Trump Picks Vaccine Mandate Critic Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to Head National Institutes of Health

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford health economist and critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the nation's largest medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health.

In a statement late Tuesday, Trump said Bhattacharya will work under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., potential head ...

Irregular Sleep Might Raise Odds for Heart Attack, Stroke

Folks with irregular sleep patterns might have an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, a new study says.

People who doze off and wake up at extremely varied times day by day have a 26% increased risk of a potentially fatal heart-related health emergency, results show.

This elevated risk occurred whether or not these folks got ...

Scientists Find Way to Deliver Medicines Across Brain's Protective Barrier

The blood-brain barrier is a natural membrane that protects your brain from toxins and germs.

Unfortunately, this barrier also hampers the delivery of important medicines and therapies into the brain.

But researchers now think they’ve figured out a way to get drugs past the blood-brain barrier.

A Mount Sinai research team...

Soccer 'Headers' Could Pose Danger to Brains

Bouncing a soccer ball off the head during play could be doing real damage to the brain, a new study suggests.

MRI brain scans of male and female soccer athletes suggests that lots of "heading" could damage areas of the brain already known to be linked to debilitating concussion-linked conditions, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (...

Zepbound Slashes Diabetes Risk in Obese Users

The cutting-edge weight-loss drug Zepbound can protect obese people from developing type 2 diabetes, a new clinical trial has found.

Zepbound reduced the risk of diabetes in obese prediabetic patients by more than 90% during a three-year period compared to placebo, trial results show.

“These results show that type 2 diabetes ma...

Heart Trouble Harms Men's Brains Far Sooner Than Women's

Men with heart risk factors tend to lose their brain health more quickly than women with similar heart risks, a new study finds.

These men face brain decline as early as their mid-50s, while women are most susceptible from their mid-60s onward, researchers report in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

“These r...

Diabetes Drug Metformin Might Help Fight Lung Cancer

Already the go-to drug of choice for millions with type 2 diabetes, metformin might also fight lung cancer if those patients have it as well, new research shows.

Metformin appears to help boost the benefits of immunotherapy drugs used to fight lung tumors, according to a team led by Dr. Sai Yendamuri. He directs thoracic surgery at Roswell...

Nerve Stimulation Device Might Ease Long COVID Symptoms

A painless nerve-zapping device called Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has long been used to ease arthritis, back pain and other ailments.

Now, researchers say TENS might also work to ease the fatigue and pain that can come with long COVID.

“This wearable TENS system offered immediate, on-demand relief from p...

Holiday Travel With a Loved One With Dementia: An Expert Offers Tips

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2024 -- Thanksgiving travel is a must for millions of Americans, but those plans will be complicated for some because they’re traveling with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

“A family trip to visit a loved one, friend, or favorite destination can be a great way to spend Thanksgiving...

People With HIV Can Now Receive Livers, Kidneys From HIV-Positive Donors

People with HIV can now receive a potentially life-saving kidney or liver from a donor who is also infected with the virus, according to new rules announced Tuesday by the Biden administration.

According to an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the decision was based on solid evidence that these types of t...

Biden Will Move to Have Medicare, Medicaid Cover GLP-1 Weight-Loss Meds

The outgoing Biden administration will propose that pricey GLP-1 obesity medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound) be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

However, the move would have to be approved by the new Trump administration. 

Right now, a law passed by Congress two decades ago prevents the Medicare...

Cold Plunge or Hot Bath? What's Best for Ailing Muscles?

It’s common to find a pitcher soaking their elbow in an ice bucket following a baseball game, in an effort to save their arm for tomorrow’s innings.

But athletes about to hit the turf would be better off soaking their aching muscles and joints in a hot tub rather than an ice bath, researchers report in a new small-scale study.<...

Concussions Slow Brain Activity in High School Football Players

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2024 (HeathDay News) -- A potentially important form of brain signaling appears to be affected whenever concussion strikes, according to new research involving high school football players.

“This study is important because it provides insight into both the mechanisms and the clinical implications of concussion in th...

Study Finds GLP-1 Meds Can Also Help the Kidneys

The potential health benefits of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss meds keep piling up: New research shows they may also shield your kidneys from harm.

In the largest study to date on the effects of the drugs on the kidneys, researchers found GLP-1s help the protect the organs in people with or without diabetes. 

GLP-1s include blo...

Long COVID Brain Fog: Could the Lungs Hold Clues?

The “brain fog” of long COVID might be due to impaired lung function following a person’s infection, a new small-scale study says.

Reduced gas exchange in the lungs – oxygen coming in, carbon dioxide going out -- appears to be associated with brain fog in long COVID, researchers will report in Chicago at next week&r...

Scientists Spot Gene That Could Help Cause Miscarriages

A gene that causes accelerated reproductive aging is directly tied to the risk of miscarriage in younger women, a new study says.

A mutation of the gene KIF18A speeds up the aging process of eggs in younger women, diminishing their fertility, researchers report.

“Knowledge of the precise genetic landscape that causes egg abnorm...

Preschoolers' Tantrums Can Be Early Sign of ADHD

Preschoolers prone to tantrums appear to have a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by the time they reach school age, a new study says.

Young children who struggle to control their emotions and behavior have more ADHD symptoms by age 7, researchers found.

Their conduct is more likely to be poor and they ar...

Mom's Healthy Diet in Pregnancy Pays Big Dividends for Baby

Moms who eat right during pregnancy are setting their kids up for good health, a new study says.

Expectant mothers who ate a quality diet were more likely to have kids with healthy birth weights, steadier growth patterns and a potentially reduced risk of obesity later in childhood, researchers found.

“The findings support a rol...

Program Tripled Number of Completed At-Home Colon Cancer Tests

People are three times more likely to undergo at-home colon cancer screening if they’re provided a free test, a new study says.

About 30% of patients mailed a free stool test kit completed their screening within six months, compared with about 10% of those who weren’t sent a kit, researchers reported Nov. 25 in JAMA Network...