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Experimental At-Home Patch Detects Skin Cancers
Someday, you might apply a small patch onto your skin to find out whether that odd little spot is a cancer or not. That's the hope from a new technology being developed by researchers at the University of Michigan.The tiny silicone patch is embedded with micro needles that...
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Flavored Vape Bans Slowed Cigarette Smoking Declines
State bans on enticing flavors of e-cigarettes bring real benefits in terms of lowering vaping among adults of any age, new research finds. But it points to a downside, too: A slowdown in statewide declines of cigarette smoking after flavored vapes were banned. "Both...
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Most People Inhale 68,000 Microplastics per Day
Scientists say the average person may be inhaling microscopic, lung-penetrating plastic particles at a rate that's 100 times what was previously assumed: 68,000 per day. "Everywhere we look, we find microplastics, even in the air we breathe inside our homes and cars," said...
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Your Heart Could Be Aging Faster Than You
Researchers who've developed a new "heart age" calculator say many Americans have unhealthy hearts that are physiologically older than their chronological age, with men faring worse than women.The research team theorizes that telling folks their heart age might help spur...
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Healthy Lifestyle Changes After 60 Preserve Cognition
Two years' involvement in programs focused on healthy eating, regular exercise and "brain training" exercises appears to have helped a wide range of older adults - even those at heightened risk for Alzheimer's - avoid cognitive decline, a new study finds. The findings,...
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Dementia Typically Takes 3.5 Years to Be Diagnosed
It takes an average of three-and-a-half years for typical dementia symptoms to lead to a diagnosis, a new report finds. Diagnosis often comes even later for early-onset dementias. Speeding up the process is important, because "timely diagnosis can improve access to treatments...
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Most Nursing Home Patient Hospital Visits Avoidable
A breakthrough study has uncovered that up to 40% of nursing home resident trips to a hospital or emergency department (ED) are avoidable. These hospital visits can be distressing and harmful for the residents, many of whom are severely impaired or terminally ill. These...
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Heavy Grief Nearly Doubles Risk of Early Death
People intensely grieving a loved one are nearly twice as likely to die within a decade of their loss, a new study says. Those whose grief remained persistently high in the first years following a loss have 88% increased odds of dying within 10 years of their loved one's...
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RSV Increases Older Adults' Risk for Heart Failure
Older adults hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) face an elevated risk of developing heart failure and a dangerous heart rhythm problem, a Canadian study found. The risk for heart failure was seen even in individuals without a history of heart problems,...
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Scientists Uncover Why Wrinkles Form
The struggle to tame wrinkles is an age-old conflict, with people using any number of lotions, creams and treatments to try and smooth their skin. Now, researchers say they know exactly why skin wrinkles. "This is no longer just a theory," senior researcher Guy German, an...
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New Pill Offers Hope for Sleep Apnea Sufferers
A new pill may be a game changer for the tens of millions of people in the U.S. who struggle with sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes repeated interruptions of breathing during sleep when throat muscles relax and block the airway. Sufferers experience daytime...
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7,000 Steps a Day Effective at Reducing Health Risks
Walkers don't need to march 10,000 steps a day to gain substantial health benefits, a comprehensive new evidence review has concluded. Instead, getting just 7,000 steps a day appears to be most effective in reducing a person's risk of death and chronic illness, researchers...
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'Weekend Warriors' With Diabetes Slash Death Risk
A "weekend warrior" exercise schedule can lower diabetics' risk of early death, a new study says.People with diabetes who get all their recommended weekly exercise in one or two sessions - the "weekend warrior" approach - were 21% less likely to die early from any cause...
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Summer Drinking Poses Unique Health Risks
Lift a toast to summer fun but don't let risky drinking ruin the party. Too much alcohol can be deadly in the summer heat, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism warns.And 1 in 6 Americans is a binge drinker."Think before you drink," the institute urges....
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Study: Cancer Drug Combo May Reverse Alzheimer's
Scientists have discovered that combining two previously approved cancer drugs effectively treats Alzheimer's disease. The one-two punch may be able to reverse the devastation of this disease that affects 7 million people in the U.S., causing a dramatic decline in...
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Four-Day Work Week Benefits Workers, Employers
A four-day work week can lead to happier and more productive, dedicated employees, a new global study found. Workers at companies that instituted a four-day work week - essentially working 80% of their regular hours for the same pay - reported less burnout and better job...
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FDA Panel: Remove Boxed Warning on Menopause HRT
A panel of experts selected by the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unanimously recommended that the agency remove the boxed warning on hormone replacement treatments for menopause. Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary gathered the panel of 12 experts to...
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Walking a Little Faster Counters Frailty in Seniors
Putting a little more pep in the step could help elderly folks improve their health and remain independent, a new study says. Older adults who slightly increased their walking cadence wound up with substantial improvements in physical function, researchers reported July 17...
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Dr. Crandall: Trump's Leg Swelling Common With Flying
After being examined for swelling in the legs, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, according to a White House announcement. This condition, in which valves inside certain veins don't work the way they should, allowing blood to pool or...
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What to Know About Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Swollen legs led to President Donald Trump being diagnosed with what's called chronic venous insufficiency. It's a fairly common condition among older adults but requires a thorough checkup to rule out more serious causes of swelling in the legs. Here are some things to...
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FDA Approves Pre-Filled Version of Shingles Vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a pre-filled syringe version of GSK's blockbuster shingles vaccine Shingrix, providing patients a more convenient option to receive the shot, the company said on Thursday. Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash...
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New Ways of Preserving More Hearts for Transplants
Two university hospitals are pioneering new ways to expand lifesaving heart transplants for adults and babies - advances that could help recover would-be heart donations that too often go unused. The new research aims to overcome barriers for using organs from someone who...
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Playing a Musical Instrument Might Slow Brain Aging
Want to help maintain your brain health as you age? Then pick up a guitar, start tickling a piano's ivories or join a band. Playing an instrument can promote a youthful pattern of brain activity, researchers reported July 15 in the journal PLOS Biology. Specifically, older...
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Children Don't Ease Loneliness of Losing a Spouse
Adult children aren't likely to fill the void left by the loss of a spouse, a new study says. Becoming widowed might cause a stronger bond between the remaining parent and their children, but these bonds don't appear to ease the loneliness left by loss, researchers reported...
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More Older Americans Are Choking to Death
It was the scariest choking incident David Palumbo had ever seen. The 88-year-old man had been dining at a Providence, Rhode Island, Italian restaurant in September 2019. Now he was unconscious, with a piece of bread lodged in his windpipe. Precious minutes went by as first...