No Evidence Marijuana Raises Stroke Risk

Whether pot use increases the risk of stroke has been hotly debated, and now a new study adds to evidence that it doesn't.

"Our observational study looked specifically at recent cannabis use by reviewing drug testing data for people admitted to the hospital. While more research is needed with larger numbers of people, our study lends s...

When a Handgun Is in the Home, Suicide Risk Quickly Rises

Handgun owners are at substantially heightened risk of suicide in the years after buying their first gun, a large new study finds.

The study of more than 26 million California residents found that first-time handgun owners were nearly four times more likely to die by suicide in the coming years versus non-owners.

Their risk o...

'Gold Standard' Clinical Trial Finds Hydroxychloroquine Won't Prevent COVID-19

Hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug touted and reportedly used by President Donald Trump as a preventative for COVID-19, appears not to have lived up to its hype, a new study shows.

Unlike some prior studies, this new trial was a "gold standard" prospective, randomized clinical trial. It found that hydroxychloroquine could not prevent...

People Are Avoiding the ER During COVID-19 Crisis at Their Peril: Study

Visits to U.S. emergency departments are down by 42% compared to the same time last year, and that's not good news, researchers report.

Fears of contracting the new coronavirus while visiting the ER are keeping people away, experts say.

But hesitating to seek help can be a fatal mistake.

So, "wider access is ne...

At-Home Gene Test for Breast, Ovarian Cancers Looks Effective

Screening for breast and ovarian cancer genes might be added to the list of medical tests that can be safely and effectively done from home, new research suggests.

The study looked at screening for BRCA1, BRCA2 and other gene mutations linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have ...

Similar to Adults, Obesity Raises Kids' Odds for Severe COVID-19

If a child is infected with the new coronavirus, being obese appears to greatly raise the odds for developing a severe form of COVID-19, a new study finds.

The report was based on 50 cases of pediatric COVID-19 severe enough to require admission to a New York City hospital.

Eleven (22%) of the 50 kids were obese, and six ...

Plasma Therapy Aids Recovery in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

The blood plasma of people who have recovered from the new coronavirus infection may help critically ill COVID-19 patients recover, a new study finds.

Of 25 sick patients given plasma transfusions, 19 improved and 11 left the hospital, the researchers reported. None of the patients had side effects from the transfusion.

"Whil...

Domestic Violence May Have Risen Under Stay-at-Home Rules

Domestic violence cases rose after Los Angeles and Indianapolis introduced stay-at-home rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19, researchers say.

"Shelter-in-place rules, by mandating more time at home, are very likely to increase the volume of domestic or intimate partner violence, which thrives behind closed doors," said senior aut...

Meds Like Valium, Xanax Linked to Higher Risk of Ectopic Pregnancy

Taking benzodiazepines -- drugs such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Halcion or Ativan -- to treat anxiety or insomnia before pregnancy boosts the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, new research suggests.

Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube. The risk of ectopic pregnancy was nearly 5...

Living Near Oil, Gas Wells Tied to Low Birth Weight Infants

Pregnant women who live near active oil and gas wells may be at risk for having low birth weight infants, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed nearly 3 million births to Californians living within six miles of an oil or gas well between 2006 and 2015.

It was found that women living within less than a mile of a well we...

Many Protests Happening in Cities With High Numbers of New COVID-19 Cases

A new review shows that protests have now unfolded in every one of the 25 U.S. communities with the highest concentrations of new COVID-19 cases, stoking fears of a spike in new infections.

The Associated Press analysis also found that some cities -- Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles among them -- have wit...

Case Study Examines What's Behind Severe Kids' Illness After COVID-19

Four of the earliest U.S. cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome in kids with COVID-19 are described in a study that offers insight into the condition.

The four children -- aged 5, 10, 12 and 13 -- arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with what is known as exaggerated cytokine storm, an abnormal autoimmune response to the ne...

Dogs Do Want to Rescue Trapped Owners, Experiments Show

Lassie desperately trying to get Timmy out of the well isn't a myth -- your dog really wants to save you, a new study suggests.

"It's a pervasive legend," said researcher Joshua Van Bourg, a graduate student in psychology at Arizona State University in Tempe. "The difficult challenge is figuring out why they do it."

...

Are Food Allergies Under-Diagnosed in Poor Families?

Food allergies may be under-diagnosed among children covered by Medicaid, a new study suggests.

"We were surprised to find such a large discrepancy in estimates of food allergy prevalence in children on Medicaid compared to the general population," said senior study author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and food allergy researcher at ...

Coronavirus Pandemic Spurring Mental Health Crisis, Especially in the Young

The coronavirus pandemic is taking its toll on Americans' mental health, with more than 88,000 people developing anxiety or depression as a result, according to Mental Health America (MHA), a U.S. community-based nonprofit organization.

Also, more than 21,000 Americans who completed MHA's free online mental health screening last month...

In a Pandemic-Stressed America, Protests Add to Mental Strain

Just as Americans are emerging from COVID-19 quarantines, hoping to resume normal life but still fearful of infection, protests against police violence are raging in cities across the country.

And millions remain unemployed, as a shaky economy attempts to restart.

How are folks expected to cope with all of this?

"Fo...

Last Year's NYC Measles Outbreak Has Lessons for COVID Crisis

In a finding that could help guide the response to the coronavirus pandemic, new research shows that a measles outbreak that struck New York City last year could have been much worse if the city had not launched a vaccine campaign.

The measles outbreak -- the largest in the United States in nearly three decades -- ultimately sickened 6...

COVID-19 Exacts Emotional Toll on Doctors

In a possible harbinger of future mental health problems among doctors working during the coronavirus pandemic, new research shows the levels of depression, anxiety and fear jumped among young doctors in China treating COVID-19 patients.

Chinese and American researchers found that for more than 380 medical residents in Shanghai, their...

Cost of Type 1 Diabetes: $2,500 a Year With Insurance

Out-of-pocket costs for Americans with type 1 diabetes average $2,500 a year, a new study says.

But 8% of patients have more than $5,000 in out-of-pocket costs, possibly due to having high-deductible health insurance plans or significant medical needs, researchers found.

And insulin accounted for only 18% of total out...

COVID-19 Cases Drop in Warm Weather, But Not Much

So many questions remain unanswered about COVID-19, including whether the pandemic coronavirus will wane with warmer weather, like some other respiratory viruses.

In search of an answer, researchers at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass., studied the effects of temperature, precipitation and sunlight (UV index) on the number of ...