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Were FDA's 'Black Box' Warnings on Antidepressants a Mistake? Youth Suicides Rose Afterwards

"Black Box” warnings added to antidepressants might have contributed to an increase in suicide attempts and deaths among young people, a new evidence review claims.

The warnings say that antidepressants might be associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and teens, and were intended to prompt doctors to more closely ...

Breast Cancer Treatments Might Speed Aging, Study Finds

Any form of breast cancer treatment appears to speed the aging of the recipient's cells, a new study finds.

“For the first time, we're showing that the [aging] signals we once thought were driven by chemotherapy are also present in women undergoing radiation and surgery,” said study lead author Judith Carroll.

“Whil...

Damage to Brainstem Could Be Driving Long COVID

Damage to the brainstem could be behind the physical and psychological effects of Long COVID, a new study suggests.

Brain scans of 30 Long COVID patients found they had damage to the region of the brainstem associated with breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the journal Brain.

“The brain...

Could Music Lessons Help Clear the 'Brain Fog' of Chemotherapy?

In a small, preliminary study, piano lessons provided to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy appeared to help them maintain brain health.

"There were a lot of outside stressors contributing to my mood, but piano practice and going to lessons were always something good and positive that I would look forward to, no matter what else was ...

New Hope Against Breast Cancers That Spread to the Brain

A recently approved targeted chemotherapy drug can significantly extend the lives of advanced breast cancer patients who have developed tumors in their brains, new clinical trial results show.

On average, patients receiving the drug Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) survived more than 17 months without any progression of their cancer, resea...

AI May Not Be Ready to Run Emergency Rooms

AI isn’t ready to run a hospital’s emergency room just yet, a new study concludes.

ChatGPT likely would ask for unnecessary x-rays and antibiotics for some patients, and admit others who don’t really need hospital treatment, researchers reported Oct. 8 in the journal Nature Communications.

“This is a ...

Epinephrine: Tips to the 'EpiPen' Ingredient and How It Treats Anaphylaxis

TUESDAY, Oct. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) --- The recent approval of a new epinephrine nasal spray gives patients a powerful new way to keep life-threatening allergic reactions at bay.

But that doesn't mean folks no longer have to worry about anaphylaxis.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, anaphylaxis ...

Marijuana Use Tied to Worse School Outcomes for Teens

Generations of parental warnings may not be wrong: A massive study of available data finds teens who use marijuana have significantly worse outcomes at school.

Data from 63 studies involving almost 440,000 youths found "cannabis use during adolescence is probably associated with lower school grades; less likelihood of high school completio...

Blood Test Can Help Predict Survival From Advanced Prostate Cancer

A simple blood test may help doctors decide the best way to treat a man with advanced prostate cancer.

A phase 3 clinical trial has shown that circulating tumor cell (CTC) counts can predict which men are likely to respond to standard treatment and live longest and which might benefit from more aggressive new drug trials.

CTCs are ra...

Are People Holding Their Arms Incorrectly for Blood Pressure Tests?

Checking your blood pressure at home? Pay attention to arm position.

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers confirms that it makes a "huge difference" when it comes to getting an accurate measurement. And, the authors add, health care providers need to be more careful about it, too.

"[Patients] must advocate for themselves in the c...

Increases in Life Span Are Beginning to Slow

So much for the idea that most people born today will live 100 years or more.

New research shows that the dramatic increases in life expectancy seen during the 19th and 20th centuries have slowed considerably. 

In the world's longest-living populations, life expectancy at birth has risen just 6.5 years, on average, since 1990, a...

U.S. Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of mRNA

A pair of American scientists have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in medicine for their discovery of microRNA, tiny genetic molecules that play a crucial role in how genes shape the body.

The research of Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun “revealed a new dimension to gene regulation, essential for all complex life forms,” including human ...

U.S. Overdose Deaths Drop 10% in Early Data

In findings that suggest inroads are being made in the battle against America's opioid epidemic, new government data shows a 10% drop in overdose deaths.

The statistics, compiled by states and posted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show just over 100,000 people died of a drug overdose during the 12-month period...

Yellowjackets and Bees Swarm in NC in Helene's Aftermath

Even as folks in North Carolina continue to clean up following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, a new health danger has emerged: The massive flooding that swept away roads and towns also uprooted the underground nests of yellow jackets, bees and other stinging insects.

That has triggered a surge in swarms that attack and sting people, ...

Minority Patients More Likely to Be Denied the Free Preventive Care Mandated by Obamacare

Two new studies show insurers continue to deny claims for preventive care that is supposed to be free under Obamacare.

And insurers are more apt to reject claims from patients who are Asian, Black or Hispanic as well as those with low incomes, researchers recently reported in the journal JAMA Network Open.

"What we document ...

PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Could Disrupt Sleep

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have broken new ground, linking "forever chemicals" in the blood to poor sleep.

Their research -- published in the October issue of the journal Environmental Advances -- is the first to explore links between blood levels of four types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) che...