Getting another shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine substantially increased its protection, the company announced Tuesday. According to the results of a new clinical trial, two doses of the vaccine boosts immunity to 94% from the 74% offered by a single dose, the company said in a statement. “Our single-shot vaccine generates strong… read on > read on >
Many middle-aged adults with apparently healthy hearts have a “silent” buildup of fatty deposits in their arteries, a large, new study shows. Researchers found that of more than 25,000 50- to 64-year-olds, about 42% had signs of atherosclerosis — a buildup of “plaques” in the arteries that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.… read on > read on >
Infants may show early signs of autism, but a diagnosis usually isn’t made until age 3. Now, a new study suggests that jumpstarting therapy might stave off that diagnosis altogether. Researchers say their preemptive, parent-led intervention could have a significant impact on children’s social development and longer-term disabilities. “What we found is that the babies… read on > read on >
Older children and kids with chronic diseases are those most likely to wind up in the hospital with COVID-19, researchers have found. Conditions such as obesity, diabetes and neurologic problems, among others, put kids at risk for severe COVID-19, according to a new U.S. study. “There’s a myth circulating out there that children don’t get… read on > read on >
As the highly contagious Delta variant has swept across the United States, the country has reached a tragic milestone. COVID-19 has now killed more Americans than the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic did, when roughly 675,000 people died. It didn’t have to be that way. “Big pockets of American society — and worse, their leaders —… read on > read on >
That feeling that many people are collectively experiencing right now? It’s grief. Some may be living through the loss of family, friends or colleagues who have died from the COVID-19 virus. Others have had losses that would be considered major life events, such as a job layoff. Many have lost recreation, social support and relationships.… read on > read on >
Living within a few blocks of a shooting increases the risk that a child will end up visiting the emergency department for mental health-related problems, researchers say. The new study found significant increases in mental health-related ER visits in the two weeks after a neighborhood shooting, especially among kids who lived closest to it and… read on > read on >
Liver cancer is on the rise in rural America, but on a downswing in cities, new research shows. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and the fastest-growing cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It’s rising at an annual rate of nearly 6% in rural areas, approaching rates seen… read on > read on >
Potentially dangerous symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are not always immediately recognized by primary care providers, new research suggests. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar used for energy by cells. Between 5% and 10% of cases of diabetes are type 1,… read on > read on >
Starting in November, the United States plans to lift travel restrictions on people coming from overseas who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This move by the Biden administration will open the United States to relatives separated from families as well as business travelers. The restrictions, involving many European countries, China, Iran and Brazil, have been… read on > read on >
