Scientists say they have taken an important step forward in creating 3-D printed hearts -- with the ultimate goal of making replacement tissue for organs and body parts damaged by disease or injury.

The 3-D printing process builds three-dimensional objects based on a computer model. Unlike traditional printing onto a flat surface, the machines churn out various materials -- plastics, ...

They're gaining in popularity among women, and a new study finds menstrual cups to be just as safe and as effective as disposable pads or tampons.

British researchers looked at data on the cost-saving devices, gleaned from 43 studies involving more than 3,300 women and girls worldwide.

Reporting July 17 in The Lancet Public Health, the study authors said the research ...

Shopping for a gift for a friend or loved one? Instead of wracking your brain over which sweater to buy, keep in mind that gifts for good health are always the right size.

You can be extravagant with a gym membership or a state-of-the-art piece of home equipment, but there are also many choices that will fit even a frugal budget.

For the gadget lover, there's wearable techno...

Remember the "mood ring" craze of the 1970s?

A high-tech wristband is being developed along the same lines, potentially helping patients who struggle with mood disorders.

The smart wristband would use a person's skin to track their emotional intensity. During a mood swing, either high or low, the wristband would change color, heat up, squeeze or vibrate to inform the wearer ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that some high-tech insulin pumps made by Medtronic are being recalled for potential cybersecurity risks that could leave them vulnerable to hacking.

"An unauthorized person with special technical skills and equipment could potentially connect wirelessly to a nearby insulin pump to change settings and control insulin delivery,"...

He sings, he plays games -- and Huggable the 'social robot' teddy bear could be good medicine for kids in the hospital.

In a study of 50 children, aged 3 to 10 years, the plush bear boosted spirits, eased anxiety and even lowered perceived pain levels, say Boston Children's Hospital researchers.

"It's exciting knowing what types of support we can provide kids who may feel is...

Monitoring a melanoma patient's progress is challenging. But a laser-based test might allow doctors to quickly screen the patient's blood to spot tumor cells roaming the body, a preliminary study suggests.

Those cells, known as circulating tumor cells, are "shed" from the original cancer site into the blood vessels or lymph system. They are considered a potential red flag. They could ...

Reading the notes your doctor makes during your visit appears to be good medicine.

An online survey of 20,000 adults treated at three U.S. health systems that have made clinical notes available to patients for several years finds that those who actually read them may be more likely to take medications as prescribed.

Patients listed several benefits of reading the notes: 64&#...

Exercise apps and fitness trackers are all the rage, and now a new study shows they might actually work.

A combination of an exercise app, an activity tracker and personal counseling increased women's physical activity levels, researchers found.

The study of 210 inactive women found that three months of this combined approach increased the number of steps they took each day ...

Chances are if you're over 60 it's already happened to you: You're in a crowded room and finding it tough to understand what your partner is saying a couple of feet away.

It's a longstanding hearing-loss issue known as the "cocktail party" problem. Conventional hearing aids still aren't able to fix it -- to separate out the talk you do want to hear from the background chatter ...

Imagine if all it took to treat the heart condition atrial fibrillation was clipping a small device to your ear for an hour a day? That futuristic scenario could soon be a reality, according to a new study.

In a small, early trial, the researchers found the device -- which emits a mild electric current -- appears to be effective at controlling atrial fibrillation (a-fib) and was wel...

Artificial intelligence is the hot new trend in medicine, and now new research suggests it could help doctors better predict a woman's breast cancer risk.

The study is the latest to explore the potential role of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine.

Typically, it works like this: Researchers develop an algorithm using "deep learning" -- where the computer system mimics t...

Need to see your doctor, but can't take time off from work? There's an app for that. And new research shows patients find the ability to see a doctor "virtually" convenient and satisfying.

Nine out of 10 people who had a virtual visit with a doctor said it was more convenient than other ways of getting care, and it addressed their medical needs. Only four in 10 said they would prefer...

Reading the brain waves that control a person's vocal tract might be the best way to help return a voice to people who've lost their ability to speak, a new study suggests.

A brain-machine interface creates natural-sounding synthetic speech by using brain activity to control a "virtual" vocal tract -- an anatomically detailed computer simulation that reflects the movements of the lips...

Many older Americans may remember "Fantastic Voyage" -- the 1966 film where scientists and the vessel they were in shrank to microscopic size and traveled through the human body.

Now, science fiction may be getting closer to reality. Researchers say they've created a tiny medical robot that's able to navigate on its own in and around a beating heart.

The programmed robotic c...

America's couch potatoes are becoming ever more deeply rooted, and computers are the reason why.

The amount of time people spend sitting around has increased in recent years, driven largely by more leisure time spent with a computer, federal survey data shows.

Total daily sitting time increased about an hour a day for teenagers and adults between 2007 and 2016, the research...

Folks start forgetting things as they get older, like where they put their car keys or what they had for breakfast.

But their memories might get a boost from an electromagnetic device that gives the brain a helpful zap, a new study reports.

A small group of older people experienced improved memory function after five daily sessions with the device, to the point that they wer...

The death of brain cells may not be as sudden, or as irreversible, as previously believed.

Four hours after a pig's death, Yale scientists restored circulation and revived cellular activity within the dead animal's brain.

The cells of the brain remained viable six hours later, compared with other brains not preserved using the newly developed process, the researchers reporte...

The world's first complete 3D printer-generated heart, made using the patient's own cells and materials, has been created in a lab.

Until now, success has been limited to printing only simple tissues without blood vessels.

"This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers...

The risks of using voice-based technology in your car may be greater than you think.

Many consider this technology safer than using their hands to operate devices while driving, but it's not risk-free, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety warns.

Mental distractions can last as long as 27 seconds after drivers use voice-assisted technology to dial, change music or send a te...