Health Care / 16

Obamacare is unconstitutional, judge rules

December 16, 2018

An alliance of 19 Republican attorneys general and a governor led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged the law. Despite that assurance, Trump past year was eager to sign Republican legislation to repeal Obamacare that independent analysts said would have weakened protections for people with pre-existing conditions by allowing insurers to potentially charge sick people more.

Deadline for HealthCare.gov health insurance approaching fast

December 15, 2018

For Americans in most states , Saturday, December 15th, 2018, is the last day to sign-up for health coverage through the affordable care act's marketplace. But the Trump administration has scaled back the sign-up period as it has tried to repeal the 2010 law creating the health care exchange. The penalties for being uninsured goes away for the 2019 tax year, but some states have imposed their own penalties.

Johnson & Johnson Allegedly Knew Baby Powder Contaminated with Asbestos for Decades

December 15, 2018

After a series of ups and downs in defense of its flagship Johnson's Baby Powder, Johnson & Johnson hit renewed scrutiny Friday as Reuters reported the drugmaker knew for decades its talc powder contained cancer-causing asbestos. The cases include thousands of women with ovarian cancer. In July 2018, a St. Louis jury awarded almost $4.7 billion in damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in J&J talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer.

Federal judge in Texas rules Obama's health care overhaul unconstitutional

December 15, 2018

On Friday night, President Donald Trump celebrated a Texas judge's ruling putting Obamacare at risk by declaring it "great news". I would be quite surprised if this opinion survives the inevitable appeal to the U.S. 'The Individual Mandate can no longer be fairly read as an exercise of Congress's Tax Power and is still impermissible under the Interstate Commerce Clause - meaning the Individual Mandate is unconstitutional, ' the judge wrote .

Government report reveals which drugs are most frequently used in overdose deaths

December 15, 2018

Fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths have doubled each year from 2013 through 2016, "from 0.6 per 100,000 in 2013 to 1.3 in 2014, 2.6 in 2015, and 5.9 in 2016", said the report . Oxycodone held the top spot in 2011. The report says methamphetamine is claiming a larger number of lives than in years past and that it's responsible for almost 11 percent of cases - up from less than 5 percent in 2011.

Johnson & Johnson knew about asbestos in its baby powder for decades, report

December 15, 2018

The investigation also found that the pharmaceutical company had employed a range of tactics to shape research into the problem and protect its Baby Powder brand. While, over the past two decades, some legal challenges claiming that Johnson & Johnson products were tainted with asbestos and caused cancer have been unsuccessful, three recent developments seem to signal a shift.

Google Fit Gets New Features on Android, Wear OS

December 12, 2018

For those who manually add in activities to Google Fit , you'll be able to now add how intense a workout was to be eligible to accrue Heart Points for it. There is also a new feature coming to Google Fit users on Wear OS, the operating system for wearable devices such as smartwatches. Notably, the octagon and the pill-shaped element are two different widgets , but as you can see in the image, they complement each other and can easily be used as one on the same page.

SCOTUS Declines to Hear Planned Parenthood Suit

December 11, 2018

Justices Clarence Thomas , Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have heard the case. "Taxation without representation lives on today in a decision by a majority on the court that ignores the wishes of state leaders who no longer want to be coerced into funding abortion ", SFLA's Kristan Hawkin said in a statement.

CDC warns: Say no to raw cookie dough

December 11, 2018

The flour used in raw cookie dough is typically a raw agricultural product which means it has not been treated for E.coli, so the germs aren't killed until the food made with the flour is cooked, the CDC spokesperson explained. As for the cookie dough, well, it may be better to stick to baking it into delicious cookies. The CDC wants to remind all the bakers that eating or tasting unbaked products can make you sick, according to their website.

UCHealth Goes the Extra Mile to Protect Patients During Flu Season

December 09, 2018

This includes babies and young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions and people 65 years and older. Dial 2-1-1 or visit healthvermont.gov/flu and use the Flu Vaccine Finder to find a nearby place to get a flu shot.

Doctors blame tap water in neti pot for brain-eating amoeba

December 08, 2018

A month later, the woman died. The 69 year-old, who has not been named, was taken to the Swedish Medical Center near her home in Seattle after suffering a seizure this year. She used the device over the span of a year. Most cases of brain eating amoebas have been found in places like California, Arizona and Texas but Dr.

Patient coughs up blood clot shaped like lung

December 08, 2018

Fox 10 in Phoenix noted that he'd previously been fitted with a pacemaker. A 36-year-old California man has passed away after suffering from chronic heart failure and coughing so severely that he coughed up a part of his lung. Wieselthaler called the occurrence "very, very, very rare". It's less rare for patients to cough up bronchial "casts" made of other substances, such as lymph or mucus.

First baby born to mom using uterus from a deceased donor

December 07, 2018

The baby girl's mother was born without a uterus as a result of Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome a rare disorder that affects a woman's reproductive system. Uterus transplants have been happening via live donors since 2013 with 11 livebirths so far. "The Brazilian group has proven that using deceased donors is a viable option", said the Cleveland Clinic's Dr.

Officials in Navalgund Taluk drain lake after HIV

December 07, 2018

The villagers refused to drink water from the lake, believing that it was contaminated with HIV . The report stated that the residents had demanded to the gram panchayat that the lake's water be replaced by fresh water from the Malaprabha Right Canal.

Ocasio-Cortez Claim About Pentagon Wrong — WashPost

December 07, 2018

While the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said its recent posting for unpaid internships was " made in error " and announced paid positions will be announced in January, fellow NY lawmaker in the House, Rep. And her message may have made an immediate impact, because later on Monday Schumer's office announced the job posting had been made "in error" and his interns will be paid a stipend in the new congress.

Found a way to diagnose cancer in ten minutes

December 07, 2018

Now doctors use symptoms and a raft of tests and biopsies to determine if cancer is present which can sometimes take months. The researchers found the signature in multiple types of breast cancer as well as in prostate and colorectal cancer, and lymphoma.

'Medical milestone' as first baby born from womb of dead donor

December 07, 2018

The transplant womb was taken from a mother-of-three who had died from bleeding on the brain. The girl was healthy weighing almost six pounds and was delivered via cesarean section. No. In order to keep the uterus after birth, the mother would have to continue taking immune system suppression medications which can pose risks. According to data included in the new report , among infertile couples, one in 500 have uterine infertility due to factors such as birth defects, hysterectomy or ...

ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notification available today on Apple Watch

December 07, 2018

The ECG app is available for free, but it requires an Apple Watch Series 4 and watchOS 5.1.2 or newer. In the study, 87.8 percent of recordings could be classified by the ECG app. Apple designed it to detect irregular heart rhythms, which could be signs of atrial fibrillation. It is estimated that AFib can affect up to two percent of the younger population and nine percent of those aged 65 and older in the U.S.

Infants' Ibuprofen recalled due to potentially higher concentrations of Ibuprofen

December 06, 2018

The recalled product was packaged in 0.5 oz. bottles and labeled "Infants' Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension" (see product image below). There's a "remote possibility" that the drug could cause permanent kidney damage in infants, the company warned.

World’s first baby born via uterus transplant from deceased donor

December 06, 2018

Upon encountering a suitable candidate and donor , doctors must act quickly to remove the uterus and transport it to the patient. The healthy baby girl was born via cesarean section at Hospital das Clínicas, at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, after her mother underwent a uterine transplant followed by an In vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancy just seven months later.

Flu season hits MS; health officials provide recommendations

December 06, 2018

Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2005, NIVW is a national observance that highlights the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January.

Test Breakthrough Could See Cancer Diagnosed In Minutes

December 06, 2018

Researchers have developed a test that could be used to diagnose all cancers. "This unique nano-scaled DNA signature appeared in every type of breast cancer we examined, and in other forms of cancer including prostate, colorectal and lymphoma", he said .

Unilever to buy GSK's Indian Horlicks business for $3.8bn

December 05, 2018

The deal comprises three major transactions-an all-stock acquisition of GSK Consumer Healthcare India (GSK CH India), an all-cash acquisition of GSK Bangladesh, and the acquisition of other commercial operations and assets outside India. HUL expects that the transaction will take its food and refreshment business to Rs 10,000 crore turnover. "With this proposed strategic merger with GSK CH India, we will be expanding our portfolio with great brands into a new category catering to the ...

Toddler with rare blood type sparks worldwide search for donors

December 05, 2018

OneBlood says that people who are likely to be a match for Zainab are people of Pakistani, Indian, or Iranian descent. Zainab Mughal, who has neuroblastoma and requires life-saving transfusions, is missing the "Indian B" antigen in her blood due to a genetic mutation.

Maine CDC encourages people to get tested on World AIDS Day

December 03, 2018

At the same time, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi says today the department is launching the "Cheka Impilo" initiative to send the message that people don't have to live with the virus without treatment or help. HIV testing provides people with a unique opportunity to discover their HIV status and enables those diagnosed with HIV to rapidly initiate lifesaving treatment.

US Life Expectancy Drops Due To Rise In Drug Overdose Deaths

December 01, 2018

Life expectancy in the USA rose a few months a year for decades. "Tragically, this troubling trend [in life expectancy] is largely driven by deaths from drug overdose and suicide", CDC Director Dr. By the revised measure, life expectancy in 2015 and 2016 was flat, at 78.7, a decline from 78.9 in 2014. The national goal, under the Healthy People 2020 initiative , has been to reduce the rate to 10.2 per 100,000 by 2020, though clearly things are moving very much in the wrong direction in ...

Congo's Ebola outbreak now second-largest in history, World Health Organization says

December 01, 2018

The trial is the first-ever multi drug trial for treatment of Ebola . "This tragic milestone clearly demonstrates the complexity and severity of the outbreak". People who have been in contact with those persons are then also vaccinated. "No other epidemic in the world has been as complex as the one we are now experiencing", the Congolese health minister, Dr.

Scientist defends 'world's first gene-edited babies'

December 01, 2018

The founder of the Baihualin (BHL) China League, who calls himself "Bai Hua", reportedly introduced 50 families to Dr He's team. "Actually right now my personal feeling is that they are a bit insane", he told RTHK. He did not respond to a request for comment on his work. He, who was educated at Stanford University, said the twins' DNA was modified using CRISPR, a technique which allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with pinpoint precision.

Testing - The first step to preventing HIV and stopping AIDS epidemic - PAHO

December 01, 2018

Mr Russell-Moyle described how HIV is "still deeply misunderstood" and "etched into much of the public's memory as a death sentence". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was present when Mr Russell-Moyle made the announcement, of which he felt "relieved" to have done so.

Global warming will increase heat-related death and disease

December 01, 2018

The experts have looked in details at the progress the country has made in terms of taking action against climate change . The report revealed that among the biggest threats is heat stress. Hotter weather led to the loss of 153 billion hours of labour in 2017, a 60 percent jump from 2000, as workers in construction, farming and other industries downed tools, often squeezing family income.

State's first case of AFM confirmed in Nebraska child

December 01, 2018

Last week, CDC Director Robert R. Redfield announced the establishment of an AFM task force to aid in the ongoing investigation "to define the cause of, and improve treatment and outcomes for, patients with AFM". There is no known cause and no cure, as of yet. Cases are still quite rare, however - fewer than 1 in a million children are affected. "AFM can have symptoms that are similar to polio".

We Now Officially Know How Long It Takes To Poo Out Lego

November 30, 2018

Researchers were keen to stress that people should not replicate the study at home - and that parents should contact a doctor if they are concerned about anything their child has swallowed. The SHAT results showed that the consistency of the researchers' stools were not affected by the object they swallowed. Only one of the male doctors failed to find the toy in his poop to which the authors of the study wrote, "females may be more accomplished at searching through their stools than ...

CDC: Kentucky ranks fifth in the nation for 2017 overdose deaths

November 30, 2018

The " statistics are a wake-up call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable ", said CDC Director Robert Redfield. As usual, women will continue to outlive men. The male life expectancy was 76.1 years, down a tenth of a year from 2016. In 2017, the USA had 2.8 million deaths or nearly 70,000 more than the previous year.

FDA lifts romaine lettuce ban

November 30, 2018

The CDC, which is the Center for Disease Control, has recently given a warning to the people of USA regarding an outbreak of E. coli , which has caused problems for a large number of people in the region. Romaine growers across the country were impacted by the CDC announcement however with the product being pulled from store shelves days before Thanksgiving.

Another year, another decrease in life expectancy in the US

November 30, 2018

Yet a second CDC report revealed that the rate of drug overdoses jumped 9.6 percent between 2016 and 2017, totaling 70,237 deaths a year ago. As a result, the average life span in America dropped to "78.6 years, a decrease of 0.1 year from 2016", said the report, which contains the first public release of final mortality data for 2017.

HIV diagnoses at all-time high in Eastern Europe

November 29, 2018

Now there is no cure for HIV, but there are effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life. But more can be done - an estimated 43% of new HIV diagnoses in 2017 were made at a late stage of infection, the United Kingdom figures showed.

Chinese researcher claims to have made the first CRISPR-edited babies

November 29, 2018

Nor did he say when the results might be published. Southern University of Science and Technology, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, had earlier distanced itself from He, saying he had been on unpaid leave since February and had "seriously violated academic ethics and codes of conduct".

Police 'picking up pieces of broken mental health system', watchdog warns

November 29, 2018

These crisis intervention teams very often aren't available or are simply suffering themselves from overload, so it's the police that are stuck with the problem and of course it's very demanding, very stressful for the officers. Humberside Police was highlighted for having a mental health practitioner from the charity Mind in its control room three times a week. Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, said: "The £2 billion for mental health services that was ...

Gene-edited baby claim by Chinese scientist sparks outrage

November 28, 2018

According to the South China Morning Post , the letter was published on social media on late Monday and was signed by scientists at some of China's leading research universities, such as Peking University and Tsinghua, as well as overseas institutions, including Stanford in the United States and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

FDA believes California lettuce sparked E-Coli outbreak

November 27, 2018

This most recent confirmed case is in an adult under the age of 65. Romaine lettuce entering the market will now be labeled with information about when and where it was harvested, according to Gottlieb's statement. coli. "Since, then harvesting of romaine lettuce from this region has ended for the year". At least 22 people in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick have been sickened in the outbreak.

Newcastle marches on despite Ritchie horror miss

November 27, 2018

Newcastle United's Ciaran Clark , left, celebrates scoring against Burnley during the English Premier League soccer match at Turf Moor, Burnley , England, Monday Nov. A run of six games without a win has seen Burnley slide back to within a point of the foot of the table, and boss Sean Dyche was frustrated to concede more sloppy goals but happy with the response.

Millions left behind as diabetes drives surge in insulin demand

November 23, 2018

While governments continue to encourage healthier lifestyles to prevent type 2 diabetes, the authors of the study also hope for initiatives to make life-changing insulin available and affordable. "These estimates suggest that current levels of insulin access are highly inadequate compared to projected need, especially in Africa and Asia", explained Dr.

Drug to reduce children’s peanut allergies shows early promise

November 22, 2018

By its end, about two in three of the almost 400 children being given the drug (whose dosage was increased as the study went on) were able to take in 600 milligrams of peanut protein without having an allergic reaction. Sophie Pratt, 44, from Kentish Town in north London, enrolled her six-year-old daughter Emily, who has had a peanut allergy since she was one, on the study.

Coli outbreak steps lag U.S. because of caseloads

November 22, 2018

The New York City Department of Health said on Wednesday that it was alerting restaurants during regular inspections about the advisory and reaching out to industry trade groups to spread the word. Antibiotics are not recommended for patients with E. coli O157 infections. "And that means they never solved the problem", he said. " E. coli bacteria pose a serious public health concern and the suspension of the importation of Romaine lettuce is a necessary and urgent step to protect the ...

Romaine Lettuce Is Unsafe To Eat, Should Be Thrown Out: CDC

November 20, 2018

Consumers and retailers should throw away romaine lettuce even if some of it has been consumed and no one has gotten sick. Wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 8 to October 31. No brand names have been identified and no recall was ordered. There are two people ill in MA, the CDC says.

Animal antibiotics use in the spotlight

November 17, 2018

Although we need to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in human health care, a more deliberate and systematic overuse of these drugs occurs in the meat industry . "Remember is that there is really a genuine threat to the world right now - it's AMR". And we could all be part of this solution. He said that the agricultural sector contributes a significant amount to the economy with an estimated 26% of the GDP and a further 27% through manufacturing, distribution and services sector and ...

'Total Incompetence': Outrage As My Health Opt-Out Website Crashes, Phones Jammed

November 16, 2018

But Health Minister Greg Hunt has stressed there really is there no single deadline to leave the system, with Australians able to permanently delete their record at any point. "In addition, they can subsequently delete certain parts of their records once they have been upload". "My Health Record was created to save lives".

New exercise guidelines say starting as young as 3 is best

November 16, 2018

This lack of physical activity is linked to $117 billion in annual health care costs, according to a report published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association that lays out the new guidelines. In fact, only 26 percent of men, 19 percent of women and 20 percent of minors are getting the recommended amount of exercise. Additionally, healthy weight management through physical activity can reduce the risk of progression of a current condition or the risk of developing a new ...

Withings Pulse HR Challenges Fitbit with 20-Day Battery Life

November 16, 2018

Unfortunately, the Pulse HR doesn't have built-in Global Positioning System. The original Withings Pulse came out back in 2013, so the Pulse HR is going to have some major improvements over that model. However, users also have to option to manually select what type of workout they want to track. When using the tracker in Workout Mode, the display changes to consistently show your heart rate and a timer so you can keep track of how long you've been working out.

How Does Social Media Decrease Well-Being?

November 15, 2018

The study involved 143 undergraduate students who were tested over the course of two semesters. The results were crystal clear: People showed a substantial decline in depression and loneliness after they'd cut back on their social media use.

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