New antiviral pills for COVID-19 recently authorized for emergency use in high-risk people by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should give doctors an easier means of keeping people out of the hospital. But the initial hype is giving way to reality, as doctors and public health officials grapple with the challenges of getting the…  read on >  read on >

Hearing loss can happen with advancing age, but fewer American women appear to be affected now than in the past. Researchers who studied hearing loss between 2008 and 2017 found in the earliest of those years, 16.3% of older U.S. adults reported serious hearing loss. But by 2017 that had dropped to 14.8%, or 739,000…  read on >  read on >

A program meant to encourage the use of a drug that can help people overcome opioid addiction led to dramatic increases in its use in emergency rooms, researchers report. Buprenorphine is a medication that stabilizes opioid withdrawal and soothes cravings. Using it can help people with opioid use disorder stay engaged with care, while reducing…  read on >  read on >

Every year in the United States, a few hundred children die suddenly and without explanation. Now researchers have found gene variants that may contribute to some of those tragic deaths. The hope, experts said, is that understanding the underlying mechanisms will eventually lead to ways to save lives. Since the 1990s, the term SIDS —…  read on >  read on >

Kid-friendly flavored e-cigarettes are still widely available online and in stores, despite a federal judge’s ruling that should have pulled the products off store shelves by early September, a new report shows. The judge’s ruling follows on U.S. Food and Drug Administration action that is nearly two years old. Citing risks to vulnerable children, the…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Just how SARS-CoV-2 eludes the human immune system has mystified scientists for close to two years, but now they’ve uncovered an important clue. Turns out the virus that causes COVID-19 has some stealth moves that allow it to spread from cell to cell, hiding from the immune system,…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) – While some plastic surgeons recommend no exercise for weeks after breast augmentation, new research suggests the ban may not be necessary. A new clinical trial found that women who resumed exercise after one week off did not have more complications and were more satisfied with results of their…  read on >  read on >