All Sauce from Weekly Sauce:

COVID vaccines saved the lives and health of countless babies by preventing their premature births, a new study shows. COVID-19 initially caused an alarming surge in premature birth rates, but those returned to pre-pandemic levels following the introduction of vaccines, researchers found. These findings should help allay vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women, said researcher Jenna…  read on >  read on >

Folks who smoke weed along with cigarettes are doing serious damage to their lungs, a new study warns. People who do both are 12 times more likely to develop emphysema than nonsmokers, due to the damage they’re doing to the lung’s air sacs, researchers report. “There is a common public misconception that marijuana smoking is…  read on >  read on >

Evidence that soccer heading — where players use their heads to strike a ball — is dangerous continues to mount. Research to be presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting in Chicago on Tuesday points to a measurable decline in brain structure and function as a result of the practice. “There…  read on >  read on >

Transgender people transitioning to male (transmasculine) identity typically take testosterone therapy as part of the process.   There have been worries that the treatment might spur erythrocytosis, an abnormally high concentration of red blood cells in blood that could prove dangerous. But new research should help allay those fears: The largest study on the subject…  read on >  read on >

Repeated COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes have had a stark and lasting impact on vulnerable older residents, a new study reports. Long COVID has left many residents of these facilities relying more and more on staff to help them months later with basic, everyday activities such as bathing and using the toilet.  Many also experience…  read on >  read on >