If you’re a patient with a weakened immune system, roll up your sleeves to stay safe over the holidays and winter months. “Immunocompromised patients absolutely should get a flu shot as well as an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose,” said Dr. Marwa Kaisey, a neuroimmunologist and assistant professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “Otherwise,… read on > read on >
Planning ahead will reduce the risk of allergies and asthma interfering with your holiday plans, an expert says. “In addition to concerns about COVID-19, those with allergies and asthma sometimes have an added layer of anxiety because they need to always be thinking about allergy and asthma triggers that can cause serious symptoms,” said Dr.… read on > read on >
People who’ve already had COVID-19 have a higher risk of reinfection with the Omicron coronavirus variant than with earlier variants, new research shows. The South African scientists who reported the findings believe that vaccination will have the power to stop severe illness, however. Speaking at a World Health Organization briefing, study team member Anne von… read on > read on >
A rare gene variant discovered among Amish people may help lower “bad” cholesterol and protect against heart disease, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 7,000 Amish people, the gene variant was tied to reductions in both LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen — a protein that is a marker of inflammation and linked to… read on > read on >
A boy or a girl? New research suggests that the air pregnant women breathe or the water they drink could play a role in their baby’s sex. The finding stems from tracking hundreds of factors — including pollution exposure — surrounding the birth of more than 6 million Americans and Swedes. “To my knowledge, this… read on > read on >
Women are two times more likely than men to die after receiving a combination of cancer immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, but it’s not clear if that difference is due to side effects or because the treatment isn’t working, researchers say. This new class of highly targeted drugs — which includes pembrolizumab (Keytruda), nivolumab (Opdivo)… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — In second grade, Emily Meister was performing as Gretl Von Trapp in the local high school production of “The Sound of Music” when she felt her heart beating unusually fast. She also sensed pressure in her chest. The youngster from Wichita, Kansas, had consumed an energy… read on > read on >
Five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in New York state, one in Minnesota and one in Hawaii, officials in those states announced Thursday. That brings the known total in the United States to nine, with California and Colorado previously announcing one case each. One of the New York cases is a… read on > read on >
Lab studies show that the mutations found in COVID-19’s Delta variant make the virus more resistant to existing vaccines, a potentially ominous development as the new Omicron variant starts to wend its way around the world. Full vaccination with the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines still produces enough antibodies to neutralize Delta, British researchers found. But… read on > read on >
Most vaccinated American adults have every intention of getting booster shots, a new poll finds. Only about one in five say they won’t get it, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey conducted with 1,820 U.S. adults between Nov. 8 and Nov. 22. About 23% of vaccinated adults have already received a booster shot… read on > read on >
