When people have both chronic dry eye and depression, their eye symptoms may be worse, a new study finds. Researchers said the exact nature of the link is not clear: Does depression affect the severity of dry eye disease? Or do particularly troublesome eye symptoms feed depression? But the gist, they say, is that depression… read on > read on >
A recently identified hybrid of the Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants is unlikely to become a serious threat, scientists say. The new hybrid, first found in samples collected in France in January, is formally called the AY.4/BA.1 recombinant but has been nicknamed Deltacron by some. Thirty-three samples of the new variant have been found in… read on > read on >
A number of COVID medications have proven their mettle against the “stealth” BA.2 Omicron variant in lab tests, but it’s not clear how effective they would be in real-world use, researchers report. Some evidence suggests that BA.2 can spread more quickly than the already highly contagious earlier BA.1 variant. In lab experiments using non-human primate… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Mark Brodie was sitting behind his laptop in his home office, grading student papers for a mobile applications class he taught at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Suddenly he couldn’t get his thoughts in order. Everything on the screen and in his mind felt jumbled. He’d… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — When Paula Gallagher arrived at a rehabilitation center five days after her stroke, she felt overwhelmed and devastated. She also couldn’t speak. The clot that reached her brain had stolen her voice. Gallagher, who lives in Madison, Connecticut, was diagnosed with a form of Broca’s aphasia,… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, March 11, 2022 — Sick people seeking lifesaving care in the United States could fall victim to a hidden part of Russia’s war on Ukraine — vicious cyberattacks aimed at sowing disruption, confusion and chaos as ground forces advance. Cybersecurity experts warn that attacks launched against Ukrainian institutions have the potential to spill over… read on > read on >
This season’s flu shot offered virtually no protection against infection, a new government report shows. While this latest vaccine only cut the risk of getting a mild case of flu by 16%, the agency has noted that flu vaccines typically reduce the risk of illness by 40% to 60%. Still, the shot should offer some… read on > read on >
Women plagued by frequent urinary tract infections often take daily antibiotics to ward them off. But an old antibiotic alternative might work just as well, a new clinical trial finds. Researchers found that the medication, called methenamine, was comparable to standard, low-dose antibiotics in preventing women’s recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Either treatment curbed the… read on > read on >
Inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and continuing concerns about money and COVID-19 have Americans more stressed than ever, a new poll conducted last week reveals. The biggest concerns: rising costs of food, energy and other everyday items due to inflation (87%); supply chain issues (81%); global uncertainty (81%); Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (80%), and potential… read on > read on >
Spring and fall time changes for daylight saving time should be scrapped because they pose health and safety risks, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) says. Moving clocks ahead and losing an hour of sleep presents hazards that include: an increase in car crashes and fatal crashes; a rise in missed medical appointments; a… read on > read on >
