Many women suffer through countless urinary tract infections (UTIs), but a new study in mice offers hope that a vaccine could one day bring their nightmares to an end. “Although several vaccines against UTIs have been investigated in clinical trials, they have so far had limited success,” said senior study author Soman Abraham, a professor…  read on >  read on >

Toddlers whose mothers took certain epilepsy drugs during pregnancy are unlikely to have development delays, researchers say. The study may help clear up lingering doubts about use of the drugs by moms-to-be. Controlling seizures is crucial, of course. “Having a seizure during pregnancy may not only harm the mother but possibly the baby as well,…  read on >  read on >

There’s new evidence that fast-spreading variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are more resistant to antibody treatments and vaccines. Researchers assessed variants first identified in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Brazil and found that they can evade antibodies that work well against the original version of the coronavirus that triggered the pandemic. This…  read on >  read on >

Fireworks, skateboards and button batteries are among the products associated with increased trips to the emergency room during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). While ER treatment of product-related injuries fell by about a quarter between March and September of last year, a new report…  read on >  read on >

Like many people this past year, teenager Tyona Montgomery began experiencing a sore throat and a loss of sense of smell and taste in November that suggested she might have COVID-19. A positive test confirmed it, but she quickly felt better. Then, just two weeks later, new symptoms surged. She was disoriented, with a headache…  read on >  read on >

If your teen seems disinterested in school, new research suggests there’s a good chance that things will get better over time. “Our results point to a more hopeful picture for students who start out with lower levels of motivation,” said study senior author Kui Xie, a professor of educational studies at Ohio State University in…  read on >  read on >

The first U.S. case of a Brazilian COVID-19 variant that doctors fear can re-infect the previously sick surfaced in Minnesota in early January 2021, and the more infectious variant has since been found in four other states, a new government report says. Known as the P.1 variant, it first appeared in a Minnesotan who’d recently…  read on >  read on >