New CA Hospital Safety Ratings Released: 2 Get ‘F’ Grade, 95 Get ‘A’

CALIFORNIA — Nearly 34 percent of California hospitals received top grades in protecting patient safety, according to the spring 2023 hospital safety grades released Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog. That’s an improvement compared to the last round of rankings, even as the average risk of contracting deadly infections remained elevated nationwide … Read More

5 Clues that it’s More than ‘Baby Blues’

The newborn is crying – and so is the new mom. A few days after childbirth, it is common for women to feel depressed, anxious, or upset as their hormones fluctuate. But how seriously should mom – and her family members – take these emotional turns? “The biggest difference between postpartum depression and the ‘baby … Read More

Five Possible Signs of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that causes slowness of movement, tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Depictions of the disease in popular culture are grim, and nobody wants to be told they have a disorder that’s associated with the loss of motor skills and possible cognitive decline. Caused by a lack of … Read More

How and Why Does Exercise Improve Cognitive Function?

Exercise is key for maintaining physical and mental health. Studies show that it positively affects health even if started later in life. Some suggest that exercise improves cognition by inducing long-term changes in the hippocampus, such as increased volume and an increased rate of neuronal formation. How exactly exercise changes the hippocampus, however, remains unknown. Understanding more about how … Read More

Foods to Avoid with IBS

The good news: if you’re struggling with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), avoiding certain foods can help. Patients with IBS are more likely than the general population to report abdominal pain, nausea, bloating and diarrhea in response to food triggers. The bad news: many of these foods are nutritious, but poorly digested sugars and fibers that … Read More

Spending Time in Nature is Beneficial to Mental Health

“Nature itself is the best physician.” – Hippocrates What writers, poets and ardent lovers of the outdoors have instinctively known – that being in nature is a balm for the stresses of daily life – is a universal message for Earth Day and beyond. Decades of research have shown the vital connection between exposure to green … Read More

Catheter Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation May Reduce Dementia Risk

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is a heart condition characterized by irregular beating in the upper chambers of the heart that reduces blood flow to the lower chambers. Afib can cause discomfort in patients and increase stroke risk by five times. In 2019, AFib was mentioned on 183,321 death certificates in the United States. Estimates state that the condition will affect 12.1 … Read More

Hoag Hospital Brings Mitral Valve Replacement Option to OC, Recruits Patients for Long-Term Study

Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach is recruiting patients for a long-term study designed to collect real-world clinical outcomes for a new mitral valve replacement option. The MOMENTIS study will follow patients who receive the MITRIS RESILIA valve, developed by Edwards Lifesciences using innovations that were developed to ease the orientation of the initial valve placement … Read More

High-Risk Pregnancy: What You Need To Know

Research on Gut Immune Cells May Lead to New IBD Treatments

Trillions of microbes coexist with immune cells in the intestine. A layer of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) acts as a first line of defense against microbes by separating them from immune cells. Previous studies have shown that immune cells known as intestinal lymphocytes communicate with IECs to promote tissue repair and intestinal homeostasis. Studies also show that microbiota produce metabolites such as lactate, acetate, … Read More