Threat grows from ‘nightmare bacteria’
“Nightmare bacteria” — those with unusual resistance to antibiotics of last resort — were found more than 200 times in the United States last year in a first-of-a-kind hunt to see how much of a threat these rare cases are becoming, health officials said. That’s more than they had expected to find. And the true number is probably higher because the effort involved only certain... READ MORE
Ways to improve your memory and focus
When retired professor Darlene Howard taught in the psychology department of Georgetown University, she often had to remember the names of as many as 50 students a semester. So she used a memory trick: She created an association with each student’s name or face. A student with the last name of Brady might make her think of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The next time she... READ MORE
Obesity may rob the tongue of taste buds
Packing on pounds seems to dull people’s sense of taste, and puzzled researchers turned to mice to figure out why: Obesity, they found, can rob the tongue of taste buds. If these recent findings pan out, “this could be a whole new kind of target in treating obesity,” said Cornell University food scientist Robin Dando, whose lab led the research. “People don’t really look at the ... READ MORE
Debate over ‘right to try’ experimental meds
The idea is a political crowd-pleaser with a catchy slogan: giving desperately ill patients the “right to try” experimental medicines. Last month, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives became the latest group of politicians to back the effort, sending a bill to the Senate, which President Donald Trump has pledged to sign into law. A federal right-to-try law — first... READ MORE
Glow-in-the-dark dyes to identify cancers
It was an ordinary surgery to remove a tumor — until doctors turned off the lights and the patient’s chest started to glow. A spot over his heart shined purplish pink. Another shimmered in a lung. They were hidden cancers revealed by fluorescent dye, an advance that soon may transform how hundreds of thousands of operations are done each year. Surgery has long been the best way to ... READ MORE
New, more secure Medicare cards coming
As you may have already heard, between now and April 2019, new cards will be mailed to all Medicare beneficiaries. With both Maryland and the District of Columbia being in the first wave, you should receive your new card by June of this year. The new card will help protect your identity and keep your personal information more secure by removing your Social Security number and replacing... READ MORE
Try stuffed tomatoes instead of peppers
Does your meatless Monday game need an overhaul? As a meat-eater myself, I find that the trick to meatless meal-making is to have a small repertoire of recipes that can work as a side dish or first course, or be eaten in larger quantities as a vegetarian main dish. This is the same strategy I use when hosting a vegetarian in my home. Today’s Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes fits the bill... READ MORE
Tailored treatments for hard-to-treat cancer
Perhaps chemotherapy was successful at first, but now the cancer is back and growing quickly. Or radiation failed to obliterate all of a tumor. Patients who may have been told that there is nothing else doctors can do are now being sought for a trial of targeted drugs matched to their genetic profiles. A study launched last fall, the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry... READ MORE
Fish oil capsules may not help your heart
Every day, millions of people swallow fish oil capsules, many of them lured by the promise that the pills will help them cast off heart disease. In fact, the label of one popular brand includes the line, “May reduce coronary heart disease risk.” Don’t take the bait: these bold marketing claims haven’t caught up with the latest science. Last year, the American Heart Association... READ MORE
Men: never ignore these two symptoms
Do you put off seeing a doctor for regular checkups or to discuss a health concern? This can be risky. While symptoms often can be benign or require minimal treatment, in some cases, they also can be early signs of cancer. By dismissing them without talking to a doctor, you could miss a chance for early cancer diagnosis — and early treatment. Doctors identify each of the most common ... READ MORE
