Boy Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Swimming in S.C. Lake

A 12-year-old South Carolina boy has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba found in freshwater, his family’s lawyer said.

Middle school student Jaysen Carr died July 18 after swimming in Lake Murray, a large reservoir near Columbia, S.C., according to a Facebook post from the law office of Tyler D. Bailey.

Do...

Autoantibodies Influence Cancer Response To Immunotherapy, Study Says

Cutting-edge immunotherapy drugs are incredibly effective against some cancers but barely put a dent in others – and researchers might now know why.

Patients’ own autoantibodies – immune proteins traditionally associated with autoimmune diseases like psoriasis and lupus – appear to dramatically influence their indiv...

Green Spaces Promote Better Brain Development Among Children, Study Says

Living near lush green spaces appears to reduce a child’s risk of ADHD and autism, even before they are born, a new study says.

Children had lower odds of developing brain development problems if they lived near green spaces as infants, or if their moms did before or during pregnancy, researchers report in the August issue of the jou...

Personalized Brain Stimulation Improves Walking Among Parkinson's Patients

Parkinson’s disease can dramatically affect a patient’s ability to walk, with “Parkinson’s gait” increasing their fall risk and reducing their ability to get around.

But deep brain stimulation (DBS) custom-tailored to a patient’s brain activity and gait pattern can effectively improve walking ability, a ...

Terminally Ill Nursing Home Patients Face Needless ER Visits, Hospital Stays

Terminally ill nursing home residents are being hounded to their graves with needless trips to the hospital, a new study says.

About 80% of ER visits by terminally ill nursing home residents are potentially avoidable, researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

Likewise, nearly one-third ...

Palliative Care or Hospice? What's the Distinction?

If a doctor diagnoses you with a serious illness and suggests palliative care, don’t jump to conclusions.

It doesn’t mean you have mere months to live, NIH News in Health emphasizes.

Palliative care, which is focused on comfort care and symptom management, may be recommended at any stage of a chronic or serious i...

Number Of Family Caregivers Has Skyrocketed in The U.S.

The number of Americans caring for an older or disabled family member has risen dramatically during the past 10 years, according to a new AARP policy report.

There’s been a 45% increase in the number of family caregivers between 2015 and 2025, with 63 million Americans now looking after an aging or ailing relative, Rita Choula, senio...

Vitamin D Might Offer Protection Against COVID-19

Low vitamin D levels might increase a person’s odds of a severe bout with COVID-19, a new study says.

People with a vitamin D deficiency are 36% more likely to require hospitalization from a COVID infection, researchers report in the journal PLOS One.

“Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the immune system, s...

African Psychedelic Might Help Combat Vets Recover From Traumatic Brain Injury

Veterans who receive traumatic brain injuries in combat often experience crippling post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, leaving them hopeless and potentially suicidal.

But help might be on the way from an unlikely source – a psychedelic drug called ibogaine.

The drug, derived from the roots of an African shru...

Heavy Grief Nearly Doubles Bereaved's Risk Of Early Death

People intensely grieving a loved one are nearly twice as likely to die within a decade of their loss, a new study says.

Those whose grief remained persistently high in the first years following a loss have 88% increased odds of dying within 10 years of their loved one’s passing, according to results published in Frontiers in Pub...