An experimental Lyme disease vaccine shows promise in animal studies and could also help protect against other tick-borne diseases, researchers say. The vaccine — which relies on the same mRNA technology used by some COVID-19 vaccines — protected guinea pigs against infection by Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The vaccine doesn’t trigger… read on > read on >
COVID-19 booster shots trigger much stronger and longer protection than full vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, according to a small study. It also found that the response to a booster is even greater in fully vaccinated people who have had infections. “Because these antibody levels are so robust, the booster… read on > read on >
Physiotherapist David Putrino was working on a vibrating glove to help deaf people experience live music when a friend mentioned that the same technology might stop tremors in people with Parkinson’s disease. Putrino, director of rehabilitation innovation for Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, was intrigued. The friend’s father had Parkinson’s, so they… read on > read on >
The evidence against vaping is mounting, and a new study now links e-cigarettes with an increased risk for broken bones. Over time, vaping appears to increase the risk for fracture of the hip, spine and wrist by 46%, according to the findings. Researchers said these fractures happen from falls while standing and even from lower… read on > read on >
Don’t drive drunk. That’s simple and obvious advice. And it appears ridesharing services are making it easier for people to take it. In a new study that looked at Chicago data, more rideshare trips meant fewer alcohol-involved crashes. “This study was designed to look specifically at drunk driver crashing,” said study author Christopher Morrison. “When… read on > read on >
MONDAY, Nov. 22, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Headaches, brain fog and that peculiar inability to smell or taste things. By now, most people know these symptoms as a few of the hallmarks of COVID-19. Researchers say they are a clear indication the virus impacts neurological functions. But what that impact means to long-term… read on > read on >
Most prescriptions for the medication gabapentin are for unapproved uses — and many patients end up taking it along with drugs that create potentially dangerous interactions. That’s the conclusion of a new study that looked at “off-label” use of gabapentin. In the United States, the drug is officially approved for treating certain seizures and some… read on > read on >
As American families sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving, a majority of parents say they want to raise grateful kids but they don’t think they’re succeeding. Four out of five respondents to a new nationwide poll said children aren’t as thankful as they should be, and half worry that they overindulge their own kids. Two in… read on > read on >
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who take medications that suppress the immune system don’t have a higher risk of severe COVID-19 than those with normal immune systems, a new study finds. Early in the pandemic, it was feared that people taking immunosuppressive drugs were at increased risk of severe COVID-19 due to their weakened immune systems. The… read on > read on >
Tight blood pressure control — not too high and not too low — during surgery for spinal cord injuries may improve patients’ outcomes, a new study suggests. “Damage to neurons in spinal cord injuries leads to dysregulation of blood pressure, which in turn limits the supply of blood and oxygen to stressed spinal cord tissue,… read on > read on >
