The American Heart Association’s National Teen of Impact program recognizes Gen Z changemakers fighting against heart disease. Aniston Barnette, a 16-year-old from Bristol, Tenn., is the 2024 winner. She promotes CPR awareness and education due to her family’s history of heart disease. Barnette, along with other young volunteers, raise funds and advocate for heart health…
People with schizophrenia need lifelong treatment, which may need adjustments over time due to changes in their condition or triggers such as major life events, substance abuse, or co-existing psychiatric illnesses. Signs that treatment may need to be adjusted include changes in behavior or mood, withdrawal, increased symptoms, or difficulty with medication. It is important…
Mammography is recommended for average-risk women for breast cancer screening, but choosing additional screening methods can be complex. Factors affecting the decision include cancer detection rates, false-positive findings, and patient risk factors like family history and genetic mutations. Supplemental screening options include digital breast tomosynthesis, ultrasound, and MRI. Studies show that digital breast tomosynthesis improves…
A new partnership between St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and UPMC aims to increase patient access to life-saving technologies, focusing on cardiology, urology, oncology, muscular-skeletal, and community care. The collaboration will establish the SVPH – UPMC Centre of Teaching Excellence in Robotics, with a focus on robotic-assisted surgery, particularly using the Medtronic Hugo Robotic-assisted Surgery system….
California is considering legalizing the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs such as ecstasy, magic mushrooms, and others. The legislation proposed by state legislators would allow the use of these drugs in state-approved locations under supervision and regulate their production and distribution. This move comes as research shows promising results in using psychedelics to treat conditions…
The Apple Women’s Health Study found that irregular menstrual cycles, with or without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are linked to increased cardiometabolic risk. This study, involving over 60,000 women, highlighted the importance of menstrual history as a vital sign for health. Women with persistently irregular cycles were more likely to have cardiometabolic conditions such as…
In 2023, U.S. drug overdose deaths decreased by 3%, the first decrease in five years, with a total of 107,543 deaths. This slight improvement is seen as a glimmer of hope in the ongoing drug crisis caused by fentanyl and poly-substance deaths. While the end of the crisis is not in sight, the decrease is…
Immune-based therapies, like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T), have seen increased use in cancer treatment. This has led to cardiovascular adverse events, including myocarditis, pericarditis, vasculitis, thromboembolism, and accelerated atherosclerosis. ICIs impact T cell activation, leading to myocardial inflammation in ICIMy, with combination therapy increasing the risk. CAR-T…
A recent study has uncovered how SARS-CoV-2 and its variants evade the immune system, shedding light on potential therapeutic strategies for COVID-19. By focusing on the interactions between the virus and the innate immune system, researchers found that infected cells reduce important immune signals that activate natural killer cells. The study identified a viral protein,…
New research presented at the 10th European Stroke Organisation Conference reveals that high-income individuals and those with higher education levels have lower risks of post-stroke mortality. The study analyzed data from stroke patients in Gothenburg, Sweden, highlighting disparities in stroke survival based on social determinants of health (SDoH). Patients with one unfavorable SDoH factor faced…
