Health

Police are now taking roadside blood samples to catch impaired drivers

By Jenni Bergal, Stateline

While it’s easy for police to screen drivers for alcohol impairment using a breath-testing device, there’s no such machine to screen for drug impairment. As a result, more police are ordering electronic warrants and drawing blood roadside, sparking concerns about…

Why are so many Latino children developing fatty liver disease?

By Rob Waters, Kaiser Health News

In California, researchers are exploring the disproportionate rise of a progressive form of fatty liver disease in Latino children. The condition is the fastest-growing cause of liver transplants in young adults and appears to be linked to excess consumption of…

U.S. researcher says he’s ready to start pregnancies with ‘three-parent’ embryos

By Emily Mullin, STAT

Researchers at Columbia University in New York have created embryos containing genetic material from three people and are ready to use them to start pregnancies. But they’re at a legal impasse.

This genetic test can predict your odds for obesity from the day you’re born

By Vicky Stein

Obesity could be in your future — and this $50 genetic test can predict your risk.

Scientists restore some vitality in dead pig brains — but without consciousness?

By Sharon Begley, STAT

The pigs were dead. But four hours later, scientists restored some cellular functions in their brains.

Coverage of mass killings is bad for mental health — yet makes people seek more

By Nsikan Akpan

Consuming media coverage of mass killings, whether via news or social media, creates a self-perpetuating cycle of mental distress, according to a new study.

Dozens of medical professionals charged in illegal prescription opioid crackdown

By Dan Sewell, Associated Press

It's what federal authorities are calling the biggest known takedown yet of drug prescribers, which includes 31 doctors charged for their roles in illegally prescribing and distributing millions of pills containing opioids and other dangerous drugs.

Column: Will I be penalized for not getting Medicare at 65? It depends

By Philip Moeller

If you are employed and have employer group health insurance, you did not need to get Medicare when you turned 65, columnist Phil Moeller explains.

Officials announce new measures to fight New York measles outbreak

By Karen Matthews, Associated Press

Officials trying to contain a measles outbreak in a county north of New York City on Tuesday ordered all unvaccinated people exposed to the disease barred from public gathering places, including houses of worship, for up to three weeks.

Southern states slowly embracing harm reduction to curb opioid epidemic

By Max Blau, Stateline

In the Bible Belt, many Southerners who held conservative views often criticized harm reduction as something that encouraged — not ended — the use of drugs. But attitudes have shifted.