Mixing the various COVID-19 vaccines — for example, getting a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine but having your second dose be the AstraZeneca shot — seems to increase the risk of side effects, a new study from Britain suggests. Preliminary data from a study of 850 U.K. patients aged 50 and older that compared… read on > read on >
In areas of the United States where opioid treatment centers are rare, addicted people can find it nearly impossible to get help, a new study finds. “The study identified clear opioid treatment deserts that undoubtedly stand in the way of access to needed care and that likely exist throughout the state and the nation. These… read on > read on >
Bacteria don’t set up house in the human gut until after birth, a new study finds. Gut bacteria are vital for digestion and overall health, but when researchers examined the stool (meconium) from 20 infants collected during breech cesarean deliveries, they found these critical germs show up in the gut after birth, not before. “The… read on > read on >
Strokes are on the rise among people younger than 50, and new research suggests that packing on the pounds during the teen years is a big reason why. The more overweight you were from ages 16 to 20, the greater your risk of having a stroke before age 50, the new study shows. “Given ongoing… read on > read on >
Contrary to misleading reports spread on social media, a new study finds the COVID-19 vaccine does no damage to the placenta in pregnancy. In a study of placentas from patients who were vaccinated for COVID-19 during pregnancy, researchers found no evidence of any harm. “The placenta is like the black box in an airplane. If… read on > read on >
An ambitious new vaccine effort is taking aim at future coronavirus mutations that may threaten global health down the road. So far, the “pan-coronavirus vaccine” has proven 100% effective in testing among monkeys, investigators reported. “Large outbreaks of coronaviruses have occurred three times in the last 18 years,” explained study author Kevin Saunders, director of… read on > read on >
Can feeling young at heart, or at least younger than your actual age, help older people live healthier, longer lives? Yes, according to researchers in Germany. “Individuals who feel younger than they chronologically are seem to benefit from their younger subjective age in various aspects,” explained study lead author Markus Wettstein. Surveying more than 5,000… read on > read on >
A microchip implanted in the brain has allowed a paralyzed man to communicate by text — at speeds that approach the typical smartphone user. The achievement is the latest advance in “brain-computer interface” (BCI) systems. Scientists have been studying BCI technology for years, with the aim of one day giving people with paralysis or limb… read on > read on >
In rare cases, people who receive the two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may experience a red, itchy patch of skin a few days later at the injection site, a new report finds. They shouldn’t panic: This “COVID arm” reaction, although annoying, was short-lived in all cases and was easily treated with topical steroid creams, according to… read on > read on >
An estimated 9 million Americans turn to prescription pills when they can’t sleep, but a new study of middle-aged women finds taking the drugs for a year or longer may do little good. Comparing a group of about 200 women who were medicated for sleep problems with over 400 women who had sleeping problems but… read on > read on >
