Long stints on the night shift could set you up for the dangerous heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation (a-fib), new research suggests. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 283,000 people in the UK Biobank database, and found that those who worked night shifts on a usual or permanent basis…  read on >  read on >

Anesthesia is a vital part of almost every surgery, but unexpected bills for the service can cause a lot of pain. Now, a new study finds that these costs fell in several states that introduced legislation targeting “surprise” billing. “These price declines show that state surprise billing laws both directly lower out-of-network prices and indirectly…  read on >  read on >

With roughly 100 million stockpiled doses of coronavirus vaccine in hand, the Biden Administration is developing a plan to start offering booster shots to many Americans as early as this fall. Among the first to receive them could be health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, officials said. On Sunday, Dr. Francis…  read on >  read on >

All Canadian airline, cruise ship and rail travelers, as well as all government employees will be required to have COVID-19 vaccinations as early as September, officials said Sunday. The government said in a news release that it will consult with “key stakeholders, including bargaining agents and transportation sector operators, as we plan for the implementation…  read on >  read on >

The wildfire smoke now smothering wide portions of the United States isn’t just stinging eyes and tightening chests — it also might be contributing to the current surge of severe COVID-19 cases. Data from three Western states subject to frequent wildfires shows that COVID-19 cases and deaths increase with the amount of smoke pollution in…  read on >  read on >

Rewards such as “likes” and “shares” fuel expressions of moral outrage on social media because they reward people who post such messages, a new study suggests. “Social media’s incentives are changing the tone of our political conversations online,” said first author William Brady, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.…  read on >  read on >

COVID-19 vaccination triggers a strong immune response in people with HIV, meaning they’re likely protected against the coronavirus, a new, small study shows. “Previous research has suggested a suboptimal response to COVID-19 vaccines in people living with HIV; however, these studies did not fully characterize and define that response, both for cellular [where the immune…  read on >  read on >