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Minorities Miss Out on Brain-Imaging Studies for Alzheimer's

Americans in ethnic and racial minority groups are underrepresented in Alzheimer's research, a new study finds.

Still, the review of U.S.-based Alzheimer's disease brain imaging studies found the gap is closing.

Compared with white patients, Hispanic Americans are nearly two times more likely to develop Alzheimer's as are Black Americans.

For the study, researchers analyzed ...

New High-Tech CT Might Expand Heart Imaging

The benefits of noninvasive imaging may soon be available to patients at high risk of coronary artery disease, according to researchers studying a newer technology.

That technology is called ultra-high-resolution coronary CT angiography.

Currently, patients have coronary CT angiography (CCTA), which is highly effective for ruling out coronary artery disease when it's used in patient...

CT Scans Beat Gene Scores at Predicting Mid-Life Heart Risk

When it comes to predicting heart trouble down the road, the arteries may say a lot more than the genes do, according to a new study.

Researchers found that CT scans of the heart arteries were better than genetics at predicting middle-aged adults' risk of heart disease in coming years.

In fact, people's genes gave little useful information over and above low-tech methods, such as me...

Fat Growing Around Muscles Could Be a Silent Killer

It's well known that it's unhealthy to have belly fat accumulating around your abdominal organs, but there's a more insidious form of fat that could be even more hazardous to your health, a new study says.

Fat that infiltrates your muscles appears to dramatically increase your risk of death, according to findings published May 16 in the journal

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • May 18, 2023
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  • Full Page
  • How Many CT Scans Are Safe for Kids?

    Getting a single CT scan during childhood doesn't appear to increase a child's risk of a future brain tumor, leukemia or lymphoma, new research finds, but getting four or more scans more than doubles the chances.

    CT scans use low-dose radiation, which can damage cells. Past evidence about the risks of cancer from these scans in children 18 and younger was conflicting, researchers said.

    Good News or Bad, Patients Want Access to Medical Test Results

    When waiting for medical test results, days can feel like an eternity.

    In a new survey, patients overwhelmingly say they'd like their results immediately -- even if their provider has not yet reviewed them and even if the news is bad.

    In April 2021, new rules went into effect requiring health care providers in the United States to make all results and clinical notes available immedi...

    Chest Scans for Respiratory Ills Can Also Spot Heart Trouble

    Ordering special heart scans before a major surgery to gauge risks may be unnecessary, a new study suggests.

    Researchers found that surgeons can instead estimate patients' risk of heart attack or death by reviewing existing images of the chest captured months earlier during screening for lung issues, such as pneumonia or cancer.

    This could avoid surgery delays and increased costs, w...

    U.S. Hospitals Are Facing Shortage of Dye Needed for Life-Saving Scans

    U.S. hospitals are running low on contrast dye injected into patients undergoing enhanced X-rays, CT scans and MRIs.

    The fluid, which makes the routine but potentially life-saving scans readable, helps doctors identify clots in the heart and brain. The shortage is expected to last until at least June 30, t...

    CT Lung Cancer Screening Saved His Life, and Could Do So for More

    Wolfgang Lehner always considered himself "a triple threat" when it came to cancer risk.

    One grandfather died of lung cancer in the 1970s. His other grandfather had his own bout with stomach cancer. And Lehner himself was a smoker.

    Although the New York City cinematographer quit smoking in 2010, at age 51, he never quit worrying about lung cancer.

    In 2017 his worst fear was r...

    More Evidence That Pandemic Delayed Cancer Diagnoses

    New research offers fresh proof that the COVID-19 pandemic delayed cancer diagnoses in the United States, increasing patients' risk for poor outcomes.

    For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 9 million patients at over 1,200 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities.

    Procedures to diagnose cancer were used less often and there were fewer new cancer diagnoses in 2020 t...

    Even T. Rex Had Bone Trouble

    They once ruled the planet, but even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex could suffer from bone disease, new research shows.

    Scientists used imaging to examine the lower left jaw of a fossilized T. rex skeleton discovered in Montana in 2010. The skeleton, which is about 68 million years old and one of the most complete skeletons of the carnivorous dinosaur ever found, is at the Museum für Natur...

    Certain Blood Thinners Can Raise Risk of 'Delayed' Bleeding After Head Injury

    Older blood thinners, especially when taken in combination with daily low-dose aspirin, are associated with a higher risk of brain bleeds and death after hospital discharge in patients treated for head injury, new research shows.

    The risk fell when patients were taking one of the newer blood thinners, said the authors of a study presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological ...

    Low-Dose CT Scans Can Diagnose Appendicitis

    CT scans expose patients to radiation even as they help doctors spot serious health problems. Now a new study finds low-dose scans can readily spot appendicitis while reducing patients' radiation exposure.

    "The results of this study suggest that the diagnostic CT scan radiation dose can be significantly decreased without impairing diagnostic accuracy," said lead study author Paulina Salmi...

    4 Out of 10 Adults With No Known Heart Disease Have Fatty Hearts: Study

    Many middle-aged adults with apparently healthy hearts have a "silent" buildup of fatty deposits in their arteries, a large, new study shows.

    Researchers found that of more than 25,000 50- to 64-year-olds, about 42% had signs of atherosclerosis -- a buildup of "plaques" in the arteries that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

    That was despite the fact that none had any history of ...

    U.S. Deaths From Cancer Continue to Decline

    Americans' overall death rate from cancer continues to fall -- but rising rates of certain cancers and ongoing racial disparities linger.

    Those are among the findings of an annual report to the nation from several major cancer organizations.

    The good news includes an accelerating decline in the overall cancer death rate, among both women and men, and across racial and ethnic groups....

    Modern Medicine Unwraps Mystery of Ancient Mummy's Death

    Modern technology has unraveled an ancient mystery about the death of an Egyptian king.

    Computed tomography (CT) scans of the mummified remains of Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II, the Brave, revealed new details about his head injuries not previously found in examinations since his mummy was discovered in the 1880s. Those examinations, including an X-ray study in the 1960s, had found that the k...

    Why Do Black Children Get Fewer Scans When They're Seen in ERs?

    Black and Hispanic children who land in the emergency room are less likely than white kids to receive X-rays, CT scans and other imaging tests, a new study finds.

    Looking at more than 13 million ER visits to U.S. children's hospitals, researchers found that white children underwent imaging tests one-third of the time.

    That was true for only 26% of visits made by Hispanic children, a...

    As Testing Costs Rise, Neurology Patients May Skip Screening

    Rising out-of-pocket costs for neurological tests could lead many Americans to forgo them, researchers warn.

    Their study, published online Dec. 23 in the journal Neurology, analyzed neurology care costs for more than 3.7 million people in a large private insurance claims database.

    They found that average, inflation-adjusted out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic tests rose by a...

    Get on the Bus: Lifesaving Lung Screens Hit the Road

    Irene Johnson noticed a big, blue bus bearing the words "Breathe Easy" outside the Benton, Tenn., library during the 2019 Labor Day weekend.

    Inside, a librarian told Johnson that the bus was a mobile CT unit that travels around screening smokers for lung cancer.

    Former longtime smokers, both Johnson and her husband, Karl, fit the criteria for getting screened, so they decide...

    New Guidelines Could Double Number Eligible for Lung Cancer Screening

    CT scans have been proven to help spot lung cancer early and save lives. Now, updated expert recommendations could double the number of Americans who are eligible for the yearly screening.

    The recommendations -- from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) -- would expand the definition of "high risk" for lung cancer. That's expected to not only increase the number of people ...

    Could AI Help Doctors Map Out Treatments for Brain Cancers?

    Artificial intelligence may reduce the need for glioma brain cancer patients to have biopsies to determine the best treatment for their tumors, researchers report.

    Currently, it's common to remove glioma samples from patients and analyze them to select appropriate therapy.

    But scientists have been testing imaging techniques that might be used instead of biopsies to assess gl...

    AI May Not Be Better Than Experts at Reading Medical Scans

    A new study casts doubt on claims that artificial intelligence (AI) equals or surpasses the ability of human experts to interpret medical images.

    Many previous studies were of poor quality and may have exaggerated the benefits of AI, which could pose a risk to the safety of millions of patients, the study authors claimed.

    The investigators reviewed two randomized clinical tr...

    U.S. Exposure to Medical Radiation Drops Dramatically

    There's been a large decrease in Americans' exposure to medical radiation, according to a new study.

    Between 2006 and 2016, medical radiation exposure among U.S. patients fell by 20%, reversing a steep, quarter century-long rise.

    The number of diagnostic and interventional radiology exams remained largely unchanged, even though the U.S. population jumped about 23 million...

    Low-Dose Chest Scans Don't Appear to Harm DNA

    Low-dose chest CT scans don't appear to damage human DNA, a new study shows.

    The U.S.-based National Lung Screening Trial, conducted between 2002 and 2010 and involving more than 53,000 heavy and former smokers, revealed that these chest scans can significantly cut lung cancer deaths compared to chest X-rays. They do so by finding cancers at an earlier stage, researchers explained.

    Scientists Spot Early Markers of Coronavirus in Lungs of Patients

    U.S. researchers report they have spotted early, subtle signs in the lungs that point to coronavirus infection.

    This could help doctors diagnose patients in the early stages of the disease, when it may not be obvious on lung scans, according to the Mount Sinai Health System doctors.

    They say they're the first U.S. experts to analyze chest CT scans of 94 patients in China wit...

    Study Confirms CT Screenings Can Cut Lung Cancer Deaths

    A new Dutch study is being hailed as proof of the need for annual CT screenings of former and current longtime smokers to reduce deaths from lung cancer.

    Dr. Debra Dyer, a spokeswoman for the American College of Radiology and chair of radiology at National Jewish Health in Denver, called the findings "wonderful news."

    "There's no doubt about the effectiveness" of annual CT ...

    Imaging Technique Tracks Down Stray Lung Cancer Cells for Surgeons

    Combining an imaging technology with a new drug that "lights up" lung cancer cells may help surgeons spot hidden bits of cancer, a new study suggests.

    The small, preliminary study found that the new combo -- dubbed intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI) -- helped improve outcomes in surgeries of 1 out of 4 patients.

    The drug used in IMI is called OTL38. The drug isn't yet ...

    Lung Cancer Report Delivers Good, Bad News

    More Americans are surviving lung cancer in recent years, but very few people at high risk are getting the recommended screening.

    Those are the highlights from the latest "State of Lung Cancer" report from the American Lung Association (ALA), published Nov. 13.

    There are positive trends, including the survival numbers: Compared with a decade ago, the five-year survival rate ...

    Nasal Swab Could Help Gauge Smokers' Odds for Lung Cancer

    Could a person's risk for lung cancer someday be determined with a quick swab of the nose?

    If the preliminary findings of a new study are any indication, it's a distinct possibility.

    The experimental nasal swab relies on the fact that most lung cancer patients are current and former smokers. It's meant to be a noninvasive means of separating high-risk patients from low-risk ...

    Lung Cancer Screening Can Detect Other Smoking Ills

    CT lung cancer screening can detect other serious smoking-related conditions, such as heart disease, osteoporosis and emphysema, researchers say.

    Medical experts consider lung cancer screening an effective way to detect malignant tumors at earlier, more treatable stages. Now, new research suggests low-dose CT scans of the lungs could also improve diagnosis and treatment of other smoki...

    More CT, MRI Scans Being Used, Despite Calls to Cut Back

    Despite efforts from medical groups to cut down on the overuse of CT scans and MRIs for safety reasons, their use has instead increased, a new study shows.

    "Medical imaging is an important part of health care and contributes to accurate disease diagnosis and treatment, but it also can lead to patient harms such as incidental findings, overdiagnosis, anxiety and radiation exposure that...

    Pregnant Women Exposed to More Risky CT Scans

    Use of risky CT scans during pregnancy has risen significantly in North America in the past two decades, a new study finds.

    "It's important to quantify exposure to ionizing radiation because it can cause cancer and birth defects, and should be kept to a minimum, especially during pregnancy," said co-lead author Marilyn Kwan. She's a senior research scientist at Kaiser Permanente North...

    Newer Lung Cancer Screening Saves More Lives

    A newer form of lung cancer screening may mean fewer deaths from the disease, a new study contends.

    Using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) instead of X-rays helped reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, the study authors said.

    "Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and early detection and treatment through screening with low-dose c...

    AI Takes Aim at Lung Cancer Screening

    The term artificial intelligence (AI) might bring to mind robots or self-driving cars. But one group of researchers is using a type of AI to improve lung cancer screening.

    Screening is important for early diagnosis and improved survival odds, but the current lung cancer screening method has a 96 percent false positive rate.

    But in the new study, investigators were able to re...

    Radiation Doses From CT Scans Vary Widely

    CT scans diagnose many serious conditions and illnesses, but they expose patients to levels of radiation that aren't always consistent and may be harmful, a new study finds.

    The large differences in the doses of radiation patients are exposed to appear to be caused by who is doing the scanning and not differences in patients or equipment, researchers found.

    It should be poss...

    U.S. Leads Health Care Spending Among Richer Nations, But Gets Less

    Higher costs, not better patient care, explain why the United States spends much more on health care than other developed countries, a new study indicates.

    U.S. health care spending was $9,892 per person in 2016. That was about 25 percent more than second-place Switzerland's $7,919 and more than twice as high as Canada's $4,753, researchers found.

    It was also twice what Amer...