Medical Treatments

It's hard to sleep when the light's on and the monitor's beeping.

For A Good Snooze, Take One Melatonin, Add Eye Mask And Earplugs

3:16pm March 20, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Hospitals are notoriously difficult places to sleep, despite efforts to make them less noisy. Cheap, simple workarounds can help, a study says. Taking the sleep hormone melatonin helped the most.

Pathologists use slides like this one to look for signs of cancer in breast tissue.

How Much Can Women Trust That Breast Cancer Biopsy?

5:06pm March 19, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Pathologists are great at spotting cancer, but less so at identifying atypical cells or DCIS, a study finds. That could lead to women getting too much treatment — or not enough.

Is the benefit from antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia symptoms worth the risk?

Health & Safety

Risks Run High When Antipsychotics Are Prescribed For Dementia

8:29am March 19, 2015

by Scott Hensley

Results from an analysis of veterans' health records show a higher risk of death among people taking antipsychotic drugs for symptoms of dementia than has been documented before.

Kristen Caminiti cuddles her son Connor while doctors stitch her up following a C-section.

The Gentle Cesarean: More Like A Birth Than An Operation

2:30pm March 18, 2015

by Jennifer Schmidt

The goal is simple, the techniques easy. Let the mother see her baby being born, if she wants to, and give her the baby immediately following the birth, so they can bond before the baby is taken away.

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Disneyland and California Adventure Park seen in late December, soon after measles was contracted by some visitors to Disneyland.

Vaccination Gaps Helped Fuel Disneyland Measles Spread

9:56am March 17, 2015

by Scott Hensley

The quick rise of measles infections in the wake of cases reported among Disneyland visitors underscores how even a small dip in vaccination rates can allow the virus to spread.

Feces contain digested food residue and a wide variety of microorganisms, mostly bacteria, that are adapted to life in the intestines. The gases the microbes produce could help doctors and scientists track and understand changes related to health.

Before The Gas Is Passed, Researchers Aim To Measure It In The Gut

8:40am March 16, 2015

by Angus Chen

As people's health waxes or wanes because of stress or disease, their intestinal ecosystems change, too. It may be possible someday to diagnose disease by analyzing the gas the microbes make.

Will the pump talk to the computer that holds the patient's records?

Health & Safety

Nurses Have To Translate When Medical Devices Fail To Communicate

5:51pm March 13, 2015

by Scott Hensley

Medical technology can make patient care better and more precise. But the gadgets and computers can cause trouble, too. One big problem is that most of the devices often can't talk with one another.

Truvada can dramatically reduce the risk of HIV infection when taken as a preventative medicine — if taken every day. Studies are underway to determine if young people are likely to take the pill consistently.

Would A Pill To Protect Teens From HIV Make Them Feel Invincible?

11:08am March 13, 2015

by Rafael Johns

Trials are underway to see how effective a pill approved for HIV prevention in adults may be for teenagers. But some worry Truvada could end up encouraging reckless sexual behavior among young people.

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A view of the eastern entrance to the Ohio Statehouse.

States Aim To Restrict Medically Induced Abortions

5:08pm March 12, 2015

by Jennifer Ludden

One in four abortions is induced with medications rather than a surgical procedure. But the process faces a growing number of legal restrictions, including a law in Ohio.

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Playing The Odds With Statins: Heart Disease Or Diabetes?

3:41pm March 11, 2015

by Wendy Wolfson

Doctors hand out cholesterol-lowering statins like breath mints, but like any drug they come with risks. Less heart disease, sure, a slightly higher risk of diabetes, too. So what's a person to do?