A recently approved rheumatoid arthritis medication appears to be an effective second-line therapy when biologic treatments start to fail, a new clinical trial reports. Arthritis sufferers treated with upadacitinib had a significantly greater reduction in their symptoms and disease activity than people treated with a standard disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), said co-researcher Dr. Aileen Pangan.… read on >
Three weeks after becoming the first big urban area to reopen public schools since the pandemic began, New York City is not seeing a feared surge in cases among students and staff. Instead, health officials are seeing a surprisingly small number of COVID-19 cases, The New York Times reported. Of 15,111 staff members and students… read on >
As the weather gets cooler and social activities move indoors, Americans need to take steps to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, an expert says. “We now know that if we are going to socialize with people who are not in our household — or in our pandemic pod — being outside or in… read on >
To mark World Hypertension Day this Saturday, the American Heart Association offers advice on how to lower and control your blood pressure. High blood pressure affects nearly half of American adults, and three-quarters of those with high blood pressure don’t have it under control, the heart association says. High blood pressure is the leading cause… read on >
In what will come as reassuring news to those who were born with a heart defect, new research finds these people aren’t at increased risk for moderate or severe COVID-19. The study included more than 7,000 adults and children who were born with a heart defect (congenital heart disease) and followed by researchers at Columbia… read on >
An experimental COVID-19 vaccine appeared to be safe and triggered an immune response in healthy people, according to preliminary results of a small, early-stage clinical trial. The study of the vaccine based on inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virus (BBIBP-CorV) included more than 600 volunteers in China, ages 18 to 80. By the 42nd day after vaccination,… read on >
The number of new U.S. coronavirus cases topped 60,000 on Thursday, a tally not reported since early August, as health experts worried the coming winter might push the toll even higher. The latest numbers have also sent the country’s total COVID-19 case count past 8 million, the The New York Times reported. The surge is… read on >
Masks or no masks? Social distancing or not? New research suggests that the media Americans consume matters when these decisions are made. The study found that folks drawn to conservative-leaning TV news were much less likely to follow COVID prevention guidelines. Researchers analyzed data from more than 4,800 U.S. adults who took part in a… read on >
Heart patients may face a greater chance of cardiovascular complications after having major surgery that doesn’t involve the heart, new research suggests. Twenty percent of these patients experienced heart troubles within a year of such surgery, the researchers found. “Our study reveals a greater likelihood of having heart problems or dying after noncardiac surgery than… read on >
Offering fresh insight into the deep-seated roots of dementia, new research finds that diminished blood flow to the brain is tied to buildup a protein long associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Called “tau,” high levels of the protein are “one of the hallmark pathologies that define Alzheimer’s disease in the brain,” explained study author Judy Pa.… read on >
