Dust Yields Clues to Viral Outbreaks, Study Finds

Dusting just took on a whole new purpose: Scientists say dust contains clues to viruses circulating in offices, schools and other buildings, according to a new study. 

“Research like this is useful for monitoring a range of buildings where there’s a variety of things that you're concerned about,” senior author Karen ...

3 Medical Routines That Older People May Not Need

Enough time had passed since the patient’s previous colonoscopy that she met the criteria to undergo another, said Dr. Steven Itzkowitz, a gastroenterologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

She was in “reasonably good health,” and the risks of the procedure — bleeding, reaction to anesthe...

Acting NIAID Chief Steps Down Amid Ebola, Hantavirus Concerns

Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, who has been serving as acting head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for just over a year, has stepped down for unknown reasons. 

While Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, revealed the news at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, his exit w...

Sunscreen Confusion Puts More Americans At Risk For Melanoma

Melanoma — the most serious form of skin cancer — doesn't just happen at the beach or in a tanning booth.

It happens on the drive to work, while walking the dog or sitting by a window.

And most Americans don't realize it.

A new survey from the Melanoma Research Alliance finds widespread confusion about sunscreen and...

Severe Asthma Often Comes With Other Serious Health Problems

People with severe asthma typically are battling other health problems as well, a new study says.

Nearly all individuals with asthma suffer from at least one other major health issue, with most suffering three or more, researchers reported recently in The Lancet Regional Health-Europe.

“The patterns we found were linke...

1 In 10 U.S. Surgeons Quit Practice, Study Warns Of Shortage

American health care is experiencing a surgeon shortage, a new study says.

Nearly 10% of surgeons left clinical practice between 2013 and 2020, researchers reported May 20 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery had ...

Video Game Can Detect Depression In Minutes, Study Says

Playing a quick apple-picking video game can help doctors quickly identify patients with depression, a new study says.

The game can reliably detect depression in as little as three minutes, researchers reported May 18 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

People who quit the ...

Quitting Smoking Might Lower Your Dementia Risk

Quitting smoking might protect your future brain health, a new study says.

People who quit smoking had a lower risk of developing dementia, especially if they didn’t gain excess weight afterward, researchers reported May 20 in the journal Neurology.

“People often worry about what happens after they quit smoking &...

Efforts To Understand The Nation's Drugged Driving Problem Stall Under Trump

Two state transportation workers were replacing a sign on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 6 in western Colorado one morning when a Jeep Grand Cherokee swerved off the road and struck them.

The workers, Nathan Jones and Trent Umberger, died in the September 2024 crash, as did a passenger in the Jeep. Tests found that the driver, Patrick Sneddo...

RFK Jr. Fires Two Leaders Of Major U.S. Health Task Force

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two key leaders of the task force that sets insurance coverage rules.

Dr. John Wong, a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, and Dr. Esa Davis, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, were notified by mail that ...

Common Food Preservatives Linked to Major Heart Problems

That grab-and-go snack or frozen meal may be doing more than lasting longer on the shelf — it could also be raising your risk of heart disease.

Preservatives are used in hundreds of thousands of industrially processed foods. 

"Experimental studies suggest that some preservative food additives may be harmful to cardiovascul...

Migraine With Aura Linked To Middle-Age Stroke Risk

Middle-aged folks who suffer migraine with an aura could be more likely to suffer a stroke, a new study says.

Overall, people who have migraine with an accompanying aura have a 73% increased risk of stroke, researchers reported recently in the journal Neurology.

By comparison, people living with migraine who don’t expe...

Nicotine Vapes Triple Smokers' Odds Of Quitting Tobacco

Nicotine vapes can triple smokers’ odds of successfully giving up traditional cigarettes, while also exposing them to fewer harmful chemicals, a new study argues.

Smokers who started using a nicotine e-cigarette were over three times more likely to quit smoking within six weeks, compared to smokers who used an identical e-cigarette c...

Fatty Liver Disease Increases Heart Attack Risk, Study Says

Fatty liver disease is dangerous for the heart as well as the liver, a new study says.

People with fatty liver disease have nearly doubled rates of heart attack and other heart health emergencies, researchers reported May 20 in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

That’s because they have higher levels...

CPAP Insurance Rules Too Stringent, Deny Device Coverage To Sleep Apnea Patients Who Would Benefit

It’s notoriously difficult for some sleep apnea patients to adapt to using a CPAP machine – but most will and should be given the chance before insurance companies cut off coverage for the devices, a new study says.

Despite not meeting Medicare requirements that would have ended coverage, more than one-third of patients still u...