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Colorectal cancer is expected to claim the lives of more than 52,000 Americans this year, according to the American Cancer Society. This is why, as the world tries to return to a sort of normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors say health screenings -- particularly for cancer -- should be made an urgent priority. (Sharma, 3/13)

The more fit you are, the less likely you may be to develop Alzheimer’s disease — with those who are the most fit having a 33 percent lower risk for this dementia than the least fit, according to a report to be presented to the American Academy of Neurology at its annual meeting next month. (Searing, 3/13)

A five-year study by the Tulane University Brain Institute will focus on understanding why estrogen therapy helps protect some women from age-related brain problems, while other women do not benefit from the therapy. The $14 million study will be funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, the university said in a Monday news release. The university notes that estrogen therapy may not benefit all women, especially those with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. (3/12)

Activity is increasing again in most of the United States, with the highest respiratory test positivity rates in the central and south-central regions, the CDC said today. Flu activity as measured by flu test positivity had been declining in January and into February, but started rising slightly again in about the middle of February. The percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness increased slightly last week but is still below the national baseline. The CDC also said flu hospitalizations have been rising for the past 5 weeks. (3/11)

When Priya and her husband discovered they were infertile, it cost them $20,000 and years of intrusive treatment to conceive their daughter. A couple of years later when they had their son, it was free and relatively painless — thanks in large part to her employer who footed the bill and helped arrange the procedure. “The entire experience, between what we went through before ... and after, was night and day,” said Priya, a Seattle-based senior program manager whose company introduced a fertility treatment program after the birth of her first child. (Gilchrist, 3/14)

As a former district court judge, state Rep. Marcia Morey has seen firsthand how children can get entangled in the state’s juvenile justice system. The path from school to the courtroom is similar for many kids, Morey said. They skip school, break the rules or act out in class, prompting a visit from the school resource officer. However, Morey says these are often children with learning disabilities or who come from “dire” home situations. ... Morey, a Durham County Democrat, has led legislative reforms to the juvenile justice system aimed at decreasing the number of referrals from schools that funnel kids into that system. (Thompson, 3/14)

Legionella bacteria has been detected at two Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. Routine water testing this week found legionella at the Stateville Correctional Center and Joliet Treatment Center, the Illinois departments of Public Health and Corrections announced Friday. (3/12)

An invasive ant that can deliver a painful sting has been found in Indiana for the first time, a Purdue University insect expert says. The Asian needle ant has traveled southern states like Florida and Georgia for several years. But it was recently discovered in the Evansville area — the furthest north the ant has ventured, said Timothy Gibb, a Purdue University entomologist. (3/13)