Health category, Page 115
Walmart to stop selling electronic cigarettes at its stores
NEW YORK — Walmart says it will stop selling electronic cigarettes at its namesake stores and Sam’s Clubs following a string illnesses and deaths related to vaping. The nation’s largest retailer said Friday that it will complete its exit from e-cigarettes after selling through current inventory. It cited growing federal,...
Walgreens, Google affiliate to launch drone delivery test
Walgreens and a Google affiliate are testing drone deliveries that can put drugstore products on customer doorsteps minutes after being ordered. Snacks like Goldfish Crackers or gummy bears as well as aspirin for sick kids will be delivered starting next month in Christiansburg, Virginia, by a 10-pound drone flying as...
Philippines declares new polio outbreak after 19 years
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine health officials declared a polio outbreak in the country on Thursday, nearly two decades after the World Health Organization declared it to be free of the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said at a news conference that authorities have confirmed...
South Fayette man, 4 children run to honor wife, mom who died from cancer
Manson and Kristin Seto talked about running together as a family. They never got to take that first step. Kristin Seto died in 2014 from colon cancer. She wasn’t well enough to jog with her husband and their four children. But the surviving South Fayette family won’t let that dream...
Pittsburgh hospitals are saying hello to professional greeters
When 28-year-old Ja’Ray Gamble began working at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital three years ago, he never expected to make such a positive impact on the lives of patients every day. He’s not a doctor or a nurse. You won’t find him checking your heartbeat or even taking your height and weight....
Uptick seen in rare mosquito-borne virus in some states
NEW YORK — The number of U.S. deaths and illnesses from a rare mosquito-borne virus are higher than usual this year, health officials report. Eastern equine encephalitis has been diagnosed in 21 people in six states, and five people have died. The infection is only being seen in certain counties...
Study: Affordable Care Act dropped uninsured rates in Pa. to 6.5%
A new report shows the number of uninsured people in Pennsylvania declined by more than 5 percentage points under the health care reform of the Affordable Care Act. Conducted by the Urban Institute, the research examined national uninsured rates from 2013 through 2017, using U.S. Census Bureau data. Among the...
Hospital admissions for opioid overdoses decline in Pennsylvania
A significant decrease in hospital admissions for opioid overdoses across Pennsylvania may have more to do with evolving treatment and the widespread availability of a lifesaving antidote than any major drop in drug abuse, experts said following the release of a report on overdose hospitalizations. Researchers at the Pennsylvania Health...
Alabama man free of sickle cell after gene therapy
Researchers are hoping they have found a cure for sickle cell patients as gene therapy has rendered an Alabama man free of the disease. Lynndrick Holmes of Mobile told NBC-affiliate WPMI that he underwent a two-year treatment at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. The therapy was completed...
Teen suicide: What parents and caregivers need to know
Is your teen at risk of suicide? While no teen is immune, there are factors that can make some adolescents more vulnerable than others. Understand how to tell if your teen might be suicidal and where to turn for help and treatment. What makes teens vulnerable to suicide? Many teens...
Health Happenings for week of Sept. 17-23
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 2-6:30 p.m. today , Blairsville Community Center, 101 E North Ave. — Noon-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Christ United Methodist Church, 201 Market St., Scottdale — 12:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Ascension Church, 621 Division St., Jeannette — 12:30-6 p.m. Friday, Norwin...
Runners get opportunity to race on Pittsburgh airport runway
This is not your typical runway event. There won’t be fashion models showing off the latest fall trends on the catwalk. But there will be people in sneakers, shorts and T-shirts jogging along a Pittsburgh International Airport runway. Race day is Saturday for the aviation-themed race. The FlyBy 5K is...
Study: Untreated high blood pressure could lead to poor brain health
High blood pressure can lead to diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. It can also cause cognitive decline, according to a new report. Researchers from Columbia University recently conducted an observational study, presented at a recent American Heart Association session, to explore the association between brain health and hypertension. To...
New Pa. program aims to help opioid-dependent patients avoid black market
A week after Gov. Tom Wolf renewed his opioid disaster declaration for the seventh time since 2018, Secretary of Health Rachel Levine spoke about the successes against the ongoing crisis and a program that will assist dependent patients cut off by their doctors. Speaking Monday at “Opioids: The Fight Continues,”...
$2M in grants from Lemieux Foundation, Highmark for AFib researchVideo
The Mario Lemieux Foundation delivered a $1 million grant Monday to the Allegheny Health Network that will be used along with $1 million in matching funds from Highmark Health for research and therapies into heart rhythm disorders. Dr. Amit Thosani, director of AHN’s Cardiac Electrophysiology Department, said the money would...
No new measles cases reported in fading U.S. outbreak
NEW YORK — The nation’s worst measles epidemic in 27 years could be in its final stages as a week went by with no new reported cases. “To get to zero is tremendously encouraging,” said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University expert on vaccination policy. The current epidemic emerged about a...
Excela launches program for grieving children
Dale Cordial knows the kind of grief young children experience with the loss of a parent. He saw it in his granddaughter’s eyes. Chloe Hall, who will be 5 next month, lost her mother, Jamie Cordial Hall, 16 months ago. Cordial’s daughter and the vibrant 38-year-old mother of two died...
Pitt Greensburg to gather data for national health research project
A big data research project that experts say may change the face of medicine in the next decade is headed to Westmoreland County. The National Institutes of Health project dubbed “All of Us” seeks to collect health data from one million Americans over the next five years. It is coming...
Pesticide criticized in bee deaths could also kill birds
PORTLAND, Maine — Scientists studying a widely used pesticide say even small doses of the chemical can have crippling health effects on migrating birds, and it might be contributing to declines in their overall populations. The researchers with the University of Saskatchewan are set to publish their research about the...
Allegheny County to receive about $15 million to fight opioid crisis
A grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help the Allegheny County Health Department expand staff and resources dedicated to tackling the opioid crisis, officials announced Wednesday. The county will receive about $15 million over three years through the Overdose Data to Action grant. “Although overdose deaths...
Allegheny County Board of Health continues search for new director
A search committee tasked with finding a new director for the Allegheny County Health Department could present a recommendation this fall, committee co-chair Edith Shapira, M.D., told the county Board of Health on Wednesday. “We’ve received a large number of applications, some of which are from highly qualified individuals,” said...
New iPhone 11 Pro triggering trypophobia in some
The iPhone 11 Pro isn’t available yet but it’s already making some people uncomfortable. Apple’s latest flagship mobile device has a cluster of three cameras on the back side. While these represent the cutting edge of pocket camera gear, they also form a miniature constellation of trouble. Trypophobia is the...
What we know so far about the nation’s vaping illness outbreak
U.S. health officials are investigating what might be causing hundreds of serious breathing illnesses in people who use e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. They have identified about 450 possible cases in 33 states, including six deaths. A look at what we know so far about the outbreak as the investigation...
Research targeting vision loss topic of Latrobe Lions program
The CEO of the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh will visit Latrobe later this month to provide an update on local research that is under way to combat macular degeneration and other conditions that can lead to vision loss. Lawton Snyder, who is originally from Greensburg, will present a...
Step it up? In the battle of fitness trackers, the most steps might not win
Many benefits Studies show that 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as walking, can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, improve sleep, help reduce weight gain and improve bone health. Perhaps no one knows that better than Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist who...
