Health Lab

Michigan Medicine's daily online publication featuring news and stories about the future of healthcare. 

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Health Lab
Surgery patients now less likely to get opioids – but decline has slowed
Opioid painkillers prescribed by surgeons have gone down in recent years but the decline has slowed since the pandemic
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Trending Health Lab Articles See all Health Lab articles grey scissors cutting red pill back
Health Lab
Surgery patients now less likely to get opioids – but decline has slowed
Opioid painkillers prescribed by surgeons have gone down in recent years but the decline has slowed since the pandemic
Health Lab
‘Tis the season to get vaccinated: How to stay healthy through the holidays
Winter surges in infectious diseases can ruin holidays, but vaccination against COVID-19, flu, RSV, whooping cough and pneumonia can help.
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Health Lab
Millions of kids in the U.S. have poor health care coverage
Inadequate health coverage is a particular problem for commercially insured children, according to a Michigan Medicine and Columbia study. The research shows that coverage gaps are affecting publicly insured children as well.
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Health Lab
Both virtual and in-person nutrition visits help to lower cholesterol
The use of telehealth remains high, with over 20% of American adults taking appointments online. These visits include video calls with registered dietitian nutritionists, who have a critical role in helping patients take on lifestyle changes through medical nutrition therapy. With a focus on the changing digital landscape, researchers at Michigan Medicine found that telemedicine patients with hyperlipidemia — an excess of cholesterol or fats in the blood — experienced similar positive health benefits compared to those who had in-person visits.
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Health Lab
Study links gene network and pancreatic beta cell defects to type 2 diabetes
Teams from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Michigan design a comprehensive study that integrates multiple analytic approaches that has linked a regulatory gene network and functional defects in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells to type 2 diabetes.
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Health Lab
1 in 8 older adults use cannabis products, suggesting need to screen for risks
The Michigan Medicine finding suggest a need for more education and screening of older adults for cannabis-related risks.
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Health Lab
Real-time opioid overdose data improves safety response from community
To improve coordinated community response to opioid overdoses, University of Michigan researchers are placing near-real time data in the hands of public health and safety officers. The Michigan System for Opioid Overdose Surveillance, was created in 2016 in response to the opioid crisis through a partnership between the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center and the Michigan High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.
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Health Lab
Clinical smart watch finds success at identifying atrial fibrillation
A Michigan Medicine research team developed a prescription wristwatch that continuously monitors the wearer’s heart rhythm and uses a unique algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation. The clinical-grade device, called the Verily Study Watch, proved very accurate at identifying atrial fibrillation in participants.
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Health Lab
This gross mixture has big benefits for the study of bacteria
Michigan Medicine researchers have found that growing bacteria on agar mixed with organs is an efficient and effective way to study infectious pathogens.