MONDAY, Sept. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) – As the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on and stress on families mounts, more kids are falling victim to accidental poisoning. Experts attribute the surge to disrupted sleep patterns, work schedules and parenting routines. “I think what’s happening is, parents are challenged with a couple of things,” said Helen Arbogast,…  read on >  read on >

Twenty years on from the terrible event itself, weight loss may reduce the risk of lung disease among 9/11 first responders, a new study suggests. “Our findings should reassure World Trade Center first responders that there are steps they can take to protect their lungs even decades after exposure,” said co-lead author Dr. Sophia Kwon.…  read on >  read on >

It’s still not OK to kiss your chickens or your ducklings — you could catch a salmonella infection from barnyard birds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered that warning before, and now an agriculture expert reminds backyard farmers that it’s better to have a less hands-on approach with their feathered friends.…  read on >  read on >

The prescribing, dispensing and use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of clinical trials must end immediately, the American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists say. The drug has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to treat people with infections caused by internal and external parasites, but is…  read on >  read on >

As doctors around the world come up against severe cases of COVID-19, some positive news has emerged: New research shows the rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib may help reduce hospitalized COVID patients’ risk of death. Current standard-of-care medications aren’t enough, said study co-author Dr. E. Wesley Ely, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center…  read on >  read on >

A four-in-one pill containing “ultra-low doses” of different medications can provide better blood pressure control than standard drug treatment, a new clinical trial from Australia shows. About 80% of people given the “quadpill” achieved a healthy blood pressure of 140/90 within three months and continuing out to a year, compared to 60% of people who…  read on >  read on >

Two senior leaders in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine review office are stepping down, but their departures won’t slow efforts to combat the pandemic, the agency said Tuesday. “We are confident in the expertise and ability of our staff to continue our critical public health work, including evaluating COVID-19 vaccines,” FDA spokesperson Stephanie…  read on >  read on >

College students often put on weight during their freshman year, and a lack of structured exercise may be largely to blame, a new study suggests. Weight gain is so common among first-year college students that it has spawned the phrase “the freshman 15” — though that figure is something of a myth. More often, studies…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, Sept.1, 2021Sugar is killing Americans in droves, according to researchers who found that reducing the sweetener in packaged foods and beverages could prevent more than 2 million strokes, heart attacks and cardiac arrests. Less sugary packaged foods and drinks would also curb nearly a half-million heart-related deaths and an even greater number of diabetes…  read on >  read on >