The threshold for when to perform elective surgery in a frail patient may be much higher than previously thought, according to new research coauthored by Paula Shireman, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., of UT Health San Antonio. The journal JAMA Surgery published the findings Nov. 13. The retrospective study of 432,828 patients treated in veterans hospitals between…
DENVER — (November 13, 2019)–The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer today issued a new policy statement that strongly discourages the use of electronic cigarettes by youth or by adults who are not currently smoking. The IASLC is the world’s largest multidisciplinary lung cancer organization and the new policy statement coincides with Lung…
BOSTON– Massachusetts researchers have published a new study in the journal Addiction that uncovers several risk factors associated with postpartum opioid overdose. The factors include a history of overdose during pregnancy, a diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD), neonatal opioid withdrawal, and greater than average use of emergency care in year before the birth. The…
BOSTON – With the advent of new therapies, cancer patients are surviving longer than ever before — but the incidence of side-effect chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy (CHIC), or weakness of the heart muscle, is increasing. Research published in JAMA has shown that treating CHIC with commercially available cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) delivered through a surgically implanted defibrillator…
Across the world, more people are living longer. But “whether the extra years will be good ones — and whether societies and economies will benefit as a result — depends on the actions we take now,” states an editorial in a new supplemental issue of the Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical…
Toxic man-made chemicals–such as polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides–that are absorbed into the body and stored in fat may be released into the bloodstream during the rapid fat loss that follows bariatric surgery, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The finding points to the need for…
A 17-year-old boy whose lungs were irreversibly damaged by vaping received a double-lung transplant at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, a lifesaving measure taken when a patient’s own lungs are diseased or damaged beyond repair and there is no other hope of survival, doctors said on Tuesday. Without the transplant, performed last month, the…
Controlling blood pressure in middle age may reduce the risk for dementia. The benefits of reducing blood pressure to lower the risk for cardiovascular disease are well known, but the role of blood pressure control in dementia has been less certain. Now pooled data from six large observational studies suggests that antihypertensive medicines may lower…
If a dog bite pierces a person’s skin, bacteria from the animal’s mouth can get into the body, which can cause an infection. Washing the wound thoroughly can remove the bacteria from the body and help prevent infection. If the bacteria stay in the body, they can cause an infection, such as tetanus, rabies, or…
Ringworm is a fungal infection that causes ring-shaped lesions on the outer layers of the skin. These lesions are typically red and itchy, and they can appear on the scalp, outer extremities, or torso. Ringworm is highly contagious and can spread through contact with other areas of the body and other people. Ringworm remains contagious…