Tag

Screening

All articles tagged with #screening

health1 day ago•4 min saved

Three-Move Hand Test Gives Quick Clue to Dementia Risk

A neurologist highlights the Luria (Three-Move) hand test—three simple gestures that assess motor function, sequencing, and executive function—as a quick at-home screen for cognitive issues. While not diagnostic, poor performance is linked to higher dementia risk (over half of Alzheimer’s patients and many with frontal-temporal dementia struggle), and results can prompt further screening (like SAGE) and exploration of emerging blood biomarker tests for early detection.

via New York Post|

#alzheimers-disease #cognitive-assessment #dementia

health1 day ago•22 min saved

Movement tests reveal aging signals, but health outcomes depend on more than a score

Mobility assessments such as sit-to-stand, the 30-second chair-stand, and Timed Up and Go offer clues about aging and frailty, helping doctors identify weaknesses and fall risk. However, these tests are screening tools, not precise predictors of lifespan or overall health. A complete picture—including cognition, hearing, vision, heart health, nutrition, sleep, and physical activity—matters. Test results should guide targeted actions like physical therapy, lifestyle changes, or interventions to reduce fall risk, rather than serve as a crystal-ball prognosis.

via VINnews|

#aging #frailty #health

health5 days ago•10 min saved

Five Everyday Habits That May Lower Cancer Risk

Fox News Health outlines five practical steps—maintain healthy weight, stay physically active, eat a balanced, mostly plant-based diet with limited processed foods, limit alcohol and avoid tobacco, and keep up with cancer screening—that may reduce cancer risk and improve outcomes. The piece notes obesity as a major risk factor, cites ACS guidance, and mentions emerging evidence that GLP-1 drugs (like Ozempic/Wegovy) could be linked to lower cancer risk via weight loss and reduced inflammation, though they are not approved for cancer prevention.

via Fox News|

#cancer #diet #health

science8 days ago•9 min saved

Plasmon Clues Hint at Unconventional Pairing in Magic-Angle Graphene

Barrier and colleagues stacked two decoupled twisted bilayer graphene layers and used independent gating to screen electrons in the superconducting, magic-angle layer. They observed that stronger interlayer screening suppresses superconductivity, a result opposite to expectations for conventional, phonon-mediated pairing and consistent with an unconventional mechanism—possibly plasmon-mediated—driven by the high density of states in the flat moiré bands and electronic correlations. The findings challenge phonon-dominated explanations and may relate to the disappearance of correlated insulating phases, signaling a new direction for understanding superconductivity in graphene-based systems.

via American Physical Society|

#plasmon-mediated-pairing #science #screening

health8 days ago•13 min saved

Lung Cancer Screening: Who Qualifies and Why Early Detection Matters

Lung cancer can stay silent for years, so screening with annual low-dose CT is advised for adults aged 50–80 who have at least 20 pack-years of smoking and either currently smoke or quit within 15 years. LDCT helps detect tiny tumors before symptoms appear, but not all nodules are cancer and screening can cause anxiety or unnecessary tests. Non-smokers may still be at risk due to pollution, occupational exposures, or genetics, so discussing risk with a doctor is important. Quitting smoking remains the best way to reduce risk.

via The Times of India|

#health #low-dose-ct #lung-cancer

health11 days ago•8 min saved

Two-Minute CT Scan Saved a Life After Decades of Smoking

A 75-year-old who quit smoking years earlier learned he had stage 1 lung cancer via a routine Medicare-backed low-dose CT screening, underwent robotic surgery and targeted therapy, and remains cancer-free for now; his case highlights that lung cancer screening can save lives but remains underused due to complex eligibility rules, stigma, and access barriers, prompting calls to broaden guidelines while balancing potential downsides.

via Daily Kos|

#health #low-dose-ct #lung-cancer

health20 days ago•5 min saved

Home-based stool test cuts colon cancer deaths by half, study finds

A 21-year Spanish study of 2.2 million adults aged 50–69 found that biennial at-home fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) dramatically reduced colon cancer deaths by about 50%, highlighting FIT as an affordable, noninvasive screening option that can be mailed back and used without prep, though not a replacement for colonoscopy.

via New York Post|

#at-home-testing #colon-cancer #fit

health21 days ago•6 min saved

Early screening and genomic profiling reshape lung cancer care

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, with NSCLC making up 80–85% of cases. Annual low-dose CT screening is recommended for adults 50–80 with a 20-pack-year history to detect cancer early. Comprehensive genomic profiling (biomarker testing) identifies actionable targets in many NSCLC cases, guiding personalized treatment and helping choose the best options—often after CGP results are available. Patients and families should advocate for CGP and awareness of screening, as early detection and precision medicine drive better outcomes.

via theSkimm|

#biomarker-testing #comprehensive-genomic-profiling #health

health22 days ago•3 min saved

Young women slipping through screening gaps prompts call for broader risk tools

A Cambridge/Ireland study using the Boadicea risk calculator suggests NICE’s under-50 breast cancer screening criteria miss most at-risk women because they rely on family history; if all under-50s underwent risk assessment, about 26.5% would be flagged as above-average risk and referred for further testing—which would include roughly one-third of the women who develop cancer in the next decade—whereas current NICE guidelines would refer only about 1.4% of under-50s and miss most who develop disease. Experts caution that expanding referrals could raise workload and anxiety, and NICE says the evidence isn’t yet enough to change guidelines.

via BBC|

#breast-cancer #health #nice-guidelines

health22 days ago•41 min saved

Colon cancer rising in younger adults prompts earlier screening and lifestyle focus

Colon cancer is increasingly diagnosed in people under 55, with oncologist Dr Ravi K Gupta linking this rise to shifts in the gut microbiome from low fiber intake and high ultra-processed foods, plus obesity and diabetes. In response, screening guidelines have moved to earlier ages (ACS now recommends starting at 45 for average risk), and doctors urge awareness of warning signs such as blood in stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, and iron-deficiency anemia for timely detection.

via hindustantimes.com|

#colon-cancer #gut-microbiome #health

health24 days ago•3 min saved

Vitamin D Guidelines: Test Selectively and Favor Targeted Supplementation

Vitamin D functions as a system-wide hormone important for bone, immunity, and cardiometabolic health, best viewed through three domains: secure substrate (sun, diet, supplements), proper activation (hepatic/renal hydroxylation and FGF23-PTH regulation), and tissue responsiveness. The 2024 Endocrine Society guideline advises against routine 25(OH)D screening in healthy people and limits testing to specific medical indications. It supports empiric supplementation for adults aged 75+ due to potential mortality benefits but does not endorse universal supplementation above dietary references for younger adults to prevent chronic disease, and finds no strong extraskeletal prevention evidence. For those over 50 with an indication, daily low-dose vitamin D is preferred over high-dose boluses, which can be ineffective or harmful. The USPSTF similarly finds no meaningful reduction in fractures or falls in generally healthy older adults. There is modest evidence that vitamin D may reduce progression to diabetes in high-risk prediabetes when added to lifestyle changes, but not as a general preventive measure in euglycemic individuals. The guideline underlines treating documented deficiency and preventing nutritional rickets in children.

via Medscape|

#endocrine-society #guidelines #health

health26 days ago•5 min saved

Widow’s crusade renews emphasis on cervical cancer screening

After decades without a pap smear, Cindi Newman begins cervical cancer screening following her wife Nikki Marshall’s death, highlighting trauma and misconceptions in LGBTQ health. With FDA-approved at-home HPV self-testing and updated guidelines that include self-collection, she urges others to start screening early, noting that about 13,000 Americans are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and around 4,000 die.

via USA Today|

#cervical-cancer #health #hpv

health27 days ago•4 min saved

Rutgers Study Flags Dementia Surge Among Newark’s Low-Income Black Seniors

Rutgers-Newark screened 160 Black seniors in Newark-area housing and found about two-thirds had memory decline more severe than typical for their age, with nearly half of those showing signs of dementia. The 15-minute screenings, part of Pathways to Healthy Aging in African Americans, aim to detect decline early and refer residents to care. The findings underscore a substantial, underserved need for dementia services among low-income Black residents in New Jersey, while highlighting ongoing barriers like labor-intensive care and limited reimbursement despite local resources and state subsidies for adult day care.

via Gothamist|

#aging #alzheimers #dementia

health1 month ago•4 min saved

Whole-body MRI resurges as social media fuels interest, but experts warn of limited benefit and potential harm

Elective whole-body MRI screenings are climbing in popularity driven by social media, with proponents arguing for early cancer and condition detection. Medical experts caution these scans often do not improve survival, can lead to unnecessary testing and surgeries from false positives, and come with substantial out-of-pocket costs (about $1,500–$4,000) that insurers rarely cover. Physicians urge weighing benefits against risks and discussing personal history with a primary care provider before deciding.

via ABC7 Los Angeles|

#direct-to-consumer #early-detection #health

health1 month ago•11 min saved

Young nurse's ignored GI bleeding uncovers stage 3 colon cancer and Lynch syndrome

A 33-year-old nurse dismissed intermittent blood in her stool for years, attributing it to hemorrhoids, until a 2019 gastroenterology visit revealed stage 3 colon cancer with lymph node involvement. She underwent surgery to remove part of her colon and 13 lymph nodes, then completed concurrent chemotherapy while continuing to work. Months after finishing treatment, she became pregnant; genetic testing later diagnosed Lynch syndrome, an inherited cancer risk. Now in remission, she undergoes yearly surveillance and has used her platform—including winning the 2024 Mrs. Mississippi Plus America pageant—to advocate for colon cancer awareness, screening, and genetic testing for family members.

via Business Insider|

#cancer-awareness #colon-cancer #genetic-testing