A new polymer system to revolutionize the delivery of therapeutics
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced that they have engineered a new class of material, called a “polyzwitterionic complex,” or “pZC,” which is able to both withstand the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach and then dissolve predictably in the comparatively gentle environment of the small intestine. This property means that pZCs […]
Understanding Mental Health Terms
Mental health is something that we’re talking about more and more. But in these conversations, we can often hear terms used interchangeably, such as mental health and mental illness. It can be hard to get the language right. So what does the term mental health actually mean? How does it differ from a mental health […]
Opinion | Our Lab Testing Capacity Is Getting Dangerously Low
Continued mutations in SARS-CoV-2 mean new and emerging variants, a sign that COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon, despite a relaxing of public health measures around the country. And due to the increased availability of at-home antigen-based testing, published case counts are likely being underreported by public health officials, making a COVID-19 resurgence more difficult […]
What Hygiene Products Can Kill Bacteria? Antibacterial Hand Wash
Hygiene products, such as cleaning and disinfecting products, contain active ingredients that provide extra protection against a wide range of germs. The hygiene products that will kill bacteria and viruses often contain chlorine compounds, hydrogen peroxide, triclosan, or alcohol. Industrial-grade hygiene products may contain phenol and related compounds. Household products that have antibacterial, antiseptic, or […]
Is MRSA Contagious? Transmission, Signs & Symptoms
Linezolid (generic name), brand name Zyvox, is a man-made (synthetic) antibiotic that is prescribed for the treatment of a variety of bacterial infections, for example: Pneumonia and uncomplicated skin and structure infections caused by Staphylococcus Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus agalactiae bacteria. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacterial infections. Common side effects include of linezolid: Constipation […]
Drug Combination Promising as Pre-Sex Birth Control
A drug combination that uses emergency contraception and a cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor may effectively disrupt ovulation, making it the first potential candidate for on-demand, pericoital oral contraception, according to an exploratory pilot study. Among a group of nine patients, six demonstrated ovulation disruption after taking a combination drug of ulipristal acetate (UA) and meloxicam, reported […]
The impact of COVID-19 on drug use — and how it contributes to overdose risk
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of people who use drugs in ways that hurt their mental health and changed drug use behaviors, increasing their risk for overdose, according to surveys and interviews with individuals in rural Illinois captured in a new study in Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. Drug overdoses have soared during […]
Automated Head-Raising Device Tied to Better CPR Results in Cardiac Arrest
A device that raises the head during CPR to improve blood circulation boosted the likelihood that patients in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) reached neurologically intact recovery, a researcher reported. Patients who received CPR along with the EleGARD “head-up” device were more likely than those in a comparison group to reach “neuro-intact” survival,” according to Paul […]
Philly Yanks Mask Mandate; No Vax for Tots Until June? Man Has COVID for 505 Days
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. The World Health Organization strongly recommended use of Pfizer’s oral antiviral treatment nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) for high-risk patients in a new statement, calling it the “best therapeutic choice for high-risk patients to date.” Just a few days after reinstating it, Philly is pulling the plug on its […]
Intense exercise while dieting may reduce cravings for fatty food
In a study that offers hope for human dieters, rats on a 30-day diet who exercised intensely resisted cues for favored, high-fat food pellets. The experiment was designed to test resistance to the phenomenon known as “incubation of craving,” meaning the longer a desired substance is denied, the harder it is to ignore signals for […]