Universal influenza B vaccine induces broad, sustained protection, biomedical sciences researchers find
A new universal flu vaccine protects against influenza B viruses, offering broad defense against different strains and improved immune protection, according to a new study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. The double-layered protein nanoparticle vaccine, which is constructed with a stabilized portion of the influenza virus (the hemagglutinin […]
COVID Vax Protects People of All Body Weights From Severe Outcomes
COVID-19 vaccines protected against severe disease and death in people with overweight or obesity, a large English study found. Compared with the unvaccinated, vaccinated individuals in each BMI group experienced significantly lower likelihood of COVID-related hospitalization starting at 2 weeks from their second dose, reported Carmen Piernas, PhD, of the University of Oxford, and colleagues: […]
Intraoperative Catheter Disappoints for Urinary Retention After Hernia Repair
The use of an intraoperative catheter did not protect against the development of postoperative urinary retention (PUR) for patients who underwent laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair surgery, a randomized trial found. Among over 450 such patients, no significant difference was observed in the rate of PUR for those who received an intraoperative catheter placement versus those […]
Patients With HIV at Higher Risk for COVID Breakthrough Infections
Patients with HIV who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were more likely to develop a breakthrough infection, according to a study of the Corona-Infectious-Virus Epidemiology Team (CIVET)-II cohort. Among nearly 114,000 fully vaccinated patients, those with HIV had a 28% higher risk of breakthrough infection compared with those without HIV (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.28, […]
Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Fauci Death Threats
A West Virginia man has pleaded guilty to making death threats against Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and his family, and against other federal health officials, including former NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, and HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, MD. Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., […]
Seashell-inspired shield protects materials in hostile environments: Environmentally friendly coating outperforms conventional materials
Word of an extraordinarily inexpensive material, lightweight enough to protect satellites against debris in the cold of outer space, cohesive enough to strengthen the walls of pressurized vessels experiencing average conditions on Earth and yet heat-resistant enough at 1,500 degrees Celsius or 2,732 degrees Fahrenheit to shield instruments against flying debris, raises the question: what […]
RSV Vaccine Holds Promise for Pregnant Women
A bivalent protein-based vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) administered during pregnancy was safe and led to higher neutralizing antibody responses in mothers, as well as evidence of protection in their infants, an interim analysis of a phase IIb trial found. The geometric mean ratios of 50% neutralizing antibody titers against RSV A and B […]
Meningitis B Vaccine May Protect Against … Gonorrhea?
Vaccination against meningococcal serogroup B may also provide modest protection against gonorrhea, evidence from the U.S. and Australia showed. According to surveillance records from New York City and Philadelphia, complete vaccination with the four-component meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (MenB-4C; Bexsero) provided 40% protection against gonorrhea infection compared with no vaccination (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] 0.60, […]
COVID Antivirals Appear to Hold Up Against BA.2
While two monoclonal antibody combinations showed neutralizing activity against the Omicron subvariant BA.2, both required substantially higher concentrations to produce a response in patients with COVID-19, Japanese researchers said, while antivirals appeared to be less affected. Casirivimab/imdevimab (REGEN-COV) and tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld) inhibited BA.2, but the titer of monoclonal antibodies “required for a 50% reduction in […]
Primary Vaccine Series Alone Can’t Stop Omicron Infection
Protection against symptomatic COVID-19 with the Omicron variant shot up after a booster dose among adults who received the two-dose Pfizer vaccine primary series (Comirnaty), though even that faded with time, British researchers found. While protection against symptomatic disease dwindled to next to nothing (8.8%, 95% CI 7.0-10.5) at 25 or more weeks, vaccine effectiveness […]