Gulf Coast Concern

A deadly bacteria that kills up to 50% of people it infects has now been declared an endemic along the US Gulf Coast. Dr. Julia Petras, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who made the warning, said Burkholderia pseudomallei, which can cause potentially lethal melioidosis if not treated, is now…

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Still Mad?

US health officials have detected an atypical case of “mad cow disease” in a beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina, they announced in a statement on Friday, May 19. The US Department of Agriculture said the animal “never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply…

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Stop Hot Flashes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approved to a new nonhormonal medicine, Fezolinetant, for hot flashes.  For decades, women who can’t or choose not to take hormones to alleviate hot flashes, a common symptom in menopause, have always had no effective treatment options. But now there’s a new alternative. Developed by…

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Too Close For Comfort

Too Close For Comfort

This is terribly disconcerting — especially if you have young women in your life.  It is worth the read. It’s a delicate subject, but it needs to be discussed. NOW.  Earlier this month, the feminine hygiene company Thinx settled a class-action lawsuit for $5 million over using PFAS in its products. The company used PFAS,…

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Dangerous Clouds

This is new. Remember us telling you about the antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in supermarket meats a few weeks ago? Well, now it seems those little buggers have figured out how to go global — by hitching a ride on clouds.  Researchers from Université Laval in Quebec and Université Clermont Auvergne in France showed, for the…

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We Can Grow A Heart

Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have manipulated stem cells to mimic the development of the human heart, resulting in a sort of “mini-heart” known as an organoid. It will enable the study of the earliest development phase of the heart and further research on diseases. Amazingly, the human heart starts forming less…

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Not That Simple

As our society becomes more health-conscious, we are constantly bombarded with new information about what we should and shouldn’t be consuming. Two topics that have been in the spotlight recently are sweeteners and statins, both of which play a significant role in our diets and overall health. On one hand, artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes…

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That’s Gross

Say “Good-bye” to steak tartare! In a new study, researchers say they found drug-resistant bacteria in 40% of meat samples at supermarkets in Spain. Namely, they found E. coli bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The team presented their findings at Denmark’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. E.coli causes severe illness, often…

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ah-Choo!

Spring has officially sprung! And with it comes the itchy throat, watery and burning eyes, the sneezing, and the ever-present post-nasal drip.  But spring seems a bit early every year. Does it seem like that to you?  When did you start sneezing? When did you first start noticing the pollen everywhere?  Researchers think they may…

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Tipping Point

Extraordinary news!  Scientists have identified the exact moment that healthy brain proteins are shocked into the tangled mess that becomes what’s commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  The researchers are hopeful that the new approach responsible for the discovery could be used to directly study the ‘never-before-seen’ early stages of many neurodegenerative diseases. Tau proteins are…

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