The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted emergency approval of a new antibody cocktail to prevent COVID infection in people who have weakened immune systems or who can’t tolerate COVID vaccines. “Vaccines have proven to be the best defense available against COVID-19. However, there are certain immune-compromised individuals who may not mount an…  read on >  read on >

A condition called “diabetic retinopathy” often threatens the vision of adults with diabetes, but new research suggests that kids with type 2 diabetes may be particularly vulnerable to the vision-robbing complication. In fact, these kids were nearly twice as likely to develop the condition as children with type 1 diabetes were, the researchers found. “The…  read on >  read on >

The smoke from wildfires is dangerous for your lungs, but tiny particles from the smoke can also enter your brain and cause lifelong neurological issues, a new animal study suggests. Once that happens, the particles may put people at risk for everything from premature aging and various forms of dementia to depression and even psychosis,…  read on >  read on >

Regular physical activity has all sorts of benefits, and now researchers say it may help ward off serious pneumonia. Until now, it wasn’t clear how exercise affected the risk of pneumonia, an infection of the lung tissue usually caused by bacteria or viruses. To find out, researchers analyzed 10 studies that included a total of…  read on >  read on >

Public health experts have long recommended getting a seasonal flu shot, but a new study suggests there’s hesitancy about that vaccine, too. Physicians and pharmacists can play a key role in flu shot uptake, the research shows. Only about 44% of people who had a health care provider got their flu shots, the study found,…  read on >  read on >

Dirty air could cancel out some of the brain benefits of exercise, a new study suggests. “Physical activity is associated with improved markers of brain health in areas with lower air pollution,” said study author Melissa Furlong. “However, some beneficial effects essentially disappeared for vigorous physical activity in areas with the highest levels of air…  read on >  read on >