Nonsteroidal MRA Drug Cuts Risks in Earlier Diabetic Kidney Disease
Finerenone (Kerendia) prevents cardiovascular (CV) and some renal events in type 2 diabetes patients with earlier stages of kidney disease, the FIGARO-DKD trial showed. In the trial’s stage 1 to 4 kidney disease patients with moderate-to-severe albuminuria, the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) reduced the composite of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke, or […]
Bacterial bloom as the Earth thawed: Photosynthetic organisms during the Snowball Earth
Some researchers hypothesize that ice sheets enveloped the earth during the Marinoan glaciation (650-535 million years ago) in what is dubbed the “Snowball Earth.” The glaciation also impacted the climate and chemical compositions of the oceans, restraining the evolution of early life. Yet, as the earth warmed, and the Ediacaran period dawned, biotic life began […]
Moderna Tees Up for Approval; Boosters Now at 6 Months? Infusion Pump Recall
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Moderna said it completed the application for full FDA approval of its COVID vaccine, which is marketed as Spikevax abroad. Not to be outdone, Pfizer and BioNTech said they would submit the remaining data for approval of their COVID booster shots by week’s end. Speaking of […]
COVID Closes Texas Town; Vax Resistant Strain ‘Likely’?; Oregon’s Outdoor Mask Rule
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. COVID has hit this small Texas town so hard that the schools closed and then the town shut down. (CNN) The Ohio legislature is considering a bill that would bar employers in the state from instituting vaccine mandates for their employees. (Associated Press) Ohio State University, […]
Third COVID Vaccine Dose Could Be the Last
As the Biden administration prepares to recommend booster shots for the majority of Americans, some experts are saying the third dose could be the final one. But what evidence leads them to believe that COVID-19 can be defeated by a three-dose series? For starters, a longer duration between the second and third dose may provide […]
Sensor spies hideouts for ?virus replication: An antiviral, found in some people’s cells, outwits an immune escape plan used by several dangerous viruses
While some types of RNA viruses cloak themselves to hide inside a cell and create copies of themselves, a “detective enzyme” might be attuned to their whereabouts. A slight variation in their genomic code gives some people’s cells the capacity to produce this sensor. Many positive-strand RNA viruses share a strategy to avoid detection by […]
San Fran’s Indoor Mandate; Purdue’s Oxy Settlement Nears; Highly Vaxxed Hot Spots?
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. San Francisco is mandating that residents 12 and up show proof of vaccination for most indoor activities as of next Friday — the first major city to do so. (CNN) 28 — that’s the percentage of Black New Yorkers between the ages of 18 to 44 […]
Common Viral Infections: Infectious Diseases & Viruses
Viruses cause some of the most common infections all over the world, including COVID-19. Here are the most common viral infections. Viruses are tiny germs that cause some of the most common infections all over the world, including the current global COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most common viral infections include: Do antibiotics help in […]
‘All the Beds Are Taken’; COVID Baby Airlifted in Texas; Zeke Emanuel as FDA Chief?
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. “All the beds are taken up by COVID victims also getting ECMO,” said Floridian Susan Walker, who is anxiously searching for a hospital where her unvaccinated husband can receive the extracorporeal life support for his severe COVID-19. (CNN) As cases soar and ICU beds fill in […]
The Pill Can Spell Trouble for Long QTc
Some oral contraceptives were associated with greater cardiovascular risk among women with inherited long QT syndrome (LQTS), a registry study showed. Progestin-only oral contraceptive users had a 2.54-fold higher risk (95% CI 1.09-1.51) of a cardiac event compared with LQTS women not on oral contraceptives in multivariate analysis. Beta-blocker use appeared to mitigate that risk, […]