A cheap and widely available antidepressant drug called fluvoxamine may reduce COVID-19 patients’ risk of serious illness requiring hospitalization, according to a new study. The trial included almost 1,500 unvaccinated outpatients in Brazil. All of the patients tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2 and were deemed to be at high risk for a severe case… read on > read on >
Women’s symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may vary with their menstrual cycle, which could have implications for diagnosis and treatment, researchers say. Their study included 40 women between 18 and 33 years of age who had PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as sexual violence or a serious injury. “For women… read on > read on >
The number of U.S. meatpacking workers who were infected during the COVID-19 pandemic is nearly three times higher than previously thought, a U.S. House report shows. It said at least 59,000 workers caught the disease and 269 died as the pandemic raged through the industry last year, and added that companies could have done more… read on > read on >
Anti-vaxxers felt their suspicions confirmed when former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell died from COVID-19 complications in mid-October despite being fully vaccinated. But Powell, 84, was being treated for blood cancer at the time of his death, and a new study reports that the COVID vaccines are producing little to no protection for some… read on > read on >
Routine face mask ventilation during an operation doesn’t increase the surgical team’s risk of coronavirus infection, according to a new study. Face mask ventilation is typically used for surgical patients under general anesthesia. However, its designation as an “aerosol-generating procedure” by the World Health Organization has altered operating room procedures and efficiency during the COVID-19… read on > read on >
People who’ve lost their ability to smell and taste due to COVID-19 have significant struggles, but they can find ways to cope with their situation, a new study shows. One of the most common side effects of COVID-19 is the loss of the sense of smell, which severely affects the sense of taste. This can… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27 2021Midlife vision problems could increase women’s risk of depression, new research suggests. Rates of eye problems and depression rise during midlife, but knowledge about how vision affects depression at that time has been limited. The new study identified a significant link between impaired vision and development of depression. “Given that the combination… read on > read on >
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend emergency use of a smaller dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, advancing plans to offer the shots to 28 million young kids across the United States. The vote was nearly unanimous at 17-0, with one abstention, and the… read on > read on >
Teenagers have followed the vaping trend into marijuana use, with recent studies chronicling a boom in pot vaping among adolescents in the United States and Canada, researchers report. The percentage of teens who’ve experimented with vaped pot has more than doubled in recent years, and vaping among frequent marijuana users has quadrupled, according to the… read on > read on >
The Biden Administration on Monday announced a $70 million program to help the makers of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests get U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval more quickly, in a move meant to boost availability of the tests and cut their cost. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) program will help manufacturers produce the data… read on > read on >
