Among a group of 113,227 Norwegian children, researchers observed that those born prior to 34 weeks gestation were over 23% more likely to experience symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by age eight. JAMA Pediatrics, June 2018

An analysis of data from 121 cohort studies involving over 19 million participants indicates that diabetics have a 10% increased risk for a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Additionally, among cancer cases, diabetics have a slightly elevated risk for cancer-related mortality. Diabetologia, July 2018

A heat wave is a period of unusually hot weather lasting several days in which temperatures exceed the historical average in the region. An analysis of data from 23 published studies indicates that heat waves may increase the risk of myocardial infarction-related death by up to 64%. Environmental Pollution, October 2018

A nationwide effort led by scientists at Northern Arizona University has detected ticks that can carry Lyme disease and other tick-borne illness in over 80 counties in the United States where such ticks had not previously been recorded. Researcher Dr. Nate Nieto notes, “People should be aware of ticks and tick-borne disease, even when they…

Typically, about 5-10% of female mosquitoes feed at any time during normal weather situations. However, a new study found that lab-induced dehydration led to a 30% feeding rate, suggesting that mosquitoes try to hydrate on blood when water is not available. Study co-author Dr. Elise Didion writes, “It makes sense… We find the highest transmission…

An analysis of thirty years of data concerning over 90,000 American women showed that obese women who were metabolically healthy (normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar) for over twenty years still had a 57% elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. Lead researcher Dr. Matthias Schulze explains, “If you are obese, but free of disease like…

Researchers followed the status of more than 27,000 women after their breast cancer surgery and found that 13% failed to have a mammogram within one year of their procedure. At the five-year mark, the percentage of women who had not had a mammogram in the last year rose to 19% and only 50% had undergone…

An analysis of diseases in 130 low- and middle-income countries that lack quality healthcare showed that 8 million people die needlessly each year, costing those countries a total of about $6 trillion economically. Experts say it’s important to attach a monetary cost to the loss of human life, because those numbers can provide economic incentives…

An analysis of data concerning 5.7 million Chinese women found that non-smokers in households with one or more smokers have a 17% greater risk of miscarriage than women in smoke-free homes. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, June 2018

Drug overdose deaths in the United States involving fentanyl-type drugs have increased from about 3,000 in 2000 to about 19,400 in 2016! The findings are not that surprising to researchers since these drugs are about 50-times more potent than heroin and nearly 100-times more powerful than morphine. Dr. Linda Richter from the National Center on…