New guidance: Identifying the cause of heart muscle disease in children is key to effective treatment

Treating children with cardiomyopathy should be personalized based on the root cause, symptoms and progression of the condition in each child, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the journal Circulation.

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Alcohol drinking cut in half with diabetes medication

The medication semaglutide, which is currently used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, might also be an effective medication for alcohol dependence. In a study from the University of Gothenburg, the drug reduced alcohol relapse drinking and alcohol intake in rats by more than half. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal eBioMedicine.

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'Keep them alive': More states legalize fentanyl test strips to combat surging opioid deaths

At Cleveland's Urban Kutz Barbershop, customers can flip through magazines as they wait, or help themselves to drug screening tests left out in a box on a table with a somber message: "Your drugs could contain fentanyl. Please take free test strips."

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Cancer centers say US chemotherapy shortage is leading to treatment complications

A growing shortage of common cancer treatments is forcing doctors to switch medications and delaying some care, prominent U.S. cancer centers say.

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Newer heart transplant method could allow more patients a chance at lifesaving surgery

Most transplanted hearts are from donors who are brain dead, but new research shows a different approach can be just as successful and boost the number of available organs.

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Study: One-month of COVID-19 lockdown cost heart attack patients up to two years of life

Patients who had heart attacks during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK and Spain are predicted to live 1.5 and 2 years less, respectively, than their pre-COVID counterparts. That's the finding of a study published in European Heart Journal—Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes,. The additional costs to the UK and Spanish economies are estimated at £36.6 million (€41.3 million) and €88.6 million, respectively, largely due to absence from work.

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Long COVID can impact fatigue and quality of life worse than some cancers, finds new study

Fatigue is the symptom that most significantly impacts the daily lives of long COVID patients, and can affect quality of life more than some cancers, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL and the University of Exeter.

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Electronic health records can contain bias, potentially impacting clinical trials

Results of clinical trials are only as good as the data upon which they rest. This is especially true in terms of diversity—if most people in a trial are from a certain race or socioeconomic group, then the results may not be broadly applicable.

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DNAmFitAge: Biological age indicator incorporating physical fitness

A new research paper titled "DNAmFitAge: biological age indicator incorporating physical fitness" has been published in Aging.

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Wildfires may fuel heart health hazards: Smoke exposure increases cardiovascular risks

As wildfires spread across southern Canada, smoke from those fires is rapidly drifting into the U.S. The American Heart Association, the world's leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health for all, warns that wildfire smoke exposure poses an increased risk for heart disease in both the short and long term.

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Research group calls for consensus, collaboration to improve understanding of how infections drive Alzheimer's

A research consortium, including a Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine neuroscientist and his research coordinator, are calling for a consensus on how scientists identify and evaluate how infections contribute to or cause cognitive impairment and dementias, including Alzheimer's disease.

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PROSPECT trial expands treatment options for patients with resectable rectal cancer

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Resource Panel issued the following statement today regarding the PROSPECT clinical trial for patients with rectal cancer:

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Heart attack outcomes are far worse for those with COVID-19, new study shows

New research from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai shows that patients who went to a hospital with a heart attack and were simultaneously sick with COVID-19 were three times more likely to die than patients experiencing a heart attack without a COVID-19 infection.

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Temptation at the checkout: 70% of food, drinks within arm's reach are unhealthy

We've all been there: waiting in line at a store checkout, surrounded by tempting snacks and drinks. Navigating the checkout lane in search of healthy options could be a challenge, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, who found that 70% of foods and beverages at checkout are unhealthy.

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Devastating heart condition can be reversed, study shows for the first time

Three men who had heart failure caused by the build-up of sticky, toxic proteins are now free of symptoms after their condition spontaneously reversed in an unprecedented case described by a team at UCL (University College London) and the Royal Free Hospital.

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Study: Value of chemotherapy post immunotherapy in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer

A new research paper was published in Oncotarget, titled "Value of chemotherapy post immunotherapy in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)."

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Sweet snacks: Children have very different preferences, finds study

Would third- and fourth-graders buy fewer unhealthy snacks if they were more expensive? The answer provided by researchers at the University of Bonn is nuanced: Some elementary school students do actually pay attention to the price. Others, however, have such strong preferences that they are willing to pay a little more for them.

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Thesis explores prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancer that occurs in the nasopharynx, which is located behind the nose and above the back of the throat. NPC has a geographically skewed distribution worldwide, with high incidence rates in East and Southeast Asia. NPC is difficult to detect early, and treatment usually involves radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of the two.

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Haze from wildfires raises asthma, heart and other health concerns in U.S. Northeast

Health officials across the U.S. Northeast are warning residents to take precautions after wildfire smoke traveling south from Canada unleashed unhealthy air quality levels that pose a risk to the sick, elderly and young children.

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Osteoporosis too often misunderstood and ignored despite its serious health consequences

Osteoporosis is a degenerative, debilitating bone disease that is increasingly prevalent in postmenopausal women. Despite its being classified as one of the four most dangerous health issues today, a new study demonstrated that many women either misunderstand it or underestimate its potential effects. As a result, the disease often remains undetected and undertreated. Study results are published online today in Menopause.

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NCCN addresses ongoing chemotherapy shortages: More than 90% of cancer centers are impacted

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)—an alliance of leading academic cancer centers—published survey results today that shed light on just how widespread the current platinum chemotherapy shortage is, and shared a statement calling on the whole oncology community to work together on solutions.

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New research highlights the dangers of anti-trans legislation

The recent tidal wave of anti-trans state legislation, coupled with a harmful practice that's still legal in much of the country, could have dire consequences for many of the nation's 300,000 transgender adolescents.

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Multiple sclerosis discovery IDs key factor that shapes your risk

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have discovered a key determinant of our risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), advancing efforts to prevent and better treat the disease.

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Investigating the placenta: Discovery shows why this often-overlooked organ should be given more attention

The placenta, critical for healthy embryo development, is a multi- purpose organ with a precise lifespan—the length of a pregnancy. New research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research suggests that further exploration of the placenta's roles and capabilities may one day lead to insights for positive pregnancy outcomes.

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Q&A: Start of new era for Alzheimer's treatment

Researchers say we appear to be at the start of a new era for Alzheimer's treatment. Trial results published in January showed that for the first time a drug has been able to slow the cognitive decline characteristic of the disease. The drug, lecanemab, is a monoclonal antibody that works by binding to a key protein linked to the malady, called amyloid-beta, and removing it from the body. Experts say the results offer hope that the slow, inexorable loss of memory and eventual death brought by Alzheimer's may one day be a thing of the past.

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New study shows certain blood pressure drugs could boost the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has shown that some molecules previously used to treat hypertension might also help the immune system to better target cancer cells. Reported in the current issue of Nature, these findings could, in time, be applied to significantly improve the effectiveness and applicability of cancer immunotherapy.

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Why some military veterans may be more at-risk of PTSD symptoms

Service members deployed to conflict zones may be at greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder if they were physically, emotionally or sexually abused in childhood. This, along with other findings from a new study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, help clarify how adverse experiences early in life can make people more vulnerable to trauma later on.

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Q&A: Beyond the battlefield, a broader understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder

Since 2014, June has been designated by the federal government as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, bringing attention to the serious mental health condition some individuals develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening or traumatic event.

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How to find a balance with shift work, sleep and mental health

Many shift workers work outside of the typical 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. traditional daytime working hours. Nontraditional shiftwork can include working rotational shifts, fixed night shifts, or extended days. According to data from the 2017–2018 American Time Use Survey, 6% of all U.S. workers have evening shift schedules, 4% work nights and 2% work rotating schedules. Men, racial and ethnic minorities and those with family income below the poverty level are more likely to do shift work.

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Seizures while driving and why it's important to diagnose epilepsy ASAP

Prior to being diagnosed with epilepsy, 5% of people with a type of epilepsy called focal epilepsy had a seizure while driving, according to a new study published in the June 7, 2023, online issue of Neurology.

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