sudden cardiac arrest, a life-threatening malfunction of the heart’s electrical system causing the heart to suddenly stop beating, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. To determine whether… Continue reading Sex Rarely A Heart-Stopping Activity