Heavy Marijuana Use May Harm the Heart

THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- People who abuse marijuana may be setting themselves up for heart problems down the road, Canadian researchers report.

The new study found that people with so-called cannabis use disorder may have a 60% higher risk for a heart attack, stroke or other major heart-related event, compared ...

FDA Panel Says No to Experimental ALS Drug

THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) – An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday voted resoundingly against recommending a stem cell-based experimental treatment for ALS.

Although the FDA isn't bound by the votes of its advisory panels, agency scientists have already penned a scathing review of the drug...

Is the First Cure for Advanced Rabies Near?

Rabies virus is incurable and almost always fatal once it has invaded the central nervous system, with the victim doomed to suffer a horrible death.

But researchers now think they’ve found an effective and simple treatment that can cure even advanced cases of rabies.

A monoclonal antibody injected into lab mice successfully protect...

Smoggy Days Raise Short-Term Odds for Stroke

Exposure to air pollution, even for just a short time, drives up your risk of having a stroke over the next few days, new research warns.

That conclusion stems from a review of 110 studies conducted across Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Depending on the specific nature of the pollutant in question, stroke risk rose anywhere from 5% ...

Over a Third of Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Weren't Diagnosed Until After 30

Type 1 diabetes has long been viewed as a childhood disease, but a new study suggests it might be time to revise that thinking.

Investigators concluded that nearly 4 in 10 Americans with type 1 diabetes aren’t diagnosed with the blood sugar condition until they’re at least 30.

“Our research adds to a growing body of studies sho...

Fast-Acting Nasal Spray May Ease Rapid Heartbeat

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Up to 2 million people in the U.S. experience rapid-fire heartbeats from time to time, and many end up in the hospital for treatment.

But an investigational nasal spray may help folks with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) safely and quickly slow their heart rate on their ...

FDA Adds Warning to Ozempic Label About Risk for Blocked Intestines

Ozempic, a type 2 diabetes drug that has increasingly been used to help with weight loss, will now be labeled as having the potential to block intestines.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently made the label update for the drug made by Novo Nordisk, without directly citing Ozempic as the cause for this condition.

"Because t...

Stem Cell Treatment Halts MS for Some Patients

A new study is strengthening the evidence that stem cell transplants can be highly effective for some people with multiple sclerosis -- sending the disease into remission for years, and sometimes reversing disability.

Researchers found that of 174 MS patients who underwent stem cell transplants -- with cells from their own blood -- two-thi...

Emotional Issues Could Be Early Sign of MS

A newer understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) suggests that psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression may emerge long before classic MS symptoms.

“For a long time, it was thought that MS only really began clinically when a person experienced their first demyelinating event, such as in the form of vision problems,” said seni...

In Mice, Gene Therapy Helps Restore Movement After Spinal Cord Injury

Gene therapy has restored mobility in mice with completely severed spinal cords, researchers report.

The mice regained the ability to walk, with gait patterns resembling those of mice that resumed walking naturally after only partial cord injuries, the investigators found.

This happened because the new gene therapy used techniques to...

Timing of Hot Flashes Could Give Clues to Alzheimer's Risk

Hot flashes and night sweats top the list of bothersome symptoms for women going through menopause.

Now, a new study suggests that hot flashes, especially during sleep, may be more than a nuisance: They may foreshadow Alzheimer's disease.

And the more hot flashes a woman experiences during sleep, the greater her risk for develo...

What Is 'Sexsomnia'? And 'Sleep Eating'? Can They Be Treated?

Everyone’s seen a movie or TV show featuring someone sleepwalking -- eyes half-lidded, bumbling around, tripping over furniture.

But sleepwalkers are actually capable of much more complex behaviors during their restless slumber, a new paper says.

During sleep some people can engage in sex ('sexsomnia'), pig out on junk food, try to...

Just 23% of U.S. Adults 'Definitely' Plan to Get New COVID Shot

Just 23% of American adults say they 'definitely' will get the new COVID-19 vaccine, while another 23% say they will 'probably' get it, according to a new poll, which also finds interest in the shot falls along partisan lines.

More people plan to get seasonal flu shots and the new vaccine to help prevent severe symptoms for respir...

More Women Using Cannabis to Help Ease Menopause Symptoms

Women over 50 are turning to weed in droves, and menopause symptoms may be one big reason why, new research suggests

These women may not necessarily be getting the results they’re looking for, however. That's according to menopause experts who say it’s not clear from limited research whether the drug helps ease symptoms or exacerbates...

Black Patients More Likely to Be Physically Restrained During ER Visits

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) – It seemed to some that patients of color were being restrained in the emergency room more often than others, so researchers decided to investigate.

While physical restraints can be used to keep staff and patients safe, they may also cause injury to the patient, including aspiration, physical t...

PTSD Can Harm a Woman's Sex Life

Suffering from PTSD may take a toll on your sex life if you're a woman, new research reveals.

About 10% of women have PTSD symptoms because of combat exposure, childhood abuse and sexual violence. Little research has been done looking at how these symptoms might affect sexual functioning among midlife women.

"As women age, there are ...

Blood Tests for Long COVID Could Lead to Better Treatments

People who develop long COVID have distinct abnormalities in their immune and hormonal function that can be picked up with blood tests, researchers have found.

In a new study of 268 patients with and without long COVID, those with the condition showed a number of biological "markers" in their blood samples.

People with long ...

Teen Boys With High Blood Pressure Face Danger Decades Later

Teenage boys who have high blood pressure may find themselves on the road to serious heart problems in adulthood.

Swedish researchers found that boys who had high blood pressure at 18 were at risk for heart failure, heart attacks, strokes and death as adults. And the risk began when blood pressure crossed 120/80 mm Hg, a normal re...

Nurses, Health Care Staff Face Higher Suicide Risks

Nurses, health technicians and health care support workers face a higher risk of suicide than the general U.S. population does, an alarming new study shows.

Researchers pointed out these workers have to perform stressful tasks while caring for ill patients and managing heavy workloads, with little control over patient outcomes.

Not ...

Humans Outperform AI in Interpreting Chest X-Rays

AI tools may help boost radiologists’ confidence in their diagnoses, but they can't be relied on to identify common lung diseases on chest X-rays, a new study says.

Researchers pitted 72 radiologists against four commercially AI tools in an analysis of more than 2,000 X-rays. The human experts won, according to results published Sep...