1+ hour, 26+ min ago (385+ words) A new tool called the Blood Pressure Treatment Efficacy Calculator can help doctors choose the best medications for lowering blood pressure. It was created using information from nearly 500 clinical trials and over 100,000 people. This tool helps doctors know how much different medicines can lower a person's blood pressure. This is important because even a small drop in blood pressure (like 1 mmHg) can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Doctors usually start with just one medicine, which lowers blood pressure by about 89 mmHg. But many people need a bigger drop " sometimes 15 to 30 mmHg " to stay healthy. With so many drugs and doses available, it can be hard to know which combination works best. This new calculator makes it easier. The calculator groups medications into three levels " low, medium, and high " depending on how strong their effects are. Doctors can…...

11+ hour, 55+ min ago (811+ words) Heart attacks remain one of the leading causes of death around the world. Many people believe that if they do not have clear symptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, then their heart must be healthy. Others trust that a simple risk score calculated by their doctor will accurately tell them how likely they are to have a heart problem. However, a new study from Mount Sinai in New York has found that current heart screening tools may be missing a large number of people who are actually at high risk of suffering a heart attack. For years, doctors have relied on calculators called the ASCVD risk score or the newer PREVENT score. These tools use information such as a person's age, sex, race, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, whether they smoke, and whether they have diabetes. The calculator…...

1+ hour, 22+ min ago (605+ words) Salt substitutes could be a simple and low-cost way to help people lower their blood pressure, but very few people in the United States are using them. This finding comes from new research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025, a major event where experts share the latest research on blood pressure and related health issues. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, happens when the force of blood moving through the blood vessels is too strong. Over time, it can lead to serious problems like heart attacks and strokes. According to data from 2017 to 2020, nearly 122 million adults in the U.S. had high blood pressure, and it contributed to more than 130,000 deaths. Eating too much sodium and not enough potassium are two key factors that raise blood pressure. Salt substitutes are one way to address this. These products replace some…...

1+ hour, 25+ min ago (638+ words) A new study has revealed that more than half of all people in the United States live with a disease or disorder that affects the brain or nervous system. This finding comes from a large research project done by the American Academy of Neurology and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Their work was published in the journal JAMA Neurology. The nervous system controls how we move, think, and feel. It includes the brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves in our body. When something goes wrong with the nervous system, it can affect many parts of daily life, from walking and talking to memory and emotions. The researchers used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study, which involved more than 17,000 experts from 167 countries. They looked at 36 different medical conditions that affect the nervous system. They found that…...

1+ hour, 17+ min ago (555+ words) A new study has found that young women who live with ongoing stress may have a higher risk of stroke. The research, published in the medical journal Neurology, focused on adults between the ages of 18 and 49. It found that women who reported moderate to high stress levels were more likely to experience a type of stroke called ischemic stroke. This is a serious condition that happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked. It can cause problems like weakness, difficulty speaking, vision loss, or even death. The study was led by Dr. Nicolas Martinez-Majander from Helsinki University Hospital in Finland. He explained that many young adults face high levels of stress, often due to work pressure, long hours, job insecurity, and financial worries. While past research has already shown that chronic stress is bad for both mental and physical…...

11+ hour, 50+ min ago (490+ words) As we get older, our bodies go through many changes. One big change happens inside our blood vessels. These vessels become harder and don't work as well, which can lead to heart disease'the number one cause of death in older people. While things like exercise, blood pressure pills, and cholesterol-lowering drugs can help, scientists are still looking for better ways to keep blood vessels healthy in older adults. A new study published in the journal GeroScience looked at a drug called Empagliflozin, also known as Empa. This drug is usually used to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. But now, researchers are exploring whether it can also help protect blood vessels as we age. In the first part of the study, scientists compared blood vessel health between two groups of people: one group was about 25 years old, and…...

11+ hour, 52+ min ago (487+ words) Rosuvastatin is a medicine many people take to lower their cholesterol. It's one of the most commonly used drugs in a group called statins, which help prevent heart problems by lowering bad cholesterol. But a new study from Johns Hopkins University shows that this drug, especially in high doses, might be harmful to the kidneys. When rosuvastatin was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there were early signs it might cause some kidney issues. These included blood in the urine and protein in the urine'both signs that the kidneys may not be working properly. However, not many studies followed up on these warning signs, especially in real-world patients outside of clinical trials. The new study changed that. Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 150,000 people who started taking rosuvastatin between 2011 and 2019, and they compared them…...

22+ hour, 58+ min ago (549+ words) A new once-daily weight loss pill developed by Novo Nordisk has shown strong results in helping people with obesity lose weight. The pill contains 25 mg of oral semaglutide, the same ingredient used in the injectable version of Wegovy. In a recent clinical study, people taking the pill lost an average of 16.6% of their body weight, and about one in three lost 20% or more. These results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and came from the OASIS 4 trial. The study lasted 64 weeks and included 307 adults who were either obese or overweight and had at least one related health condition, such as high blood pressure or joint pain. People with diabetes were not included. Participants were divided into two groups. One group took the oral semaglutide pill daily, along with diet and lifestyle counseling. The other group took a…...

10+ hour, 53+ min ago (540+ words) For years, scientists have been intrigued by a mysterious signal coming from the icy south pole of Mars. In 2018, a radar instrument called MARSIS, aboard a European Mars orbiter, detected a very bright reflection from deep beneath the planet's southern polar ice cap. The reflection came from an area about 20 kilometers wide and was interpreted by some researchers as a possible underground lake of liquid water " a discovery that would be hugely important for the search for life on Mars. However, Mars today is extremely cold and dry. Liquid water cannot easily exist on its surface, and even deep under the ice, it would need special conditions to stay in a liquid state. It would likely have to be an ultra-salty brine or be warmed by underground volcanic heat. Because of this, some scientists have argued that the bright radar…...

1+ hour, 18+ min ago (569+ words) A new clinical trial has brought hope to people with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) found that using MRI-guided focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, combined with standard chemotherapy, helped patients live longer. The trial included 34 patients and showed that those who received the focused ultrasound treatment lived, on average, over 30 months. This is compared to just 19 months for patients who only received chemotherapy. Their cancer also took longer to return'about 14 months versus 8 months. This is the first time focused ultrasound has shown a survival benefit in brain cancer patients. The technique helps more of the chemotherapy drug temozolomide reach the brain by temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier. Normally, less than 20% of this drug reaches the brain because the barrier blocks it. Glioblastoma is the deadliest…...