Researchers say an extra dose of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines may improve immune system protection for organ transplant patients, a group that’s so far responded poorly to two-dose vaccines. “Our findings suggest clinical trials are warranted to determine if transplant recipients should receive COVID-19 vaccine booster doses as standard clinical practice, similar to what is currently… read on > read on >
More teens in the United States are reporting their sexual identity as gay, lesbian or bisexual, nationwide surveys show. Between 2015 and 2019, the percentage of 15- to 17-year-olds who said they identified as “non-heterosexual” rose from 8.3% to 11.7%, according to nationwide surveys by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Although our… read on > read on >
Just a fraction of older Americans with arthritic knees try physical therapy, pain-relieving injections or other more conservative measures before undergoing knee replacement surgery, new research shows. And this may be driven by what type of doctor they see to treat their achy knees, as well as where they live, the study findings suggest. Knee… read on > read on >
Children may have an increased risk of obesity if their mothers were exposed to high levels of air pollution during pregnancy, researchers say. In a new study, 123 Hispanic mother-infant pairs were enrolled in an ongoing trial in the Los Angeles region. Before pregnancy, about one-third of the mothers were normal weight, one-third were overweight… read on > read on >
While COVID-19 vaccination rates may lag among some groups, that’s not the case for practicing physicians in the United States. More than 96% are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with no significant difference in vaccination rates across regions, according to a new survey from the American Medical Association (AMA). Even among the 4% not yet vaccinated,… read on > read on >
An experimental Alzheimer’s vaccine appears to safely clear abnormal tau protein from the brain, but it’s not yet clear whether the shot will be able to save brain function. In a Phase 2 clinical trial, the vaccine produced high levels of antibodies to target and attack free-floating tau proteins before they can form “tau tangles”… read on > read on >
The vast majority of editors at leading medical journals are white — with few of those influential spots going to Black or Hispanic professionals, a new study finds. The study comes on the heels of a controversy that prompted the resignation of the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It all started… read on > read on >
Novavax, a Maryland biotechnology company that has struggled mightily with delays in developing its coronavirus vaccine, announced Monday that its two-shot regimen was over 90% effective overall in a trial that unfolded even as more contagious variants emerged. Among 30,000 volunteers — all of them from either the United States or Mexico — vaccinated people… read on > read on >
British researchers report that babies have a strong immune response to the virus that causes COVID-19, based on a new, small study. For the research, the investigators assessed the immune systems of four infants under 3 months of age who had recovered from COVID, and compared them with adults who also had recovered from the… read on > read on >
Parents need to know that COVID-19 shots are safe and effective for kids age 12 and older, an expert says. While the Pfizer vaccine is approved in the United States for emergency use in this age group, parents may need reassurance, said Dr. Jessica Ericson, an infectious disease pediatrician at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital… read on > read on >
