An unexpected discovery in a central line
About a year and a half ago, a 6-year-old boy arrived at Children s Emergency Department after accidently removing his own gastrointestinal feeding tube. He wasn t a stranger to Children s National Health System This young patient had spent plenty of time at the hospital since birth. Diagnosed in infancy with an intestinal pseudo-obstruction, a rare condition in which his bowels acted as if there were a blockage even though one was not present, parts of hi ...
EurekAlert - Fri. Apr 13
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Measuring the risks of extreme temperatures on public health
Heat and cold waves affect people with certain health conditions differently, highlighting the need for tailored public service risk communication. Extreme hot and cold weather increase the number of deaths and emergency room visits but affect specific at-risk populations differently, according to new research from the U.S. and Japan. The study, published in the journal Risk Analysis , found that extreme cold increased mortality and morbidity risks for peo ...
EurekAlert - Fri. Apr 13
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Warning signs: New US health study reveals 'dangerous disparities' among states
SEATTLE - Working-age Americans in 21 states faced a higher probability of premature death from 1990 to 2016, according to the most extensive state-by-state US health study ever conducted. The likelihood of early death for men and women age 20 to 55 is highest in West Virginia, Mississippi, and Alabama. In contrast, same-age residents of Minnesota, California, New York, and several northeastern states have a lower probability of premature mortality. We are ...
EurekAlert - Fri. Apr 13
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Can you really be obese yet healthy?
A new paper has called for an end to the term healthy obesity , due to it being misleading and flawed. The focus should instead be on conducting more in-depth research to understand causes and consequences of varying health among people with the same BMI. The term healthy obesity was first used in the 1980 s to describe obese individuals who were apparently healthy -- for example they didn t suffer with hypertension or diabetes. Dr William Johnson, from th ...
EurekAlert - Fri. Apr 13
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Surprising discovery: Sweet tooth gene connected with less body fat
People with a gene variation of FGF21 have a predisposition to less body fat than others, new research conducted at the University of Copenhagen, among others, shows. It comes as a bit of a surprise to the researchers, who last year discovered that precisely this genetic variation could be one of the reasons why some people have a particular craving for sweet things. People with this variation eat more sugar than others. It sort of contradicts common intui ...
EurekAlert - Fri. Apr 13
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Fentanyl overdose survivors require little if any hospital treatment
Most fentanyl overdose survivors, if given the antidote promptly, don t need prolonged hospital treatment, according to a study by University of British Columbia physicians. That finding could help standardize how first-responders and emergency departments handle overdoses from the potent drug. Currently, hospitals may monitor fentanyl overdose patients for six to 12 hours or even admit them to beds out of a concern - described in a few medical articles - ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 9
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New guidance for safe opioid prescribing for hospitalized patients with acute ...
BOSTON - For hospitalized patients, pain is an all-too-common part of the experience. Even among U.S. patients who have not undergone surgery, more than half receive at least one dose of an opioid for acute pain during their stay. Even as current research demonstrates that hospitalized patients exposure to opioids has contributed to the nationwide addiction epidemic, there is little guidance on the safe prescribing of these pain killers in the inpatient, n ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 9
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More Americans aware of growing problem of opioid addiction
CHICAGO, April 5, 2018 -- A new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals the number of Americans who see opioid addiction as a significant issue for their community today is up significantly over just two years ago. Forty-three percent of Americans now say the misuse of prescription drugs is a serious problem, compared with 33 percent in 2016. A majority of Americans report having experience with substance abuse of var ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 9
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Parents struggle to discuss sex with LGBTQ teens
My challenge is I have no idea what sex is really like for men, especially for gay men Parents don t know what constitutes safe sexual behaviors for LGBTQ teens Parents need resources to help them overcome discomfort in discussing sexual health Supportive relationship with parents is strong predictor of good health behaviors in all teens CHICAGO --- It s hard enough for parents to have the talk about sexual health with their kids, but parents of LGBTQ chil ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 9
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Research predicts likelihood of HIV testing based on race, sex/gender & sexual...
A new study has identified factors that lead to increased HIV testing among young adults, specifically how a person s race, sex gender, and sexual orientation is connected to their likelihood of getting tested for HIV. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey, Sirry Alang , assistant professor of sociology at Lehigh University and her co-author Sydney Bornstein, an undergraduate student in the biology and health, medicine and society programs a ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 9
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Japan May Have Worked Out The Secret Formula For A Happy Life
In a world where financial or material success often stands as the baseline for success, someone like Ken Idehara may seem an anomaly. His small, independent shoe shop, K nig der Meister, sits in the busy, colorful Tokyo district of Shibuya. In big cities like Tokyo, shoe repair shops can be found at many major railway stations, but for jobs requiring more skill and time, customers turn to experts at shops like K nig der Meister. Idehara founded the shop 1 ...
Huffington Post - Mon. Apr 9
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Some Veterans Worry A PTSD Diagnosis Will Force Them To Choose: Treatment Or T...
Adam Lingo, a retired Army staff sergeant, walked across 11 states last year, flanked by men who had become like brothers while serving together in Iraq. They made the nearly 3,000-mile journey to honor their dead and more pressingly help other veterans still struggling. We started doing the numbers and I think we lost more guys to suicide in our unit than we did while we were in combat, the 42-year-old veteran told HuffPost, referring to the men who serve ...
Huffington Post - Mon. Apr 9
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