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ScienceHealthScientists May Have Unlocked the Secret of How Ketamine Treats Depression So Quickly
In recent years, the party drug and anesthetic ketamine has been embraced as a rapidly-acting, if still off-label, medication for some cases of depression and suicidal ideation that don’t respond to other treatments. But there’s still much we don’t understand about how it actually works so quickly to treat the crippling disorder. A new study … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
2017 Was a Record Year for STDs in America
Sexually transmitted diseases are running rampant across the U.S., according to a new preliminary report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It found there were more than 2 million cases of the three most commonly reported STDs—syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea—in 2017, making for the highest toll ever recorded yet. The overall … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Store-Bought Chicken Could Be Causing Urinary Tract Infections
There are plenty of reasons to cook your chicken thoroughly before eating it, including avoiding a nasty stomach bug. But a new study published Tuesday in mBio might offer a new one: It could prevent you getting an urinary tract infection from Escherichia coli bacteria. UTIs, which can cause frequent urination, pain or burning while … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceGenetics
A Genetic Study Using 23andMe Data Finds Link Between Schizophrenia and Cannabis Use
There’s evidence of a connection between cannabis use and schizophrenia, but it’s unclear whether the drug leads to the disorder, or vice versa. A new study published Monday, which relies partly on genetic data from 23andMe volunteers, might offer a little clarity on that link. It found that people genetically at risk of schizophrenia are … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
A UK Man’s Megacolon Made His Gut Literally Burst
A UK man’s worsening battle with constipation ended up costing him part of his gut, due to a rare, sometimes unexplainable condition known as megacolon. But the man’s frightening story, detailed by his doctors in BMJ Case Reports this week, might have been preventable, had others diagnosed him correctly earlier. According to the case report, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Scientists Accuse Big Tobacco of Trying to Undermine Anti-Smuggling Efforts
In what might be one of the least shocking revelations ever, the authors of two recently published papers accuse tobacco companies of further dishonesty (you know, besides decades-long attempts to downplay the addictiveness of cigarettes). They allege the tobacco industry has been scheming to take over an international program aimed at stemming the flow of tobacco … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsNews
Former CDC Chief Tom Frieden Arrested on Charges of Sexual Abuse and Harassment
One of the world’s foremost public health voices is now facing criminal charges of sexual misconduct. On Friday, STAT reported that Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was arrested by the New York Police Department in Brooklyn for allegedly groping a woman in 2017. The alleged incident is … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
There’s No Such Thing as Safe Alcohol Consumption, Huge New Study Finds
You don’t have to go far to find people, including doctors and researchers, who will argue that a little bit of alcohol can actually help you live a longer, healthier life. But an enormous new study published Thursday in the Lancet seems poised to rip that idea to shreds. Its findings not only reaffirm that … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Humans Rarely Tweet About Vaccines, but Bots Love to Slam Them
The anti-vaccination movement might be getting a boost from Twitter bots and Russian trolls, suggests a new study published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health. It found that certain kinds of bot accounts were more likely to send antivax tweets than were accounts belonging to actual people, while alleged troll accounts were more likely … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Superbugs That Cause UTIs Are Spreading Outside of Hospitals
The bacteria that cause urinary tract infections are not only becoming more resistant to antibiotics, suggests a recent study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, but they’re starting to spread outside of hospitals. Even worse than that, doctors might be losing their ability to predict when someone has a superbug, raising the chances of … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsRobots
How Robots Could Help Autistic Children Improve Their Social Skills
As excited or terrified as we might be by the latest advances in robot technology, they’re still far from being the ubiquitous helpers portrayed in science fiction. But a new study published Wednesday in Science Robotics does seem to offer a glimpse of their potential in assisting children who have communication differences due to autism … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Sewage Study Finds American Drug Use May Be Worse Than We Thought
Our sewage reveals a lot more about us than what we ate over the weekend. Scientists at Murray State University in Kentucky have been studying sewer water for the past few years, hoping to pinpoint the level of drug use within local communities. Their latest research, presented this week at the American Chemical Society’s annual … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
We Need to Pay More Attention to a Deadly Disease Spread by Kissing Bugs, Heart Doctors Warn
A disease that often causes no symptoms, but which can suddenly become fatal years after a person was infected, is receiving a big spotlight from the American Heart Association (AHA). On Monday, the organization published a scientific statement in its journal Circulation, urging heart doctors in the U.S. to start paying attention to Chagas disease, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
If You Smell Things That Aren’t Really There, You’re Not Alone
A small but very real percentage of people often smell odors that aren’t actually there. About one in 15 Americans over the age of 40 regularly experience so-called phantom odors. But we have no idea why, according to a new study published Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. The study, led by researchers from … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech News
Likely Cause of Chipotle Outbreak That Sickened 645 People Finally Identified
A mysterious outbreak that seemingly sickened hundreds of Chipotle customers in Ohio might finally have a known culprit. On Thursday, health officials reported that traces of a common foodborne bug called Clostridium perfringens had been found in some of the victims’ stool samples. It’s likely the outbreak was spread by improperly heated food. The latest … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
FDA Finally Approves a Cheaper, Generic Version of the EpiPen
A life-saving but increasingly expensive treatment for severe allergic attacks is poised to become cheaper. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of a generic version of the EpiPen and EpiPen Jr sold by pharmaceutical company Mylan. The approval comes in the wake of several scandals involving Mylan’s version, including an ongoing … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Skyrocketing Rates of Fentanyl Deaths Led to the Deadliest Year for Opioid Overdoses Ever
More people are dying from drug overdoses in the U.S. than ever before, according to a new preliminary report released Wednesday by the federal government. There were an estimated 72,287 drug overdose deaths last year, the report found, with the majority caused by opioids. The toll is yet another record high. The report is only … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Doctors Aren’t Being Candid About the Money They Get From Big Pharma
Physicians who get paid extra by pharmaceutical and medical device companies often aren’t forthcoming about the money in their research papers, according to a study out Wednesday in JAMA Surgery. It found that many of the doctors who receive the most in industry payments only occasionally disclose their potential financial conflicts when publishing relevant research. … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsNews
New York Becomes Latest State to Sue Purdue Pharma Over Opioid Marketing
The State of New York is suing Purdue Pharma, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers, for what it says is the company’s role in driving the opioid crisis. On Tuesday morning, the attorney general’s office announced that it was filing a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company for allegedly misleading the public … Continued
By Ed Cara
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