Patients with dementia may benefit from being referred to specialist palliative care—a branch of medicine that focuses on optimizing quality of life and providing relief from symptoms—but who should be referred, and when? A recent analysis of published studies on the topic found a lack of consensus regarding referral criteria for palliative care in patients
In an analysis of nationwide data from the Veterans Health Administration, approximately one-quarter of individuals with kidney stones had a diagnosis of osteoporosis or bone fracture around the time of their kidney stone diagnosis. The findings are published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Investigators identified 531,431 patients with kidney stone disease between
A second study of the injectable anti-obesity medication, semaglutide, has confirmed the large weight losses reported in a study earlier this month, establishing the reliability and robustness of this new drug. With obesity affecting more than 40 percent of American adults, the findings could have a major impact on weight management in primary care and
In search of a COVID-19 vaccine for her dad, Amber Dow was hitting one dead end after another. Retail pharmacy websites declared “appointments unavailable.” Slots at local medical centers kept disappearing before she could type in any information. Then she received a private Facebook message from a stranger: Go to the Jewel-Osco website right now.
Female physicians have better patient outcomes compared with their male peers, while female patients are less likely to receive guideline-recommended care when treated by a male physician, according to a systematic review from the American College of Cardiology’s Cardiovascular Disease in Women section published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. While
Young adults with autism spectrum disorder boosted their interviewing skills using a virtual reality training program, according to a new University of Michigan study. The virtual training sessions and separate preemployment assistance also significantly reduced anxiety and improved their access to jobs within six months compared to their counterparts who only received preemployment information. Autistic
Inside the dome of Belgrade’s concrete fair hall, dozens of nurses in hazmat suits inject COVID-19 shots into young and old alike, working with an efficiency that has turned Serbia into continental Europe’s fastest vaccinator. The small Balkan country has inoculated more than 450,000 of its population of seven million in almost two weeks, a
People with severe mental disorders have a significantly increased risk of dying from COVID-19. This has been shown in a new study from Umeå University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Among the elderly, the proportion of deaths due to COVID-19 was almost fourfold for those with severe mental disorders compared to non-mentally ill people in
Getting away with her girls. Vanessa Bryant documented her snowy vacation with her daughters amid the first anniversary of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter Gianna’s deaths. “Same tubing park where Kobe and I brought all of your girls to when they were little,” the California native, 38, captioned a Wednesday, January 27, Instagram video.
(HealthDay)—Patients with vitamin D deficiency are significantly more likely to be positive for COVID-19, according to a study published in the April issue of Nutrition. Joseph Katz, D.M.D., from the University of Florida College of Dentistry in Gainesville, and colleagues examined the strength of the association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 in a cross-sectional
The human brain has about as many neurons as glial cells. These are divided into four major groups: the microglia, the astrocytes, the NG2 glial cells, and the oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes function primarily as a type of cellular insulating tape: They form long tendrils, which consist largely of fat-like substances and do not conduct electricity. These
Serbia launched on Tuesday a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign and became the first European country to use the Chinese-made Sinopharm jab. “It is the only way to return to normal life,” said Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, the first who received the vaccine. “These are all very safe vaccines,” Loncar said as the state-run RTS television
On the mend. Liv Tyler was finally able to reunite with her children two weeks after she tested positive for COVID-19. Stars Who Tested Positive for COVID The actress, 43, confirmed the news by sharing a sweet snap on Instagram on Friday, January 15, showing her snuggling her two youngest children, Sailor, 5, and Lula,
Pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS), a narrowing of the airway in children, is a complex medical condition. While it can be something a child is born with or caused by injury, the condition can result in a life-threatening emergency if untreated. Treatment, however, is challenging. Depending on the severity, doctors will use a combination of endoscopic
Moderna CEO says ‘we are going to have to live with coronavirus forever’ – but believes the firm’s vaccine is protective against the new variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel spoke at a panel discussion at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday He said the coronavirus is not going
Blood sample analysis showed that, two to five years after they gave birth, mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had several significantly different metabolite levels compared to mothers of typically developing children. That’s according to new research recently published in BMC Pediatrics by a multidisciplinary team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Arizona State University,
In a large-scale study of electronic health records, Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have determined the prevalence of functional seizures and characterized comorbidities associated with them. Functional seizures are sudden attacks or spasms that look like epileptic seizures but do not have the aberrant brain electrical patterns of epilepsy. The research team, headed by Lea
Conversations about the effects of COVID-19 tend to be binary. There are the young, who are fortunate enough to be asymptomatic, or to suffer with nothing more than a headache, a sniffle and a temporary loss of taste and smell. Then there are the less fortunate—the vulnerable and sick. But the truth, as ever, is
(HealthDay)—America’s roads are notoriously unsafe on New Year’s Eve, and a new study shows that marijuana legalization could be making the situation even worse. Almost half of teenagers who regularly use pot admit they’ve gotten behind the wheel while stoned, a new study in JAMA Network Open reveals. Overall, twice as many teens report driving
For weeks we’ve been told that the struggles of lockdown and restrictions will all be worth it when we ‘save Christmas’. But now, it looks like that rescue mission might be unsuccessful. Whether because of lingering worries about safety or due to rumours that London and the South East may be set to enter Tier
