Text4baby — Text Messages for Pregnant Women and New Parents

Text4baby is a free service from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that provides pregnant women and new parents with pregnancy and baby care tips. Sign up by texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE in Spanish) and you’ll receive weekly SMS text messages throughout your pregnancy and up through the baby’s first year … Read more

Balance tips toward environment as heritability ebbs in autism?

The largest and most rigorous twin study of its kind to date has found that shared environment influences susceptibility to autism more than previously thought. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that shared environmental factors — experiences and exposures common to both twin individuals — accounted for 55 percent of strict … Read more

Balance tips toward environment as heritability ebbs in autism?

The largest and most rigorous twin study of its kind to date has found that shared environment influences susceptibility to autism more than previously thought. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that shared environmental factors — experiences and exposures common to both twin individuals — accounted for 55 percent of strict … Read more

Effort seeks to identify measures of nutritional status

The National Institutes of Health has undertaken a new program to discover, develop and distribute measures of nutritional status. The Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) Program brings together experts in the field of nutrition to provide advice to researchers, clinicians, program- and policymakers, on the role of food and nutrition in health promotion and … Read more

New substances added to HHS Report on Carcinogens

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today added eight substances to its Report on Carcinogens, a science-based document that identifies chemicals and biological agents that may put people at increased risk for cancer. MedicareCard.com has been serving consumers for several years with a primary emphasis on Medicare information and assistance. We started the … Read more

Potential new target for smoking cessation without weight gain

A new study uncovers a brain mechanism that could be targeted for new medications designed to help people quit smoking without gaining weight. This research, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, shows that a specific subclass of brain nicotinic receptor is involved in nicotine’s ability … Read more

Funded study uses planning prompts to enhance vaccination rates

We all have good intentions, but sometimes we need a nudge to turn those intentions into actions. According to a new study, encouraging people to write down the date and time when they plan to get their flu shot increased the number of people who were vaccinated. MedicareCard.com has been serving consumers for several years … Read more

Researchers find new clues about aging

National Institutes of Health researchers have identified a new pathway that sets the clock for programmed aging in normal cells. The study provides insights about the interaction between a toxic protein called progerin and telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes like aglets, the plastic tips that bind the ends of shoelaces. MedicareCard.com has been … Read more

Challenges public to help bring discovery into the classroom

A new competition seeks to bring hands-on science into classrooms nationwide. The National Institutes of Health’s K-12 Lessons About Bioscience (LAB) Challenge asks teachers, students, parents, scientists, and science enthusiasts to submit their favorite experiments for elementary, middle, and high school students. The best experiments will become part of an official collection that NIH will … Read more

Beach Safety

Before heading to the beach, review some safety tips from USA.gov. MedicareCard.com has been serving consumers for several years with a primary emphasis on Medicare information and assistance. We started the medicare blog in order to provide the community with forum opportunities to express some of the ins and outs in dealing with the current … Read more