Delta on the Decline? Not So Fast
It’s a familiar refrain, those prominent voices claiming we’re all but done with the pandemic of the century. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, told the New York Times this week he thought the U.S. was riding out “the last major wave of infection.” Writer David Leonhardt concluded in the same newsletter, “the worst of […]
Common IBD Meds Acquitted in Severe COVID Outcomes
Both biologics and mesalamine/sulfasalazine were not linked to severe COVID-19 outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, according to findings from the ongoing global SECURE-IBD trial. There was no association between mesalamine/sulfasalazine and adverse COVID outcomes. And when examining biologic-treated patients, there was no link between mesalamine/sulfasalazine use and either severe COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio […]
New study challenges understanding of pandemic preparedness and resilience in Africa
Countries in Africa assessed as being least vulnerable to an epidemic were the worst affected by Covid-19, new research suggests. Nations with more urban populations and strong international travel links were worst affected by the pandemic, the study shows. Mortality rates and levels of restrictions — such as lockdowns and travel bans — were found […]
Gut microbiota influences the ability to lose weight
Gut microbiota influences the ability to lose weight in humans, according to new research. The findings were published this week in mSystems, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. “Your gut microbiome can help or cause resistance to weight loss and this opens up the possibility to try to alter the gut microbiome […]
Which Pediatric Research Is Overfunded by NIH?
Some pediatric research areas, such as congenital birth defects and HIV/AIDS, were disproportionately overfunded by the NIH in recent years relative to their disease burden in the U.S., according to a cross-sectional study. NIH funding for disease-specific research largely appeared to correlate with pediatric disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost to that disease in the U.S. […]
What Happens If You Get Your Flu Shot And COVID Booster At The Same Time?
Last year, public health experts were deeply concerned about the prospect of a flu and a COVID-19 “twindemic.” But as it turned out, seasonal flu activity was unusually low. This was likely due to the combination of masking, stay-at-home orders, reduced travel and people paying close attention to things like indoor ventilation. No one yet […]
Young female black bears in Asheville, North Carolina, are big, have cubs early
Black bears (Ursus americanus) reproduced at a younger age in urban areas and were nearly twice the size of bears in national forests shortly after their first birthday, researchers from North Carolina State University and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission found in a new study. Published in the Journal of Mammalogy, the study of the […]
Multi-Day Hospital Stays for Banged Up E-Scooter Riders
E-scooter users broke bones from head to toe, and a third were so banged up, they were in-hospital for an average of 11 days, a researcher reported. In a study that tracked and compared the growth of e-scooter injuries from August 2016 to February 2018 — and from August 2018 to February 2020 after e-scooters […]
COVID Hospitalizations Soared With Delta
COVID-19 patients infected with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) were more likely to need a higher level of care compared with those with the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), British researchers found. Patients infected with Delta were more than twice as likely to be admitted to the hospital within 14 days after PCR testing versus those with the […]
Maybe Avoid These Specialists for Your Next Colonoscopy
Colonoscopies performed by surgeons and other endoscopists were associated with lower adenoma detection rates compared to those done by gastroenterologists, according to a meta-analysis. In a systematic review of 36 studies, adenoma detection rates during colonoscopy were 19% lower with surgeons (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.74-0.88) and 9% lower with family physicians, general practitioners, and […]