Bats play an important role in many ecosystems around the world. They are a major predator of night-flying insects, including pests that cost farmers billions of dollars annually. However, bats pose the biggest rabies threat in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most bats are not rabid. However, because rabies...Read more

MiMedx, a Marietta, Georgia, biomedical company that makes skin grafts and other treatments, is entangled in contentious legal battles with filings in recent weeks by a federal government agency in one court and 10 former employees in another.

Near the center of both conflicts is a new wound treatment it calls Axiofill, which the Food and Drug ...Read more

Medicare. Drug costs. The fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Health care — and who would handle it best — has continued to be contested turf in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. Polls show that Americans have ranked health care costs high on the agenda for national leaders.

It's little surprise, then, that both Vice President ...Read more

If you snore, it could be a sign that you have obstructive sleep apnea.

Dr. Virend Somers, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist with a focus on sleep apnea, says it's a serious medical condition that can cause heart problems and other health issues. Dr. Somers co-authored a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on ...Read more

Soon after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Roe v. Wade abortion ruling in 1973, Laura Esserman used her high school graduation speech to urge her classmates to vote for the Equal Rights Amendment to expand women’s access to property, divorce and abortion.

Five decades later, with 14 states banning abortion in almost all circumstances, the ...Read more

It’s that time of year again: In most states, the Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment season for health plans begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Jan. 15.

Current enrollees who do not update their information or select an alternative will be automatically reenrolled in their current plan or, if that plan is no longer available, into a ...Read more

In the 15 years since the founding of Temple University's Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, researchers have pursued treatments for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and antibiotic resistance. But much of the center's focus has been on addiction — especially alcoholism.

Heavy drinking can affect the ...Read more

A new study has found that baby boomers, people born from 1946 to 1964, are experiencing worse health outcomes than their predecessors, despite living longer on average than these previous generations.

In what the study calls a “generational health drift,” baby boomers across the United States and Europe have higher levels of diabetes, high...Read more

LOS ANGELES — People hospitalized for COVID-19 early in the pandemic suffered an increased risk of serious "cardiac events" such as heart attacks and strokes that was akin to people with a history of heart disease, a newly released study has found.

Researchers from USC, UCLA and the Cleveland Clinic analyzed more than 10,000 COVID cases ...Read more

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that it has been in since 1970 to the less restrictive Schedule III status of the Controlled Substances Act. That triggered a long process of hearings ...Read more

Q: What is a flax egg?

A: A flax egg is a popular vegan substitute for traditional eggs in baking and cooking. It is made by mixing ground flaxseeds with water, usually in the ratio of one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds to three tablespoons of water. This mixture is then left to sit for about five to 10 minutes, during which it thickens and ...Read more

Protein has been in the spotlight for quite some time, and for good reason. It’s important for many body functions including muscle growth and repair, immune support, and satiety. However, meeting your daily protein needs might seem like it takes a lot of time-consuming planning and meal prep. Here are seven canned foods that provide at least ...Read more

One of the more unusual conditions affecting the hands and fingers is Dupuytren’s contracture (also called Dupuytren’s disease). Here, one or more fingers become curled, which can make it difficult to pick up or hold objects or perform everyday activities.

Legend says the condition originated with the Vikings of Northern Europe, although ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am in my late 50s and have started having stiffness in my back. I have become much less flexible and sometimes even have a hard time looking over my shoulder. I remember my grandparents complaining about arthritis in their knees and hands — and the pain they had later in life. Could I be developing arthritis in my spine? Is...Read more

While many respiratory viruses — including COVID-19, RSV and influenza — circulate year-round in California, they are typically more active between October and March, according to the California Department of Public Health.

You might be wondering whether your cold-like symptoms might be coronavirus, and whether you can use the old at-home ...Read more

Nearly 90% of babies who had to be hospitalized with COVID-19 had mothers who didn’t get the vaccine while they were pregnant, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings appear in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Babies too young to be vaccinated had the highest COVID ...Read more

Editor's Note: Oct. 6-12 is Mental Illness Awareness Week

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Recently, I've been feeling physically and mentally drained from the demands of work, caregiving and other responsibilities. I struggle to find motivation and have trouble concentrating on tasks. Are there strategies to help me find emotional balance?

ANSWER: Turning ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Within the next couple of weeks, the first blood samples from patients will arrive at the loading dock of Adaptimmune, a biotechnology company headquartered on the northeastern edge of the Navy Yard.

Their arrival will open a new chapter in medicine's ongoing search for a therapy that converts the body's own immune system into ...Read more