Health category, Page 111
Indiana County whooping cough cases prompt vaccination clinic
A whooping cough outbreak in Indiana County prompted the state Department of Health to host a walk-in vaccination clinic. The clinic will be open from 2-6 p.m. Thursday at the Indiana County State Health Center, 75 N. Main St., Indiana. It is in response to an ongoing outbreak in which...
Marijuana vaping busts on rise; over 500K seized in 2 years
NEW YORK — As health officials scrutinize marijuana vaping, it’s increasingly on law enforcement’s radar, too. From New York City to Nebraska farm country to California, authorities have seized at least 510,000 marijuana vape cartridges and arrested more than 120 people in the past two years, according to an Associated...
Minnesota campaign highlights power of people with disabilities
This spring, two of Minnesota’s foremost advocacy agencies faced a marketing dilemma: How to create a campaign against abuse of people with disabilities without reinforcing negative stereotypes of them as frail and helpless? Months of research, interviews and focus groups have culminated in a simple but powerful campaign built around...
Inside the new colorectal cancer screening guidelines for average-risk patients
The American College of Physicians has produced a guidance statement for colorectal cancer screening for patients who are at an average risk. This statement is based on a critical review of existing national guidelines. “Patients who are age 50 to 75 who are asymptomatic, and don’t have prior precancerous polyps...
Is it sore throat or strep throat? Symptoms can help to tell
A sore throat is a common symptom of an upper respiratory infection such as a cold or flu. It’s also a symptom of a bacterial infection commonly referred to as strep throat. How can you tell if your child’s sore throat is caused by a viral or bacterial infection? Mayo...
Allegheny Health Network reports 10th straight quarter of positive earnings
Allegheny Health Network is on track to achieve its third consecutive year of positive earnings as the burgeoning nonprofit health system continues to expand across and beyond Western Pennsylvania, newly filed financial records show. “Our balance sheet is in the best financial position historically than it’s ever been,” Chief Financial...
Patients sue Indiana hospital over possible disease exposure
GOSHEN, Ind. — More than 1,000 surgical patients are suing a northern Indiana hospital after being notified that a sterilization failure could have exposed them to deadly infections. The Elkhart Truth reports the class-action suit was filed last week in Elkhart County Court against Goshen Hospital on behalf of patient...
MRIs of dense breasts find more cancer but also false alarms
Giving women with very dense breasts an MRI scan in addition to a mammogram led to fewer missed cancers but also to a lot of false alarms and treatments that might not have been needed, a large study found. The results give a clearer picture of the tradeoffs involved in...
New Jersey hospital gives patient wrong kidney during transplantVideo
Classic mixup. A hospital in New Jersey gave a kidney to the wrong patient during a transplant last week. Luckily, it appears that the mistake didn’t have tragic results. According to Philadelphia’s ABC-affiliate WPVI-TV, officials at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital said the 51-year-old patient’s kidney transplant was successful...
In Pa. and across the country, overdoses, suicides, alcoholism are leading Americans to earlier deaths
After nearly six decades of increasing life expectancy, U.S. average lifetimes have been declining since 2014, according to a bleak new report published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Drug overdoses — mainly opioids — suicides, alcoholic liver disease and conditions related to substance use disorder are...
More clues point to chemical compound in U.S. vaping illnessesVideo
NEW YORK — Health officials said Tuesday they have more evidence that a certain chemical compound is a culprit in a national outbreak of vaping illnesses. Researchers analyzed black market vaping cartridges seized in Minnesota during the outbreak this year, and vaping liquid seized in that state last year. The...
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Understanding nearsightedness in children
Dear Mayo Clinic: My son is nearsighted and has been wearing glasses for three years. He’s now 10 and his prescription has gotten steadily worse. His optometrist says that it’s not uncommon for kids to need a new prescription every six to eight months, but I’m concerned. Should I take...
Get the skinny on meat substitutes
There seems to be a lot of clamoring to replace real meat in the marketplace. Here are some things to consider: We need protein. In fact, experts predict that within the next 30 years, the world will need to produce 50% more protein to adequately feed everyone on this planet....
Alzheimer’s treatments: What’s on the horizon?
Current Alzheimer’s treatments temporarily improve symptoms of memory loss and problems with thinking and reasoning. These Alzheimer’s treatments boost performance of chemicals in the brain that carry information from one brain cell to another. However, these treatments don’t stop the underlying decline and death of brain cells. As more cells...
Celiac screening for family members could prevent long-term damage
Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten. A recent Mayo Clinic study found that this autoimmune disease tends to run in families. Researchers say screening family members of celiac disease patients could prevent long-term complications, such as nutritional deficiencies, development of new autoimmune conditions and small bowel malignancy....
Health Happenings: Week of Nov. 25
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday, Indiana Mall, 2334 Oakland Ave. — 1-4:30 p.m. Friday, Donegal Community Center, Donegal Event Center, 113 Community Center Lane, Jones Mills — Noon-5:30 p.m. Dec. 2, Christ United Methodist Church, 201 Market St., Scottdale...
UPMC eyes major expansion in cancer, cardiac care in North Hills
From a robotic surgery tool that helps detect lung cancer sooner, to new alternatives to open-heart surgery, UPMC executives announced Monday a slew of major investments into expanding the health care system’s services, equipment and doctors available in the North Hills. The Downtown Pittsburgh-headquartered nonprofit behemoth is expanding its reach...
Artificial intelligence moves into health care
The next time you get sick, your care may involve a form of the technology people use to navigate road trips or pick the right vacuum cleaner online. Artificial intelligence is spreading into health care, often as software or a computer program capable of learning from large amounts of data...
Glitch in Medicare drug plan finder could cost consumers
WASHINGTON — A glitch in Medicare’s revamped prescription plan finder can steer unwitting seniors to coverage that costs much more than they need to pay, according to people who help with sign-ups as well as program experts. Serving some 60 million Medicare recipients, the plan finder is the most commonly...
Monroeville family launches nonprofit after daughter’s recovery
A Monroeville family has established a nonprofit to help families dealing with extended hospital stays. That’s exactly where Regan and Ritchie Reeder found themselves months into their new daughter’s life in 2015. Myka Joy Reeder, at six months old, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that affects her liver....
Duquesne University names leader of planned medical schoolVideo
Duquesne University officials chose a doctor already familiar with building a medical school from the ground up to head the university’s planned college of osteopathic medicine. Dr. John Kauffman helped found Campbell University’s medical school, the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, in 2011. He’s been with Campbell, located...
New flu antiviral drug may lessen length, symptoms of illness
For those who become ill with the flu, a new antiviral medication may help. “This is really kind of a blockbuster,” says Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group. “We have not had a new influenza antiviral drug in a couple of decades.” “New in this...
Hiatal hernia repair options include laparoscopic, robotic surgery
Dear Mayo Clinic: After a recent CT scan, endoscopy and colonoscopy, I learned that I have a hiatal hernia containing both stomach and colon and extrinsic stenosis at the splenic flexure. My understanding is that this is rare and that I will need surgery. Will I need to find a...
Hospital fall prevention rules can harm patients by keeping them in bed
Dorothy Twigg was living on her own, cooking and walking without help until a dizzy spell landed her in the emergency room. She spent three days confined to a hospital bed, allowed to get up only to use a bedside commode. Twigg, who was in her 80s, was livid about...
Planned Parenthood awarded $2.3 million for secret videos
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal jury found Friday that an anti-abortion activist illegally secretly recorded workers at Planned Parenthood clinics and is liable for violating federal and state laws. The jury ordered him, the Center for Medical Progress and other parties to pay nearly $2.3 million in damages. The jury...
