November Election Can Be Held Safely, Experts Contend

With the 2020 presidential election just three months away, new research suggests an election can be held safely if stringent steps are taken to lower COVID-19 infection risk.

The conclusion follows a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigation that looked at what happened in the city of Milwaukee this past Apr...

Schools Can Reopen Safely If Precautions in Place, Australian Study Shows

Safeguards such as contact tracing and swift isolation of cases of COVID-19 could be the key to reopening U.S. schools safely this September, a study from Australia shows.

In the study, which involved thousands of schools or preschools, a total of 27 kids or teachers were determined to have been present in schools while they were infec...

In Rare Cases, Diabetes & Cholesterol Drug Combo Could Be Toxic

Taking the statin Crestor in combination with the diabetes drug canagliflozin (Invokana) may have the potential to trigger statin toxicity, a new case report suggests.

Although this report details the problem in just one woman, the researchers noted concern because these drugs are taken by millions of people worldwide. These drugs are...

Could the First Drug That Slows Arthritis Be Here?

There are currently no medications that can slow down the common form of arthritis that strikes aging knees and hips. But a new study suggests a powerful, and expensive, anti-inflammatory drug could potentially do just that.

The drug, called canakinumab (Ilaris), is used for certain rare rheumatic conditions marked by widespread inflam...

Breastfeeding OK After Mom Has Anesthesia, Experts Say

It's perfectly safe to breastfeed after a mom receives anesthesia, new British medical guidelines say.

And she can start as soon as she's alert and able to do so, according to just-published guidelines from the U.K. Association of Anaesthetists.

"The guidelines say there is no need to discard any breast milk due to fear of c...

The Fitter Do Better After an A-Fib Treatment

Physically fit patients with the irregular heartbeat atrial fibrillation (AF) are most likely to benefit from ablation, a new study finds.

Patients who are less fit are hospitalized more often, continue to use anti-arrhythmic drugs longer and have higher death rates, researchers say.

"AF does not occur in a vacuum but rathe...

AHA News: This 'Actions-Speak-Louder-Than-Words' Student Puts Public Policy Studies to Work

Alana Barr had just started college at Georgia Tech in Atlanta when health advocate Cornelia King came to her class.

"After she started talking about health care disparities among minorities in Atlanta and all the adverse outcomes, like diabetes and high cholesterol, I knew I wanted to do something about it," Barr said. "I already kne...

Coronavirus Pandemic Becoming Far More Widespread, Birx Says

The White House coronavirus task force coordinator warned Americans on Sunday that the pandemic has entered a new stage where infections are far more widespread and face masks are crucial to curbing new COVID-19 cases.

"What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread," Birx told CNN. ...

Nearly a Third of Young Black Americans Have High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is often seen as a condition of old age, but a new study finds that it's common among young Americans -- especially young Black adults.

The study, of 18- to 44-year-olds in the United States, found that high blood pressure was prevalent across all racial groups: Among both white and Mexican American participants, 22...

Even With PPE, Risk of COVID-19 Still High for Frontline Workers

At the peak of the pandemic in the United States and United Kingdom, frontline health care workers, especially minorities, had much higher risks for COVID-19 than other individuals, a new study finds.

Paramedics, who are often the first to see sick patients, are at far greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than others, the res...

Many Americans Pause Social Media as National Tensions Rise

The coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have prompted some Americans to take a break from social media, new research finds.

The national survey by Ohio State Wexner Medical Center of 2,000 people found that 56% changed their social media habits because of tensions brought on by current U.S. events.

...

Face Masks, Yes, But Don't Forget Hand-Washing Too

For most people, wearing a face mask to protect against COVID-19 doesn't lead to a false sense of security that leads them to forgo other precautions like hand washing, a new study finds.

Although it's not clear how protective face masks are, scientists and policymakers are urging people to use them. The World Health Organization, how...

For a Longer Life, Any Exercise Is Good Exercise: Study

Want to live longer? Take the stairs, stretch or toss a volleyball around, a new study suggests.

Those activities were among several tied to lower rates of early death in an Arizona State University study of nearly 27,000 U.S. adults between 18 and 84 years of age.

Researchers wondered which of the more socially oriented exe...

Kids 'Efficient' Transmitters as COVID-19 Raced Through a Georgia Summer Camp

With school reopenings just a few weeks away, a report on how the new coronavirus spread rapidly through a summer camp in Georgia suggests kids transmit the virus very well.

Nearly 600 young campers and counselors attended the camp in late June, and of the 344 who were tested for COVID-19, 76% tested positive by mid-July. Three-qua...

A New 'Spin' on How Sperm Swim

If you ever had a sex-ed class in school, you have probably seen a visual of sperm swimming with a wagging tail. Now, high-tech tools have shattered that view of how sperm move.

More than 300 years ago, a Dutch scientist used an early microscope to observe human sperm in motion. He saw that they appeared to swim using a tail that move...

How Streetlights Might Affect Your Colon Cancer Risk

Cities around the world are increasingly turning to streetlights emitting so-called "blue light," and it's also common in smartphones, laptops and tablets. Now, a study hints that excess exposure to blue-spectrum light might raise a person's odds for colon cancer.

As a team of Spanish researchers noted, prior studies have suggested tha...

Another Side Effect of COVID-19 -- Lasting Hearing Problems?

The aftereffects of COVID-19 are numerous, and now British researchers report that many patients recovering from infection with the new coronavirus have lingering hearing problems.

For the study, 120 U.K. patients who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 took part in a phone survey.

When the patients were asked if they had any...

AHA News: Sustained High Blood Pressure May Damage Brain Vessels

Having high blood pressure for long periods may increase the chance of small vessel damage in the brain, which has been linked to dementia and stroke, according to a new study.

Scientists have long known high blood pressure, also called hypertension, can lead to stroke, and past studies also have connected it to Alzheimer's disease. The ...

College Students Will Need COVID Tests Every 2-3 Days for Campus Safety: Study

College students would need to be tested for COVID-19 infection every two to three days for campuses to safely reopen this fall, a new analysis concludes.

Otherwise, colleges are very likely to fall prey to outbreaks that will place vulnerable people on campus and in the surrounding community at risk for serious illness and death, sai...

Top U.S. Health Officials to Testify in Congress About Pandemic Response

As the number of U.S. coronavirus cases passed 4.5 million on Thursday, some of America's top public health officials will return to Congress for another round of questioning on the federal government's handling of the pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, will testify Friday in front of the House's s...