Right-Wing Judge Invalidates Free Preventive Care
A conservative federal district judge in Texas notorious for his rulings against the Affordable Care Act has struck down a requirement that private insurers cover a variety of preventive services for free. Under the ruling, which came down Thursday, insurers and employers who run plans for employees will have discretion over whether and how to […]
Could Earlier Initiation of HPV Vaccine Boost Immunization in Adolescents?
Teenagers had better vaccine coverage against human papillomavirus (HPV) if they were vaccinated at earlier ages as older children instead of early adolescents, a retrospective study showed. Early initiators vaccinated at age 9 or 10 were, compared with those who initiated at ages 11 to 12, more likely to complete the HPV vaccine series by […]
Reassuring Findings on Bivalent COVID Booster in Hemodialysis Patients
Anti-spike IgG concentrations against BA.4/5 significantly increased in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) following a bivalent booster, particularly in those without a prior Omicron infection, a case series from Germany found. The study looked at 55 ESRD patients on hemodialysis who had received four prior doses of a monovalent vaccine, including about a third […]
CDC: Bivalent COVID Vaccines Stop Illness From XBB.1.5
Currently authorized bivalent COVID-19 boosters demonstrated similar protection against symptomatic illness from the XBB/XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariants as from BA.5-related subvariants, according to a CDC study. From December 2022 to January 2023, the bivalent boosters’ vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection was a similar 48% versus XBB/XBB.1.5-related strains and 52% versus BA.5-related sublineages, reported Ruth Link-Gelles, […]
Flu Season Is Here
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is fighting against the flu as case numbers rise.
Green tea extract may harm liver in people with certain genetic variations
Long-term use of high-dose green tea extract may provide some protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, but it also may create liver damage in a small minority of the population. Who is at risk? Research from Rutgers, published in The Journal of Dietary Supplements, provides the first solid clue: two genetic […]
More Anti-Lockdown Protests In China Triggered By Deadly Fire
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Protests against China’s restrictive COVID-19 measures appeared to roil in a number of cities Saturday night, in displays of public defiance fanned by anger over a deadly fire in the western Xinjiang region. Many protests could not be immediately confirmed, but in Shanghai, police used pepper spray to stop around 300 […]
Monoclonal Antibodies May No Longer Be a Match for Emerging COVID Strains
Tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld) and bebtelovimab are likely ineffective against approximately 60% of currently circulating Omicron variants, creating a big gap in protection, particularly for immunocompromised individuals, researchers from a Harvard Medical School-led consortium said at a briefing on Thursday. This is a “big loss,” said Jacob Lemieux, MD, PhD, of the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness […]
Monoclonal Antibody Shows Protection Against Malaria
SEATTLE — A monoclonal antibody delivered intravenously was effective in protecting against Plasmodium falciparum infection over a 6-month malaria season in Mali, a phase II placebo-controlled trial showed. Among 330 healthy adults, P. falciparum infection was detected in 35.5% who received a single dose of CIS43LS 10 mg/kg, 18.2% who received a 40-mg/kg dose, and […]
Could a Plant-Based Diet Benefit Men’s Health Below the Belt?
MIAMI — A plant-based or plant-forward diet may offer some protection against prostate cancer and other sexual health issues, according to a systematic review. Twelve of the 23 studies that met the review’s inclusion criteria looked at prostate cancer, and data from large registry trials indicated a link between a plant-based diet and a decreased […]