High rates of false positive test results may be keeping women from sticking to recommended mammogram screenings for breast cancer, a new study has found. Researchers from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, California, reviewed more than 3.5 million screening mammograms performed among more than one million women between 2005 and 2017. Women who...
Up to 5% of people who have surgery can develop an infection — which can prolong healing and lead to dangerous complications, studies have shown. Additionally, chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million patients in the U.S. Some bacteria can’t be seen with the human eye, which means they may be missed by physicians when cleaning...
Predicting a woman’s future heart disease risk could be as simple as administering a single blood test to screen for three risk factors. That’s according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Saturday — research that was also presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress this weekend. The study,...
A rare disease called SPG50 affects fewer than 100 people in the world — and one of them is Naomi Lockard, a 3-year-old in Colorado. An experimental genetic therapy has shown promise in stopping the disease’s progression — but it is far too expensive for most families to afford. Rebekah Lockard, the girl’s mother, is...
For many people who wake up early to attend school or work during the week, lack of sleep is a common complaint. In a recent Gallup poll, 57% of adults said they would “feel better if they got more sleep,” while only 42% said they get “as much sleep as they need.” Sleeping late on...
Getting shingles just once could increase the risk of long-term confusion and memory loss, a new study has found. The study, led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, linked the virus to greater chances of “subjective cognitive decline,” according to a Harvard press release. The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s...
Your home address could determine the likelihood of getting a dementia diagnosis, a new study suggests. Researchers from University of Michigan Medical School analyzed Medicare claims for nearly five million older adults in regional health care markets across the country — focusing on the areas that had higher rates of diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease and...
Would you trust a robot with your smile? As technology continues to advance rapidly, the concept of robotic dentistry is becoming a reality. We are on the brink of a new era in dental care where artificial intelligence and robotics are not just ideas, but real-life options. Imagine walking into a dental office, sitting back...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing authorization for the first at-home syphilis test. The over-the-counter First To Know Syphilis Test, made by NOWDiagnostics in Arkansas, detects antibodies for Treponema pallidum (syphilis), according to a press release. The test, which does not require a prescription, takes about 15 minutes to administer using only...
Two surprising new risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are noted in a new study. Untreated vision loss and high levels of LDL cholesterol have been linked to a greater chance of developing the common dementia type. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is sometimes called “bad cholesterol,” is associated with negative health effects when present in high...
