Many Americans now have two oral antiviral pills that can be taken at home to treat a fresh case of COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the emergency use of Merck’s molnupiravir pill for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID in people who’ve just tested positive. The approval comes on… read on > read on >
In a sign that white-tailed deer are becoming a reservoir for the new coronavirus, researchers report that COVID-19 variants are spreading among the wild animals. How they became infected and if these variants can infect humans isn’t known, experts say. “Animal reservoirs of zoonotic viruses pose obstacles to infectious disease control and open doors to… read on > read on >
Wolfgang Lehner always considered himself “a triple threat” when it came to cancer risk. One grandfather died of lung cancer in the 1970s. His other grandfather had his own bout with stomach cancer. And Lehner himself was a smoker. Although the New York City cinematographer quit smoking in 2010, at age 51, he never quit… read on > read on >
In some heartening news for the holidays, three new studies that combed through early data on the new Omicron variant suggest it does not cause severe disease as often as the Delta variant does. On the other hand, Omicron is so contagious that it will likely increase hospitalizations, and the unvaccinated still need to worry,… read on > read on >
Gum disease isn’t just a threat to your teeth. It also increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, mental woes and more, British researchers report. “The study reinforces the importance of prevention, early identification and treatment of periodontal disease, and the need for members of the public to attend regular oral health checks with a… read on > read on >
Meditation done at an intense level may bring a significant boost to the inner workings of your immune system. The finding follows a blood sample analysis that took pre- and post-meditation snapshots of genetic activity among more than 100 men and women. That analysis suggested that meditation boosted the activity of hundreds of genes known… read on > read on >
People who struggle with severe asthma now have a new treatment to get some relief. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an injectable drug called Tezspire (tezepelumab-ekko), which would be administered every four weeks by a health care professional. The medication is considered an add-on treatment meant to improve severe asthma in a… read on > read on >
When a child has severe health problems, the suffering often extends to the entire family, new research finds. Using data from a single health insurance provider, the study authors assessed nearly 7,000 children with life-threatening conditions and their families, and compared them to a control group of more than 18,600 children without a life-threatening condition… read on > read on >
Parents, think you have a good handle on how much time your teens are spending on social media? Don’t bet on it. New research suggests your best guesstimate is likely way off. Parents significantly underestimated their teens’ social media use — especially girls’ — during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the study showed.… read on > read on >
Long-term workplace exposure to formaldehyde may prompt thinking and memory problems later in life, new research suggests. Formaldehyde is a gas used in making wood and chemical products and plastics. “We know that exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to certain cancers, and our results suggest that exposure to low amounts of formaldehyde also may… read on > read on >
