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An alarming number of people nationwide are developing infections of either the heart’s inner lining or valves, known as infective endocarditis, in large part, due to the current opioid epidemic. This new trend predominantly affects young, white, poor men who also have higher rates of HIV, hepatitis C and alcohol abuse, according to new research […]
Unmarried patients with cancer are less likely to get potentially life-saving surgery or radiotherapy than their married counterparts, raising the concern that medical providers may be relying on stereotypes that discount sources of social support other than a current spouse. That’s the conclusion reached by the University of Delaware’s Joan DelFattore, a professor emerita of […]
With a huge push to reduce opioid prescribing, little is known about the real-world benefits or risks to patients. A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found an alarming outcome: Patients coming off opioids for pain were three times more likely to die of an overdose in the years that followed. […]
Patients in the United States and Canada are seven times as likely as those in Sweden to receive a prescription for opioid medications after surgery, according to a new multi-institutional study led by researchers from Penn Medicine. Though the United States and Canada had similar prescription rates, patients in the U.S. were prescribed a much […]
A medication that boosts the body’s own cannabis-like substances, endocannabinoids, shows promise to help the brain un-learn fear memories when these are no longer meaningful. These results, obtained in an early-stage, experimental study on healthy volunteers at Linköping University in Sweden, give hope that a new treatment can be developed for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. […]
In the near future, doctors may be able to apply artificial intelligence to electrocardiogram data in order to measure overall health status, according to new research published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a journal of the American Heart Association. An electrocardiogram, also known as an EKG or ECG, is a test used to measure the […]
A new study finds people who have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which lies on the continuum of cognitive decline between normal cognition and dementia, are less likely to receive proven heart attack treatment in the hospital. Researchers found no evidence that those with MCI would derive less benefit from evidence-based treatment that’s offered to their […]
Human urine contains hundreds of small molecules that tell us about our health, diet and well-being. Associate Professor Frans Mulder, in collaboration with the University of Florence, has been successful in developing a new method for analyzing the components of a urine sample. Using this method, the analysis becomes both cheaper and more accurate. The […]
Children’s veins are small and sometimes difficult to access during necessary medical treatment. When caregivers used ultrasound to guide placement of intravenous (IV) lines in children with presumed difficult access, they had higher success rates on their first attempt. Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) report that this technique reduces the number of needle […]
Less-invasive procedures to open severely-clogged leg arteries were as good at helping people survive and avoid amputation as more invasive open surgeries, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. The most severe form of clogged leg arteries — critical limb ischemia — may result in slow […]