Laura Kelly

More people are trying e-cigarettes but less are sticking with them: Study

The number of adults trying e-cigarettes for the first time is increasing, but less are making a habit of using the electronic nicotine delivery systems, according to a research letter published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

May 15, 2018

California marks record high STD’s in 2017

California recorded record numbers of new infections of sexually transmitted diseases in 2017, with nearly 300,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, according to a report by the state health department and published Monday.

May 15, 2018

A quarter of Americans spend all day inside: Survey

A quarter of Americans spend almost an entire 24 hours without going outside and downplay the negative health effects of only breathing indoor air, according to a new survey claiming a new "indoor generation."

May 15, 2018

Fentanyl test strips detect deadly synthetic opioid in drug supply

Public health advocates and officials are at odds over programs that allow drug users to bring in their illicit drugs to test them for a deadly synthetic opioid.

May 14, 2018

Rates of depression in U.S. increasing and worse among specific states

Diagnosis for major depression have increased dramatically across the U.S., especially in teens and young adults and varying from state to state, according to a study of insurance claims by provider Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

May 11, 2018

Surgeons replace soldiers ear with one they grew on her forearm

When Army Pfc Shamika Burrage lost an ear in a car accident in 2016, she never dreamed where a replacement appendage eventually would come from -- her own forearm.

May 10, 2018

Veteran population with light head injuries at increased risk for dementia: Study

Military veterans who suffered even a light head injury are two times more likely to develop dementia later in life, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday.

May 8, 2018

As opioids become harder to get, users find heroin, overdose, says review

States that have made it more difficult for opioids to be overprescribed have seen an increase in overdose deaths as drug users turn to cheaper heroin and synthetic fentanyl, according to a review of drug studies.

May 7, 2018

Experimental universal flu vaccine begins second phase of testing in U.S.: Report

The second phase of human trials for a universal flu vaccine has begun in the U.S., the National Institutes of Health announced Friday, as scientists continue to search for an all-encompassing solution to protecting against the unpredictable and constantly mutating virus.

May 4, 2018

Majority of older Americans are having good sex: Study

Over half of older adults are having sex and the majority of those are enjoying it, according to a new survey on healthy aging in adults ages 65 and older by researchers from the University of Michigan.

May 3, 2018

First death in multi-state E.Coli outbreak confirmed in California: CDC

At least one person has died and over 120 sickened in a multi-state E. Coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.

May 2, 2018

Fentanyl responsible for nearly half of all opioid overdoses in 2016: Report

Nearly half of opioid-related overdose deaths in the U.S. were caused by the highly potent synthetic drug fentanyl, surpassing heroin and prescription pills as the most lethal drug killing Americans, according to a new report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

May 2, 2018

CDC: U.S. unprepared for rising rates of diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks

U.S. agencies are wholly unprepared when it comes to protecting the public from diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

May 2, 2018

Four college friends diagnosed with the same rare eye cancer are looking for answers

Four college friends since the late 1980s have contracted the same deadly cancer -- one so rare that it is diagnosed in roughly 5 out of 1 million people each year.

May 2, 2018

Half of Americans are lonely, study says

Generation Z, the newest cohort of 18- to 22-year-olds in the U.S., are the loneliest generation and claim to be in worse health than older adults, according to a new survey on the epidemic of isolation in America.

May 1, 2018

NIH announces open enrollment for one million participants in nationwide medical study

The ambitious precision-medicine project All of Us gets under way next week with the goal of enrolling 1 million Americans of all backgrounds in the largest longitundial health study in the world.

May 1, 2018

Cancer burden among 9/11 firefighters and first responders larger than previously thought: Study

More cancer cases than previously thought are expected among firefighters and rescue workers who responded in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, according to research published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

April 26, 2018

Eating dark chocolate improves brain function, new research shows

Researchers are stepping up efforts to concretely determine the health benefits of cacao-rich dark chocolate, with human trials yielding positive results that the dessert has direct impact on our moods and increases functioning of the brain and heart.

April 26, 2018

JUUL, maker of popular e-cigarettes, invests $30M in youth awareness

JUUL, the company that makes an e-cigarette popular with teenagers, said Wednesday it supports efforts to raise the minimum age for tobacco sales to 21 and will invest $30 million over three years in strategies to prevent youth from taking up its products.

April 25, 2018

CDC: Teen mom birth rates hit historic low

Babies born to teenage mothers reached an historic low between 2015 and 2016, with the birth rate continuously declining for mothers between the ages of 10 and 19 years old, according to new data released on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

April 25, 2018