Health category, Page 115
‘Tough year’ for measles and other infectious diseases in U.S.
NEW YORK — This year, the germs roared back. Measles tripled. Hepatitis A mushroomed. A rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease increased. And that was just the United States. Globally, there was an explosion of measles in many countries, an unrelenting Ebola outbreak in Africa and a surge in dengue fever...
‘Tough year’ for measles and other infectious diseases in U.S.
NEW YORK — This year, the germs roared back. Measles tripled. Hepatitis A mushroomed. A rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease increased. And that was just the United States. Globally, there was an explosion of measles in many countries, an unrelenting Ebola outbreak in Africa and a surge in dengue fever...
Unity woman touts importance, ease of donating stem cellsVideo
While attending a Goo Goo Dolls concert at the Palace Theater in 2016, Cassandra Nedelco of Unity didn’t think twice about getting her cheek swabbed at a booth run by nonprofit DKMS, an international group that seeks to match stem cell and bone marrow donors with patients in need. It...
Health officials warn of possible measles exposure at 3 airports after infected traveler’s holiday flights
A person who traveled through multiple U.S. airports during the holidays was infected with measles, officials said. Health officials have warned travelers that an unidentified flier, who contracted measles in Europe in late November or early December, had flown on United Airlines from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas,...
Officials: Flu continues to slam Western Pennsylvania
State health officials are concerned about the growing number of confirmed flu cases in Allegheny County and all of Western Pennsylvania, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Western Pennsylvania is the hardest hit region of the state so far this season, which began Sept. 29, spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said. Laboratory-confirmed flu cases...
To battle opioid crisis, some track overdoses in real time
Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York’s Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too. The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides near real-time glimpses...
Pre-existing conditions can cost you, even if you don’t know about them yet
Peter LaFrance was getting winded. The 57-year-old plumber initially dismissed his shortness of breath as an inevitable consequence of getting older and having smoked as a younger man. But when his symptoms worsened in early 2017, he went to his doctor, who told him to go to the hospital immediately....
Mayo Clinic Q&A: LASIK eye surgery — understanding the risks, complications
Dear Mayo Clinic: What are the risks of LASIK surgery, and will my vision deteriorate again over time, even after surgery? Answer: It is not typical for a person’s vision to regress after LASIK, or laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, and complications that result in a loss of vision after LASIK are...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 23
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 12:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road, Jeannette. — Noon-4:30 p.m. Friday, Export Italian American Club, 5930 Kennedy Ave. — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 31, Frick Hospital, 508 S. Church St., Mt. Pleasant Appointments: 800-733-2767...
To battle opioid crisis, some track overdoses in real time
ALBANY, N.Y. — Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York’s Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too. The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides...
‘Vast majority’ of vaping illnesses blamed on vitamin E
Health officials now blame vitamin E acetate for the “vast majority” of cases in the U.S. outbreak of vaping illnesses and have changed their advice to doctors about monitoring patients more closely after they go home from the hospital. Vaping illnesses can get worse, even deadly, after patients leave the...
What if you knew a cookie would take 20 minutes to run off?
NEW YORK — Would you put down that bag of chips if you saw it had 170 calories? What if the label said it would take 16 minutes of running to burn off those calories? Health experts for years have pushed for clearer food labeling to empower people to make...
O’Hara woman honored with national caregiver award
For Heather Bailey it’s not about the paycheck. She says the payoff is in the things money can’t buy. “I don’t do it for the money or the praise, because I have something burning inside me, a passion inside of me,” says Bailey of O’Hara, a home health aide for...
Food poisoning linked to hard-boiled eggs in food service
NEW YORK — Pregnant women, people over the age of 65 and people with weakened immune systems should throw away store-bought hard-boiled eggs because of a food poisoning outbreak linked to a Georgia company, health officials said Thursday. They said the same goes for products like egg salad that contain...
Study estimates that half of U.S. adults will be obese by 2030
There’s no way to sugarcoat this news: Nearly half of American adults will be obese within a decade and one-quarter will be severely so, a new report predicts. It corrects for a weakness in previous estimates that may have made the problem seem not as big as it really is....
Duquesne University picks site for osteopathic medicine building
Duquesne University’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine building will be located at the intersection of Forbes and Magee in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. Duquesne has announced an agreement to buy the site where it will construct an 80,000-square-foot building. The cost of the building and related improvements for the College...
Cold weather brings heart risks
When arctic weather is on the way, forecasters often alert you to protect your pets or watch out on the roads. Perhaps they also should warn you about your heart. Winter cold and other seasonal factors raise the risk of heart attacks and more. It’s an issue whether you’re in...
Time-restricted dieting can lead to weight loss, lower blood pressure
Intermittent fasting has shown success in helping people lose weight, but some people can find it difficult to eat normally most days and then severely restrict their food intake other days. A new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism offers an alternative — time-restricted eating. Time-restricted eating allows you...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 17
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: —11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday , Indiana VFW Post 1989, 824 Indian Springs Road — 1:30-7 p.m. Thursday , Holy Trinity Church, 327 W. Vincent St., Ligonier Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome • Vitalant (formerly Central Blood Bank) will...
Root around for winter vegetables
We tend to classify them all together, but winter vegetables are not always the same as root vegetables. Nevertheless, these veggies deserve our attention during these cold winter months. Take Brussels sprouts, a veggie you either adore or abhor. These hardy vegetables that look like baby cabbages on stalks belong...
PrEP, a drug proven to prevent HIV, still slow to catch on
The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, as a strategy to prevent people from contracting HIV in 2012. Some were eager to take advantage of the potentially lifesaving drug regimen. Others were skeptical, said Dr. Ken Ho, an infectious disease specialist with the...
Unsung heroes: Pittsburgh men, decades-long study impact HIV/AIDS researchVideo
Somber tones from the Reuter Opus organ filled Heinz Memorial Chapel on a dark December night as a small crowd filtered into the towering neo-Gothic church on the University of Pittsburgh campus to mark World AIDS Day. As they have for more than three decades, the Pitt Men’s Study leaders...
FDA approves first fish-oil drug for cutting cardiac risks
TRENTON, N.J. — U.S. regulators on Friday approved expanded use of a fish oil-based drug for preventing serious heart complications in high-risk patients already taking cholesterol-lowering pills. Vascepa was approved years ago for people with sky-high triglycerides, a type of fat in blood. The Food and Drug Administration allowed its...
In surprise decision, U.S. approves muscular dystrophy drug
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators approved a second drug for a debilitating form of muscular dystrophy, a surprise decision after the medication was rejected for safety concerns just four months ago. The ruling marks the second time the Food and Drug Administration has granted preliminary approval for the disease based...
More Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals
For the first time since the early 1900s, more Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals, a trend that reflects more hospice care and progress toward the kind of end that most people say they want. Deaths in nursing homes also have declined, according to a report Wednesday...
