Category: 4. Health

A study published in the British Medical Journal investigated the relationship between baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and the risk of developing dementia. The findings reveal a significant association, indicating that lower LDL-C levels (<70 mg/dL or 1.8 mmol/L and <55 mg/dL or 1.4 mmol/L) are linked to a reduced incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia (ADRD) compared to higher LDL-C levels…

Few industries in America are as storied, sprawling, and structurally complex as healthcare provision. Riddled with systemic challenges—such as soaring costs, staffing shortages, and labyrinthine regulations—the sector is ripe for innovation, if only those doing the innovating can navigate the many organizational and cultural barriers in their path.

Recent efforts at Advocate Health, a large integrated health…

Crohn’s disease is a chronic, inflammatory condition that causes abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, fatigue, weight loss, and anemia due to the malabsorption of nutrients. There can be other complications depending on the type of Crohn’s, which is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. In this case, the immune system is erroneously attacking healthy tissue in the gut. This leads to gut inflammation, and symptoms of disease. Scientists have now learned more…

When the Trump administration announced in February 2025 that it was cutting 10% of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seemed that a small but storied program within it called the Epidemic Intelligence Service – also known as the CDC’s disease detectives – would also be cut. A few days later, the program was reinstated. And in March, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers traveled to Texas to support the state’s public health officials in fighting the…

Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty. That’s the scale of Pennsylvania’s projected shortfall of registered nurses by 2026, according to the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

Hospitals in the state report an average 14% vacancy rate for registered nurses. In rural areas it is much higher.

This shortage, of course, is not just in hospitals. It also affects long-term care facilities, outpatient…

A new USC study suggests that gut imbalances in children with autism may create an imbalance of metabolites in the digestive system—ultimately disrupting neurotransmitter production and influencing behavioral symptoms.

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In March of 2023, Oxford University Press listed culture war as the word of the month. This report defined cultural war as an intense conflict between groups that have different cultural ideals and beliefs, especially between conservative and liberal groups. The report stated that the term was coined by James Davison Hunter, and it’s called a war because each side is focused on attacking the other. Culture wars are more than just two political parties competing…

Rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses dropped during and shortly after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, according to a recent analysis. However, late-stage diagnoses eventually exceeded expectations, suggesting that limited access to cancer screening services due to these disasters likely hindered timely CRC diagnoses.

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A new guideline to help health care providers manage obesity in children and adolescents takes a patient-centered approach, emphasizing behavioral and psychological supports that focus on outcomes valued by patients and their families.

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Measles is one of the most challenging diseases to control. It requires a sustained uptake of well over 90% of two doses of a measles-containing vaccine such as MMR. But since the COVID pandemic, there has been a decline in the uptake of routine vaccines in many countries, including the US, Canada and Europe, resulting in outbreaks of the disease.

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