Bivalent Vax Protected Kids From Symptomatic COVID
During the 2022-2023 respiratory season, the bivalent COVID vaccines had an effectiveness of 54% against infection and 49% against symptomatic COVID in children and adolescents ages 5 to 17 years, a new study in JAMA showed. In this interview, Melissa Briggs Hagen, MD, MPH, of the CDC’s Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, discusses the […]
Most Immunocompromised Patients Clear Omicron Infections
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron period was uncommon among patients who were moderately to severely immunocompromised, a prospective multicenter study found. Among the 150 individuals included in the analysis, 25% had prolonged infection lasting 21 days or more as detected by RT-PCR, and only 8% had a positive viral culture at 21 days or […]
Trial: Cleaner Cookstove Fuel Not Enough to Improve Infant Health
Swapping out liquid petroleum (LP) for biomass cooking fuel during pregnancy made little difference for infant growth or pneumonia rates, two analyses of a randomized controlled trial in low-resource settings revealed. The cooking fuel intervention successfully reduced exposure to household air pollution as measured by fine particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) […]
How Cardiac Arrest Became a Household Topic After Damar Hamlin’s Collapse
In January, we reported on Damar Hamlin’s collapse during a televised football game. In this report, we follow up on the resulting public interest on sudden cardiac arrest that made Hamlin the most searched person of 2023. During the final Monday Night Football game for the 2022-2023 National Football League (NFL) season, all gameplay between […]
People Drop the Ball When It Comes to Safe Sex on New Year’s Eve
A new study in the annual BMJ Christmas issue suggests high levels of unprotected sex during New Year’s Eve celebrations in the U.S., with an increase in sales of levonorgestrel (Plan B) in the week after that surpasses other holidays. In this video interview, study author Brandon Wagner, PhD, of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, […]
5 Things Doctors Always Do To Avoid Getting Sick At The Holidays
South_agency via Getty Images These tips will help you stay healthy during the busiest time of the year. Over the next few weeks, millions of people — perhaps yourself included — will travel near and far to visit loved ones for the holiday season. And as holiday travel and gatherings ramp up, cases of respiratory […]
FDA Inspections of Foreign Drug Manufacturers Haven’t Bounced Back After Pandemic
The FDA hasn’t recovered from its pause in foreign drug manufacturer inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, with inspections in 2022 remaining “well below” pre-pandemic surveillance levels, a study found. Researchers tracking a decade of FDA inspections observed an expected decline in inspections in 2020, but 2 years later foreign inspections remained 79% lower than 2019, […]
This Many U.S. Adults Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
During 2021-2022, 1.3% of adults had myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), new National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data showed. Women (1.7%) were more likely than men (0.9%) to have ME/CFS, according to Anjel Vahratian, PhD, MPH, of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and co-authors. The percentage of people with ME/CFS rose with […]
Reliable research and evidence-based recommendations scarce for women who exercise according to menstrual cycle
There is no shortage of advice for women on what to eat, how to train, or what supplements to take during their menstrual cycles, but a new review by an international team of scientists has found little evidence to support such recommendations. In fact, they found sparse research on women and exercise at all, and […]
Brain Health Took a Hit During the COVID Pandemic
Brain health deteriorated more rapidly for people 50 and older during the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the PROTECT study in England suggested. Across the entire cohort of 3,100 people, both executive function (effect size 0.15) and working memory (effect size 0.51) worsened during the first year of the pandemic, according to Anne Corbett, PhD, of […]