Category: study

As Links to MS Deepen, Researchers Accelerate Efforts to Develop an Epstein-Barr Vaccine

Recent leaps in medical research have lent urgency to the quest to develop a vaccine against Epstein-Barr, a ubiquitous virus that has been linked to a range of illnesses, from mononucleosis to multiple sclerosis and several cancers.

Clearing Pollution Helps Clear the Fog of Aging — And May Cut the Risk of Dementia

Two studies published this year provide evidence that older adults’ cognitive health may benefit if air quality is improved.

Organ Transplants Are Up, but the Agency in Charge Is Under Fire

A two-year congressional investigation has identified troubling lapses in the nation’s organ transplant system. Blood types mismatched, diseased organs transplanted anyway, and — most often — organs lost or damaged before they can save a life.

For Kids With Kidney Disease, Pediatric Expertise Is Key — But Not Always Close By

A study published in JAMA leads to questions about the uneven distribution of pediatric nephrologists nationwide. Children with end-stage kidney disease feel the impact.

Widely Used Hospital Gowns Show Signs of Exposing Workers to Infection

Isolation gowns are supposed to protect health care workers from splattered bodily fluids. But new studies suggest that too much liquid seeps through some disposable gowns, creating a risk of infection.

It’s Hot Outside — And That’s Bad News for Children’s Health

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine takes a sweeping look at how heat — which can be a byproduct of air pollution and climate change — adversely affects people’s health, especially that of kids.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Taking a Shot at Gun Control

The U.S. House passed a package of bills seeking to keep some guns out of the hands of children and teenagers, but its fate in the Senate remains a big question mark. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission takes on drug and hospital prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Cori Uccello of the American Academy of Actuaries about the most recent report from Medicare’s trustees board.

A Deep Dive Into the Widening Mortality Gap Across the Political Aisle

Research out this week examines how an area’s political environment can affect its mortality rate.

Rural California Hatches Plan for Engineered Mosquitoes to Battle Stealthy Predator

Tulare County officials hope the region will soon be a testing ground for a new generation of technology in a centuries-old war: Human vs. Mosquito.

Losing Sleep Over the Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be a Boon for Night Owls’ Health

Many sleep scientists maintain that people who prefer to stay up late could improve their mental and physical health by synchronizing their natural sleep cycles with workday demands. The flexible work schedules that came with covid’s work-from-home trend, according to one new study, backs up this idea.