Caitlyn Fitzpatrick

Smoking is bad for everyone’s lungs – but it’s especially bad for people with asthma. So you would think that someone with the lung condition would steer clear of activities which can trigger an attack.

Not having access to fruits and vegetables puts children at higher risk for asthma, according to a new study.

In a world with iCloud and other storage options, USBs have somewhat taken a back seat. But a new test for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) could put them back in the spotlight.

Research has shown that trouble with vision can negatively impact patients’ quality of life. Now, a study compared quality of life outcomes in people with AMD and glaucoma.

While some Americans cheer and others sulk at the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election (spoiler: Donald Trump is our new POTUS), others are just as interested in the various state ballot initiatives focused on marijuana.

“November 7, 1991 was a life changing day that I never saw coming,” Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote on his site, The Playbook.

Patients with HIV are three times more likely to smoke cigarettes than the general population, which means that about 40% of people with HIV are smokers.

It’s been known that people with HIV have a substantially higher risk of getting certain kinds of cancer, including anal, liver, and lung, as well as Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the National Cancer Institute. As of November 3, HIV is officially considered a carcinogen.

Some people favor coffee while others turn to energy drinks for their daily boost. But with all of that caffeine and sugar, it’s no wonder that the latter often gets a bad rep.

Men have never had the option to take a reversible pharmaceutical form of birth control, like women do, but there have certainly been ongoing efforts to make it a reality.

Acupuncture has been used and studied as an alternative pain management method, and although it appears to offer some benefit as a treatment for some forms of chronic pain, the evidence supporting its positive effect on other health conditions is uneven at best.

Some women have an immunity boost against hepatitis C after giving birth, and two gene variants appear to be the reason why.

The number of hospitalizations for opioid poisonings in adolescents and teens has skyrocketed in about 16 years. So why would it slow down now?

The MD Magazine editors rounded up the 10 best stories from October – did you read them all?

People who have had a stroke before are more likely to have another. On October 28, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Amplatzer PFO Occluder, a device indicated to lower that risk.

This isn’t the first (or second, third, or even 100th) time you’ve heard about the benefits of running. Now, Canadian researchers are optimistic about the possibility that running may also be beneficial for neurodegenerative disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.

“We have reached a decisive moment for the nation,” said Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

Brave women who forego epidural anesthesia might not be doing themselves any favors when it comes to their risk of postpartum depression.

Age is more than just a number when it comes to stroke risk in pregnant women. It turns out that younger women are at a disadvantage on this one.

Many patients with a variety of chronic pain conditions think negatively about how it will affect their sleep – which ends up leading to worse sleep outcomes. A study from the University of Warwick in England shows just how powerful these negative thoughts are.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) continue their reduction efforts in men who have sex with men (MSM) – a population that made up 67% of new HIV infections in 2014.

There are many reasons that women and their healthcare providers may not want to discuss female sexual dysfunction – for one, it can be awkward for both parties. However, it doesn't have to be.

“Our results suggest that HIV in varied tissue compartments can be untouched by the medications,” said Michael S. McGrath, MD, PhD.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but so could regular cannabis use, according to a study from The University of Edinburgh.

The CDC has long recommended that all kids ages 11 and 12 get three doses of the HPV vaccine. While the ages haven’t changed, the recommended number of shots has.

“There has been ongoing debate within the scientific community whether or not stress may influence fertility and pregnancy outcomes,” said Kavita Vedhara, PhD.

Many studies compare a pain drug to a placebo in order to identify potential analgesic effects; however, typically these studies are blinded. But a study out of Portugal went against the grain.

Studies have long determined that a woman is more likely to contract HIV from a man than vice versa, so finding an effective prevention method is crucial for high-risk women.

We know that HIV results in a compromised immune system, making patients more susceptible to other illnesses, but specific information about the connection between HIV and TB has been lacking.

Presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2016 Annual Meeting (AAO 2016), one study looked at how vitamin D is involved in the world of uveitis.