Danish researchers have found genetic causes for epilepsy in half of children they studied and said half of those could be treated with targeted therapies. That’s the upshot of genetic testing of 290 children born between 2006 and 2011. Some had been diagnosed with epilepsy. Others had had seizures along with a high temperature; they… read on > read on >
Boat traffic picks up on Labor Day weekend, and the Safe Boating Campaign offers some safety reminders for those leaving shore. “No matter your age, wear a life jacket from the moment you reach the dock and while you’re out on the water,” Yvonne Pentz, communications director of the National Safe Boating Council, said in… read on > read on >
It’s still not OK to kiss your chickens or your ducklings — you could catch a salmonella infection from barnyard birds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered that warning before, and now an agriculture expert reminds backyard farmers that it’s better to have a less hands-on approach with their feathered friends.… read on > read on >
Top U.S. health officials have reportedly warned the White House to curtail its plans to offer COVID-19 booster shots to Americans later this month. Leaders of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both told White House pandemic coordinator Jeffrey Zients in a meeting Tuesday that their… read on > read on >
A new coronavirus variant called Mu that may be able to evade existing antibodies, including those from vaccines, is under close watch by U.S. health officials. The variant hasn’t taken extensive hold in the United States at this point, but the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is taking it “very seriously,” according… read on > read on >
An ongoing study of more than 6 million Americans found no serious side effects linked to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. “These results from our safety surveillance are reassuring,” said Dr. Nicola Klein, director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, Calif. She spoke in a Kaiser Permanente news release. Klein is also a leader… read on > read on >
Former Marine Cpl. Claudia Mitchell can hold a banana or a water bottle in her left hand without squishing it as she opens it. She can use her left hand to help cut peaches for a pie. She can hold someone’s hand without squeezing too hard, and she can grab her makeup bag with just… read on > read on >
COVID-19 care is likely to get more expensive for Americans with the expiration of insurers’ temporary waivers on costs associated with treating the illness. Earlier in the pandemic, patients didn’t have their normal co-payments or deductibles for emergency room visits or hospital stays for COVID-19, and most tests were also free, The New York Times… read on > read on >
Just because you didn’t have a significant reaction after your COVID-19 shot doesn’t mean it’s not working, researchers say. “It wasn’t known if a lack of symptoms following vaccination or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection would indicate a less-than-adequate antibody response in people who received either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, so we studied an available group… read on > read on >
If other people’s fidgeting drives you nuts, you may be one of many people with a condition called misokinesia, which means “hatred of movements,” Canadian researchers report. They conducted experiments with more than 4,100 people and found that about one-third have the condition. Typically, folks with misokinesia “experience reactions such as anger, anxiety or frustration”… read on > read on >
