Residents of nursing homes have been a particularly at-risk group throughout the pandemic, and the advent of the fast-spreading Omicron variant has them facing another wave of infections and deaths, new data shows. During the week ending Jan. 9, U.S. nursing homes reported more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases and 645 deaths among its residents, according…  read on >  read on >

Astronauts can develop a condition called space anemia because their bodies destroy more red blood cells than normal when in space, a groundbreaking study shows. Assessments of 14 astronauts over six months between space missions found that 54% more blood cells were destroyed while they were in space than when they were on Earth, according…  read on >  read on >

Flu vaccines protect children against serious illness, even when the vaccine doesn’t match the circulating flu virus, according to a new study that reinforces the importance of flu shots. Flu viruses are constantly changing, and the effectiveness of flu vaccines can be influenced by the similarity between the viruses used in vaccine production and the…  read on >  read on >

Quitting smoking is a daunting challenge for anyone, but a new international study suggests that women may struggle more than men to kick the habit. Women were less likely than men to be successful on their first day of trying to quit, a critical predictor of long-term success, researchers found, although the team also discovered…  read on >  read on >

Shoveling snow may trigger a heart attack if you’re not careful, especially if you already have risk factors, an expert warns. The combination of shoveling and cold weather can cause your arteries to spasm and constrict, explained Dr. Sam Kazziha, chief of cardiovascular services at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Detroit. “During the snow season…  read on >  read on >

Think you’re safe from lung cancer because you’ve never smoked? Think again. While cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, it’s possible to get the disease without ever lighting up. “Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer,” said Dr. Missak Haigentz Jr., chief of Thoracic and Head and Neck Medical Oncology at Rutgers…  read on >  read on >

Unvaccinated pregnant women are putting themselves and their baby at risk for serious complications of COVID-19, according to new research out of Scotland. For women who have the virus within 28 days of their delivery date, those complications include preterm births, stillbirths and newborn deaths. Infant deaths are four times higher among unvaccinated women, the…  read on >  read on >

Want to look more alluring? Wear a mask. Really. That’s the takeaway from Welsh researchers who found that masking up may make men look more attractive to the opposite sex and that some kinds of masks do a better job of this than others. “Research carried out before the pandemic found medical face masks reduce…  read on >  read on >