Study results show 25% of pregnant people are not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids from their diet or dietary supplements
Results from a new nationwide cohort study show that, despite strong recommendations in favor of consuming omega-3 fatty acids for optimal pregnancy outcomes and offspring health, 25% of participants reported rarely, or never eating fish during pregnancy, with fewer taking omega-3 supplements. The study, “Demographic and health characteristics associated with fish and n-3 fatty acid […]
RSV Vaccine Maintains Efficacy Across Two Seasons in Seniors
BOSTON — Efficacy of GSK’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine held strong through two RSV seasons in adults 60 and over, according to new results from the company’s pivotal trial. With a single dose, efficacy of the RSV perfusion F protein vaccine (Arexvy) against RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease declined from 82.6% during the first […]
Fight Over Abortion Escalates in Texas
The latest legal fight over Texas’s 6-week abortion ban has drawn strong comments from groups on both sides of the abortion debate, with each casting blame on different entities for the lack of clarity on when pregnancy terminations are permitted under the law. The law, known as S.B. 8, was signed into law in May […]
FDA Panel Endorses mAb to Prevent RSV in Infants
An FDA advisory committee on Thursday gave strong backing to a monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to prevent lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) in infants as well as in at-risk children up to 24 months of age. In a unanimous vote, all 21 members of the Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee agreed that the […]
FDA Panel Gives Strong Backing to RSV Vaccine for Protecting Infants
An FDA panel on Thursday gave a strong endorsement for what could become the first maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine approved for protecting infants against the annual scourge. In a unanimous vote, all 14 members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) said that the available data support the efficacy of […]
Opinion | Healthcare Culture Is Hell
A strong organizational culture is considered the secret sauce of successful organizations. But the Latin term abyssus abyssum invocat (one hell calls forth another), explains perfectly why it is increasingly difficult to maintain optimal organizational cultures in healthcare. Hell #1: Pre-pandemic, health systems and their workers in both Canada and the U.S. were highly stressed. […]
New CDC COVID Guidance Wins Plaudits, Brickbats
Two very strong and polarized reactions have swamped Twitter over the CDC’s new loosened COVID-19 guidelines. The comments are slinging from citizens, scientists, and medical practitioners. One camp is happy “it’s finally over.” They post dancing gifs and applaud the new guidelines published Thursday, which recommend that infected individuals isolate for 5 days, and exposed […]
Benzodiazepines or Antihistamines for Acute Vertigo?
Moderately strong evidence suggested antihistamines provide greater acute vertigo relief than benzodiazepines, a meta-analysis showed. Single-dose antihistamines led to a 16.1-point (95% CI 7.2-25.0) greater decrease in vertigo symptom scores on a 100-point visual analog scale (VAS) compared with single-dose benzodiazepines at about 2 hours after treatment, reported Benton Hunter, MD, of Indiana University School […]
Lab earthquakes show how grains at fault boundaries lead to major quakes: Faults once thought to be ‘creeping’ yet stable may be at risk for big ruptures
By simulating earthquakes in a lab, Caltech engineers have provided strong experimental support for a form of earthquake propagation now thought responsible for the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that devastated the coast of Japan in 2011. Along some fault lines, which are the boundaries of tectonic plates, a fine-grained gravel is formed as the plates grind against […]
Don’t Wait, Ablate to Prevent VT Episodes After an ICD Shock?
WASHINGTON — Researchers made a strong case that earlier was better when it comes to catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardias (VTs) in people with implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). After a first ICD shock, 23 patients with ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy soon underwent radiofrequency VT ablation and ended up with 4% incidence of worsening heart failure […]