President Joe Biden upped the country’s daily coronavirus vaccination goal to 1.5 million on Monday, even as more infectious variants surfaced across America. “I think with the grace of God . . . we’ll be able to get that [vaccinations] to 1.5 million a day,” Biden said during a media briefing. Initially, Biden had promised… read on > read on >
Kids aren’t scared when surgical staff wear personal protective equipment (PPE), and many feel reassured by use of the gear, researchers say. Anxiety is common before, during and after surgery, and can result in complications such as pain and delayed recovery. Concerns have been raised that seeing staffers wearing PPE such as hoods, masks and… read on > read on >
All Alzheimer’s disease patients and their family caregivers should be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America says. “Getting vaccinated is one of the most important steps families affected by Alzheimer’s disease can take to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Dr. J. Wesson Ashford, chair of the foundation’s medical, scientific and memory… read on > read on >
Could the color of your hair as you age be determined by the color of your skin? Yes, according to new research that suggests race plays a role in when and how your hair goes gray. The scientists conducted a search of 69 publications to review what’s known about changes in hair as people age,… read on > read on >
Talk therapy for new mothers with postpartum depression may also benefit their babies’ brains, Canadian researchers say. “We found that after their moms were treated that their infant’s brain activity normalized to the levels seen in our healthy infants,” said study co-author Ryan Van Lieshout, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at McMaster… read on > read on >
Giving melanoma patients a “personalized” vaccine can prompt an anti-tumor immune response that lasts for years, an early study finds. The study involved just eight patients with advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. But it builds on earlier work showing it is possible to spur the immune system to respond to an individual’s… read on > read on >
Full doses of blood thinners can benefit patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but the severity of their illness matters, researchers say. The new global analysis found that hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 may benefit from the drugs’ clot-preventing powers, but patients with illness so severe it requires admission to an intensive care unit may not. “SARS-CoV-2… read on > read on >
As more infectious coronavirus variants first detected in Britain and South Africa circulate globally, President Joe Biden plans to bar travel by non-citizens into the United States from South Africa. A White House official said Sunday that the South Africa travel ban would go into effect on Jan. 30 and that an existing ban would… read on > read on >
Irene Greenhalgh, 83, considers herself a pretty computer-savvy senior, but even she got lost in a maze of websites and e-mails trying to get an appointment for her COVID-19 vaccine. One health provider’s e-mail provided links to sites that were giving vaccinations, but the dates listed were a week old. A board of health’s website… read on > read on >
Electronic ‘early warning systems’ for kidney damage in hospital patients don’t improve outcomes, researchers say. These systems are meant to alert for acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI, a sudden decrease in the kidney’s filtration function, occurs in 15% of hospital patients and increases the risk of death 10-fold. The systems give an automated alert in… read on > read on >
