All Sauce from Weekly Sauce:

Add better brain health to the growing list of protections your beloved pet may provide you: New research suggests that older adults with a furry companion showed slower mental declines than those without one. “Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress,” said study author…  read on >  read on >

Dozens of different spray products — deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, athlete’s foot treatments — have been recalled in recent months due to contamination with the cancer-causing chemical benzene. Most recently, six Brut and Sure aerosol antiperspirants faced recall last week due to benzene contamination. But that’s just the latest in a string of benzene-related recalls that…  read on >  read on >

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat and beat, but new research suggests that commonly prescribed high blood pressure drugs may boost survival in patients. Known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), those who took them saw slight bumps in survival. Folks with pancreatic cancer who took an ARB had…  read on >  read on >

Updated criteria to guide COVID-19 restrictions will be announced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later this week or early next week, according to a CDC scientist involved in the process. Currently, the agency’s guidance on measures such as mask use and social distancing is based on the number of new cases…  read on >  read on >

Despite the crushing challenges of navigating a worldwide pandemic during the past two years, Americans remain as optimistic as ever, a series of surveys shows. The surveys were conducted between 2008 and 2020, and included 2.7 million adults who were asked to use a 10-point scale to rank their current life satisfaction, with 10 being…  read on >  read on >

A drug developed for an autoimmune disease shows promise in treating a potentially life-threatening inflammatory condition in children who’ve had COVID-19, researchers say. The rare condition is called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). It typically develops weeks to months after a child has had mild or even asymptomatic COVID-19. “Working collaboratively, we’ve been able…  read on >  read on >

That daily 6 a.m. walk around the block with your dog may be tough but healthy: New research suggests the exercise and companionship is lowering your odds of developing a disability. However, the good news doesn’t extend to cat lovers, the researchers added. They analyzed data gathered from more than 11,200 Japanese adults, ages 65-84,…  read on >  read on >

It might be harder to get your teeth cleaned this year, with a new study showing a shortage of dental hygienists in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Not unlike many other professions in the United States, challenges persist in dental hygienist employment,” said study first author Rachel Morrissey, a senior research analyst…  read on >  read on >