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Engineers develop tiny pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice
CHICAGO -- A new, tiny pacemaker — smaller than a grain of rice — developed at Northwestern University could play a sizable role in the future of medicine, according to the engineers who developed it.
Researchers unveiled the device, which they say is the smallest pacemaker in the world, in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal ...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: Stress-free school breaks: How to plan for a relaxing reset
School breaks give children and parents a much-needed pause, but breaks can also bring stress. Routines change for your child and family, and time spent together in close settings can cause patience to run short. With a little planning, though, a school break can be a time to relax, have fun and focus on mental health.
When school is not in ...Read more
Hope, caution for Washington state patients 'first in line' for new schizophrenia drug
In the months after 24-year-old D.J. was diagnosed with schizophrenia, he searched online for answers to questions that felt urgent and existential.
Does it get really bad over time? Will I be able to live a normal life?
He'd read the statistics. He'd seen the news stories. Freshly graduated from University of Washington, the new diagnosis, he...Read more

'If they cut too much, people will die': Health coalition pushes GOP on Medicaid funding
Tina Ewing-Wilson remembers the last time major Medicaid cuts slashed her budget.
In the late 2000s, during the Great Recession, the pot of money she and other Medi-Cal recipients depend on to keep them out of costly residential care homes shrank.
The only way she could afford help was to offer room and board to a series of live-in caregivers ...Read more

Michigan anesthesiologists want to know if you use these substances before surgery
With cannabis and hallucinogen use on the rise, the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists is trying to educate the public on the importance of disclosing the use of the substances to physicians, particularly before going into surgery.
Use of cannabis and hallucinogens remains at an all time high in recent years, according to a University of ...Read more

Lawmakers launch bipartisan push to save 9/11 WTC program from RFK Jr. cuts
Legislators on both sides of the aisle outraged over drastic cuts to the agency that oversees the World Trade Center Health Program have fired off a letter to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. demanding the pivotal services be restored.
In their letter, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Senate ...Read more

Amid measles outbreak, Trump pulls funding for vaccines
WASHINGTON — As a measles outbreak spreads across the country, 23 states are embroiled in a legal battle over $12 billion in federal dollars that have been used for vaccine clinics and other public health measures.
The states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it clawed back the money last week, arguing the funding, ...Read more

HIV prevention medicines could soon be over-the-counter in Georgia
ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers are hoping to pass a bill before the legislative session ends Friday that would allow pharmacists to distribute HIV prevention medicines without a prescription, a policy change that would allow quicker access for people who lack insurance or who live in rural Georgia.
The goal is to help bring down Georgia’s high...Read more

Being alone has its benefits − a psychologist flips the script on the ‘loneliness epidemic’
Over the past few years, experts have been sounding the alarm over how much time Americans spend alone.
Statistics show that we’re choosing to be solitary for more of our waking hours than ever before, tucked away at home rather than mingling in public. Increasing numbers of us are dining alone and traveling solo, and rates of ...Read more

Immune amnesia: Why even mild measles infections can lead to serious disease later
Dr. Adam Ratner has heard a lot of myths and misunderstandings about measles in his decades as a New York City pediatric infectious disease specialist.
A troubling untruth he's seen circulating on social media during the current outbreak is that being infected with the virus instead of getting vaccinated confers benefits on the immune system �...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: The difference in brain aneurysms
Each year, nearly half a million people worldwide die from brain aneurysms. In the U.S., an estimated 6.7 million people have an unruptured brain aneurysm, which means about 1 in 50 people might have one.
A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain. Dr. Chris Fox, a Mayo Clinic ...Read more
Autism and elopement: What you need to know about wandering, according to experts
ATLANTA — The warmer weather often means more days spent near the water, whether that’s a nearby lake, the beach or a pool. This relaxing time can bring an increase in rules and supervision if you have kids.
However, for parents and caregivers of children with autism, days by the water can mean dodging dangers at every turn — especially ...Read more

Those living with polio say don't forget
ATLANTA -- Polio ravaged human bodies for hundreds of years, but the misery began to wane 70 years ago when two polio vaccines developed in the U.S. halted the virus’ spread.
Many Georgians who caught polio in the 1950s as children survived and led fulfilling lives despite their injuries. But in their later years, they experience a return of ...Read more

What's lost: Trump whacks tiny agency that works to make the nation's health care safer
Sue Sheridan’s baby boy, Cal, suffered brain damage from undetected jaundice in 1995. Helen Haskell’s 15-year-old son, Lewis, died after surgery in 2000 because weekend hospital staffers didn’t realize he was in shock. The episodes turned both women into advocates for patients and spurred research that made American health care safer.
On ...Read more

Europeans are outliving Americans -- even the wealthy, study finds. Why?
Americans are falling behind Europeans in lifespan, even among older and wealthier groups, a Brown University study found.
The study compared age groups and income across the United States and 16 European countries, ultimately including 73,838 participants between the ages of 50 and 85, and was published April 2 in the New England Journal of ...Read more

Could Nevada legalize medical aid in dying?
A push to legalize medical aid in dying in Nevada is in the Legislature is once again, despite several failed efforts that included a veto from Gov. Joe Lombardo two years ago.
Assembly Bill 346 would allow terminally ill patients to self-administer medication to end their lives if they meet the bill’s eligibility criteria. It includes rules ...Read more

Federal cuts to Title X health programs put Western Pa. clinics on alert
Health clinics throughout the state, including dozens in Western Pennsylvania, are among those impacted by federal funding cuts to a program that directs millions of dollars to help low-income people access family planning services.
Pennsylvania is the third-highest recipient of Title X funding nationally, having received $13.5 million last ...Read more

Cluster of Massachusetts nurses reportedly diagnosed with brain tumors
BOSTON — A cluster of nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital have reportedly been diagnosed with brain tumors, according to hospital officials who are assuring staff and patients that there’s “no environmental risk” at the facility.
But the Massachusetts Nurses Association says the hospital’s environmental testing was “not ...Read more

Lowering the cost of insurance in Colorado – a new analysis of the Peak Health Alliance
A community-led partnership in Colorado designed to negotiate health care prices lowered health care premiums in 2020 and 2021, we find in our new paper in the Journal of Risk and Insurance. The nonprofit organization is called the Peak Health Alliance.
As health care premiums continue to rise nationwide, many employers have formed so...Read more

Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency
The job of director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention carries immense responsibility for shaping health policies, responding to crises and maintaining trust in public health institutions.
Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, the position has been held on an interim basis by Susan Monarez, whom ...Read more
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