It looks like coronavirus variants can hide out in the human body much like some of their viral cousins do, making it hard for infected people to get rid of the virus entirely, researchers report. Successive variants have appeared since the original version of SARS-CoV-2 triggered the global pandemic, and vaccines and antibody treatments have…  read on >  read on >

If you’re a parent using Similac, Alimentum or EleCare infant formulas, here’s updated facts on the ongoing product recall. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates, Abbott Nutrition has recalled certain powdered formulas made at its Sturgis, Mich., facility. The products have been linked to bacterial infections in five babies. All had to be…  read on >  read on >

During the pandemic’s first year, the risk of dying shot up nearly 26% among American seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study reveals. Minorities faced even higher odds of death, either as a direct result of COVID or because of disruptions in health care, researchers found. The main culprit: Unintended fallout from abrupt changes to…  read on >  read on >

If you’ve had hernia repair surgery and you think you’ve solved your medical issue for good, you might be wrong. A hernia occurs when an internal organ pushes through a weak region of muscle or tissue, often creating a noticeable bulge. Hernias typically do not improve without surgery. Left untreated, a hernia can cause severe…  read on >  read on >

Some portable tech devices equipped with powerful magnets can interfere with your heart implant’s ability to regulate dangerous irregular heart rhythms, a new study reports. Swiss researchers found that Apple AirPods Pro, the Microsoft Surface Pen and the Apple Pencil all can temporarily throw a pacemaker/defibrillator off if they are held too close to the…  read on >  read on >

Minimum staffing levels will be a main feature of a major overhaul of U.S. nursing homes that President Joe Biden is expected to announce in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Staffing levels are considered a critical marker for nursing home quality, but the pandemic has left many facilities short of nurses, nursing…  read on >  read on >

E-cigarette and hookah water pipe users may be at greater risk than tobacco cigarette smokers for cancers of the nose, sinuses and throat, according to a new study. That’s because vapers and hookah users are more than twice as likely to exhale smoke through their nose as cigarette smokers, who typically exhale smoke through the…  read on >  read on >