The coronavirus infects the genitals of male monkeys, claims a small study that may shed some light on symptoms such as erectile dysfunction that have been reported by some men with COVID-19. Special whole body scans were used to detect sites of coronavirus infection in three male rhesus macaques and those revealed that the virus… read on > read on >
All Mommy:
Early Menopause May Raise a Woman’s Odds for Dementia
Women who enter menopause early may be more likely to develop dementia later in life, new research indicates. During menopause, production of the female sex hormone estrogen drops dramatically and a woman’s periods come to an end. While women typically enter menopause in their early 50s, many do so earlier — either naturally or due… read on > read on >
CDC Estimates US COVID Infections Now Close to 140 million
The United States has had about 140 million COVID infections since the start of the pandemic, new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. That number is far higher than the 74.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide as of Jan. 31. The new findings are from the CDC’s national antibody seroprevalence… read on > read on >
Biden Unveils New ‘Test to Treat’ Plan as Key Part of New COVID Strategy
A new “test to treat” plan will be a key part of a revamped national strategy to return the country to normal, President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. The new testing initiative would provide Americans with new antiviral medications as soon as they learn they are infected, Biden… read on > read on >
Infected People Gain Long-Lasting Immunity Against Coronavirus: Study
People who’ve had COVID-19 may have long-term immune protection against new variants of the virus, but researchers say vaccination remains the best safeguard against reinfection. Their small new study analyzed blood samples from 24 people whose COVID infections ranged from symptom-free to severe enough to send them to the hospital. While those who had mild… read on > read on >
Variants of COVID Virus May ‘Hide Out’ in Body: Study
It looks like coronavirus variants can hide out in the human body much like some of their viral cousins do, making it hard for infected people to get rid of the virus entirely, researchers report. Successive variants have appeared since the original version of SARS-CoV-2 triggered the global pandemic, and vaccines and antibody treatments have… read on > read on >
What You Need to Know About the Infant Formula Recall
If you’re a parent using Similac, Alimentum or EleCare infant formulas, here’s updated facts on the ongoing product recall. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates, Abbott Nutrition has recalled certain powdered formulas made at its Sturgis, Mich., facility. The products have been linked to bacterial infections in five babies. All had to be… read on > read on >
Is Pandemic Social Media Use Worsening Tic Disorders in Teens?
For reasons that remain murky, new research warns that a spike in social media use during the pandemic might have worsened tic disorders in children. Tics are sudden twitches, movements or sounds that people do repeatedly because they can’t control their body. In the study, 90% of 20 tic patients aged 11 to 21 said… read on > read on >
Cloth Masks Don’t Cut It for Keeping COVID Away
If you’re counting on a cloth mask to protect you from COVID-19, you may need to re-think that strategy, a new study shows. Researchers found that cloth face masks do little to fend off tiny airborne particles, while concluding that specialized N95 and similar masks do a much better job. “Masks are air filters, and… read on > read on >
Fewer Breast Cancers May Be ‘Overdiagnosed’ by Mammograms Than Thought
Screening mammograms can lead to overdiagnosis of breast cancer, but a new study finds it happens less often than experts have thought. Researchers estimated that about 15% of breast cancers caught through routine mammography screening are overdiagnoses — meaning the tumors would never have caused harm if they had not been detected. The figure suggests… read on > read on >