FDA Says First Round of Tests Show No Live Virus in Pasteurized Milk

Live bird flu virus has not been found in any of the first batch of retail milk samples tested, federal health officials said Friday.

Amid an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in U.S. dairy cows, the early findings should reassure the public that the milk sold in stores remains safe, officials added.

In the online update, the U.S. Food an...

King Charles Returns to Duties After Cancer Treatment

Britain's King Charles III is back to resuming his royal duties following treatment for cancer, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.

"His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis," the Palace said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Charle...

Biden Administration Delays Menthol Cigarette Ban

A long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes has been delayed indefinitely, the Biden administration said Friday.

“This rule has garnered historic attention, and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” U.S. Health and Human Serv...

Blood Test Might Predict Knee Osteoarthritis Years Early

A blood test could help doctors spot the signs of knee osteoarthritis at least eight years before it shows up on X-rays, a new study claims.

After analyzing the blood of 200 white British women, half diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and half without, researchers discovered a small number of biomarkers distinguished the women with osteoar...

Dogs Can Get Lyme Disease, Too

People worry about contracting Lyme disease from ticks, but they should be concerned for their furry friends as well, veterinarians say.

Dogs throughout the United States are increasingly vulnerable to the tick-borne illness, say experts from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

Lyme disease was trad...

Spinal Cord Injury Damages Metabolism, and Scientists Now Know Why

Patients with a spinal cord injury frequently develop diabetes and heart health problems, and researchers now think they know why.

It appears that neuron activity following the injury causes belly fat to break down into compounds that leak and pool in the liver and other organs, a new animal study has discovered.

“These are quite r...

Syphilis Is Increasingly Displaying Atypical, Severe Symptoms

Syphilis cases are on the rise in the United States, and doctors in Chicago say they are increasingly seeing cases that don't display typical symptoms, such as rash or skin ulcers.

Instead, patients are presenting with headaches or disruptions in their vision or hearing, said a team co-led by Dr. Amy Nham. She's a first year epidemic inte...

Climate Change Could Be Good News for Viruses Like COVID

MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- Climate change -- and closed windows -- could be aiding the spread of airborne viruses like the one that causes COVID-19, a new study suggests.

Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in indoor spaces appear to be a major factor in prolonging the life of COVID variants present in tiny airborne dro...

Vaccines Have Saved 154 Million Lives, Mostly Babies, Over Past 50 Years

Global vaccination efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives, including 101 million infants, a new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows.

Immunization has contributed more to the health and survival of newborns than any other medical advance, researchers concluded.

The measles vaccine has had the most signifi...

Scientists Discover Cause of Rare Movement Disorder

Researchers have conclusively identified the genetic cause of a rare, progressive movement disorder.

A rare extra-long version of a gene appears to cause nerve cells to become poisoned by toxic proteins in people with spinocerebellar ataxia 4 (SCA4), researchers report.

SCA4 causes muscle weakness and difficulty coordinating body mov...

USDA Gets Tougher on Salmonella in Raw Breaded Chicken Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is clamping down on salmonella bacteria found in breaded, stuffed raw chicken products, with the agency issuing a final rule on the issue Friday.

The agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has declared salmonella an “adulterant” if the amount of it in a product exceeds a very low level. Th...

Fragments of Bird Flu Virus Found in 1 in 5 Milk Samples

Bits of bird flu virus have been discovered in roughly 20% of retail milk samples tested in a national survey, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The finding suggests that bird flu has spread far more widely among dairy cows than officials first thought.

Samples from parts of the country that have infected dairy her...

Clients Got HIV Through 'Vampire Facial' Microneedling Treatments

FRIDAY, April 26, 2024 (HealthDay) -- Between 2018 and the spring of 2023, a cluster of clients who had gotten 'vampire facial' microneedling skin treatments at a New Mexico spa were diagnosed with HIV, probably via poorly cleaned instruments, a new report finds.

When HIV arises among people without known risk factors, doctors "might consi...

Take the Stairs & Step Up to Longer Life

Want to live longer? Choose the stairs over the elevator, a new review suggests.

Folks who regularly climb stairs have a 24% reduced risk of dying from any cause, and a 39% reduced risk of dying from heart disease, compared to those who always take the elevator, researchers found.

Stair climbing also is associated with a lower risk o...

'Drug Take Back Day' is Saturday: Check for Leftover Opioids in Your Home

Each year, thousands of Americans head home after a surgery clutching prescription opioids to help ease post-surgical pain.

Trouble is, most won't use all those pills, and that could lead to a lot of misuse and addiction, one study found.

And with National Prescription Drug Take Back Day slated for Saturday, it's time yet again to ...

Loneliness Can Shorten Lives of Cancer Survivors

Cancer survivors in the throes of loneliness are more likely to die compared to those with companionship, a new study finds.

Further, people who are the most lonely are the most likely to die, results show.

“Loneliness, the feeling of being isolated, is a prevalent concern among cancer survivors,” said lead researcher Jingxuan Zh...

A Stolen Dog Feels Like Losing a Child, Study Finds

The emotional turmoil caused by a stolen dog is akin to that of a parent losing a child, a new study finds.

The findings support the idea that pets truly become family members to their owners, researchers said. When faced with the theft of a pet, owners tend to feel a similar sense of powerlessness, grief and loss.

In fact, some stud...

Better Scans Spot Hidden Inflammation in MS Patients

Advanced scanning techniques can find hidden inflammation in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a new study shows.

This “smoldering” inflammation detected by positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans could help explain why patients continue to decline even though imaging shows no brain changes, researchers reported r...

Which Patients and Surgeries Are 'High Risk' for Seniors?

Most seniors probably view any emergency surgery with a certain level of anxiety.

Now, a new study seeks to sort out who might be at highest risk for a complication from such surgeries -- and which surgeries are more prone to trouble.

Two key factors emerged: How frail any patient over 65 was prior to their emergency procedure, and...

Vancomycin May Be Losing Strength Against Common Deadly Infection

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a leading cause of illness and death, especially for frail and hospitalized Americans.

Now, a new study suggests that the leading antibiotic used to fight it, vancomycin, may be losing potency against this killer.

“It's an alarming development in the field of C. diff, as...