Think what happens online stays online? Think again. According to new research, a social media diss can leave people feeling genuinely hurt and ostracized. “Social media ostracism means being excluded or ignored online on social media networks like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter,” explained lead study author Christiane Büttner. She’s a PhD candidate in the department…  read on >  read on >

President Joe Biden plans to announce his latest battle plan for fighting the formidable Omicron variant on Tuesday, with measures to include distributing 500 million free rapid COVID tests to the public, opening new federal testing sites, sending out hundreds of federal vaccinators, and providing 1,000 military medical personnel to bolster beleaguered hospitals. The measures,…  read on >  read on >

The first injection drug to prevent HIV infection was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday. “Today’s approval adds an important tool in the effort to end the HIV epidemic by providing the first option to prevent HIV that does not involve taking a daily pill,” Dr. Debra Birnkrant, director of the…  read on >  read on >

Cortisone injections have gotten a bad rap in recent years as a treatment for arthritis pain, because steroids are known to damage cartilage and could potentially cause the joint to further deteriorate. But a new study suggests that if used wisely, cortisone shots are as safe as another type of injection used to treat knee…  read on >  read on >

You might have heard a lot about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and its role in cervical cancer, but this sexually transmitted virus can also cause another type of cancer. Rates of oropharyngeal cancer, which occurs in the middle part of the throat, are rising rapidly among older men throughout the United States. They’re also growing…  read on >  read on >

Far from terrorizing people as they did in “Jaws,” sharks may offer humanity hope in fending off future coronavirus outbreaks, new research suggests. That’s because their immune systems have unique antibody-like proteins called VNARs that can prevent the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants from infecting human cells, the researchers said. The findings…  read on >  read on >

There’s a very low risk of heart inflammation after getting the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new study that adds to previous research supporting the safety of the shots. The two mRNA vaccines had been linked in some studies with an increased risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and myopericarditis…  read on >  read on >