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Reduced levels of the cholinergic-system enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) may provide another piece of the puzzle for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), preliminary data from Australian researchers suggested. A small case-control study led by Carmel T. Barrington, PhD, a sleep medicine expert and honorary research fellow at the Children”s Hospital at Westmead (Australia), found that measurements

Well over two years into the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of COVID cases continue to be recorded around the world every day. With the rise of new variants, the symptoms of COVID have also evolved. Initially, the NHS regarded a fever, cough, and loss or change in sense of smell or taste as the main

Calling the death of 75-year-old patient Charlene Murphey a “terrible, terrible mistake,” a Tennessee judge sentenced former nurse RaDonda Vaught, RN, to 3 years of supervised probation on Friday. Before sentencing, a tearful Vaught, 38, asked for leniency and apologized for the first time to the Murphey family. “I’m sorry I haven’t said this sooner.

NEW ORLEANS — Robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion compared with open radical cystectomy among patients with non-metastatic bladder cancer resulted in a statistically significant increase in days alive and out of the hospital, according to results from the iROC trial. Within 90 days of surgery, patients undergoing robotic surgery spent a median of

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that among vaccinated people who died in January and February less than a third had a booster shot. Those who got a single round of the COVID-19 vaccine but not a booster shot are three times more likely to die. The difference in the death rate between vaccinated

The number of men with prostate cancer who opted for active surveillance (AS)   doubled nationally between 2014 and 2021, according to experts who say the dramatic increase reflects a growing understanding among both researchers and patients that low-grade prostate tumors can be safely watched for years without requiring treatment. Dr Matthew Cooperberg Roughly 60% of

About 450 cases and 11 deaths linked to a mysterious hepatitis outbreak in children have been reported worldwide so far this year. About 105 of the cases were identified in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), noted the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in an update Wednesday. While most of the countries, such as

The “Twincretin” era for treating patients with type 2 diabetes has begun, with the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approval of tirzepatide for this indication on May 13, making it the first approved agent that works as a dual agonist for the two principal human incretins. Tirzepatide represents “an important advance in the treatment

NEW ORLEANS — Formal medical studies of vibrators have revealed positive effects on multiple sexual and urinary outcomes in women, a review of published literature showed. Though limited in number, the studies induced favorable changes in blood flow and muscle tone of genital tissues, improved multiple aspects of sexual arousal and satisfaction, increased orgasmic response,

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc worldwide, medical experts have been taking a more active approach to better understanding long COVID. But to this day, there is still not enough research on how the condition affects children.  Because the gravity of long COVID in kids remains unknown, there is still no official guidance

Pre-procedure urinalysis can be skipped before certain office-based urology procedures, such as prostate biopsy and cystoscopy, according to the results of a randomized trial. Some centers perform the pre-procedure test to avoid urinary tract infections (UTIs), a feared iatrogenic complication, but the new findings indicate the step is unnecessary. These results “will alter screening urinalysis

Severe COVID results in cognitive impairment similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent of losing ten IQ points, our latest research shows. The effects are still detectable more than six months after the acute illness, and recovery is, at best, gradual. There is growing evidence that COVID

An investigative synthetic cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) agonist, lenabasum, was associated with greater improvements than placebo in patients with skin-predominant dermatomyositis — some of it statistically significant — in a phase 2 double-blind, randomized, controlled study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Patients taking lenabasum experienced greater reductions in the Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease

NEW ORLEANS — While vaginal estrogen therapy is safe and effective for genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), few women who have had breast cancer use it, researchers reported here. Breast cancer survivors with GSM were half as likely to be prescribed vaginal estrogen compared to women with GSM and no history of breast cancer (11%

While the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be more contagious, they don’t necessarily make the people who are infected with them sicker, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, the World’s Health Organization’s (WHO) technical lead on COVID-19. Van Kerkhove gave insight into the two sublineages of the Omicron variant on Wednesday during a WHO Q&A

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials on Friday announced a $119 million settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. Republican Gov. Brad Little and Republican Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said it’s the second-largest consumer settlement in state history, trailing only the 1998 national tobacco

Experiencing shoulder pain may not always be serious, but it can greatly affect your daily routine, activities, and overall well-being if not managed properly. Any pain in or around the shoulder joint is considered shoulder pain. It’s where the upper arm bones, shoulder blades, and collarbone connect, making it painful and difficult to move or

People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and a lean or healthy body mass index (BMI) are at increased risk for peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease, a surprise finding from a new study reveals. “Our team had expected to see that those with a normal BMI would have a lower prevalence of any

[embedded content] Join medical resident Siobhan Deshauer, MD, as she visits three hospitals for inpatient rheumatology. (Following is a partial transcript. Note that errors are possible.) Deshauer: Hey, guys. I’m Siobhan, a fifth year medical resident specializing in rheumatology. Today I’m covering the inpatient rheumatology service, which means we’re seeing patients in all three hospitals

If you’re constantly sneezing, coughing, or experiencing a sore throat, the first thing you might think about is colds or flu. It is actually difficult to distinguish because they have similar symptoms. However, those can also be signs of allergies. Colds, flu, and allergy affect your respiratory system, mainly the nose and throat, which commonly

The CDC updated its recommendations for doctors and public health officials regarding the unusual outbreak of acute hepatitis among children. As of May 5, the CDC and state health departments are investigating 109 children with hepatitis of unknown origin across 25 states and territories. More than half have tested positive for adenovirus, the CDC said.

As breakthrough infections have become more common in recent months, a growing share of COVID-19-related deaths is being reported among vaccinated people. But experts are confident that booster shots help lower the mortality risk.  The gap between the recorded fatalities in the vaccinated and unvaccinated has been very wide since the start of the pandemic.

Treatment with the diabetes drug exenatide was associated with a significant decrease in hyperglycemia in acute stroke patients, a new study shows. The research could offer clinicians an alternative to insulin therapy to treat hyperglycemia and reduce glucose levels, which are elevated in up to 60% of stroke patients and associated with worse outcomes after

More than half of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, during the initial outbreak reported at least one symptom a couple of years later, researchers found. The proportion of COVID-19 survivors with at least one sequelae symptom 2 years later came in at 55%, and the most frequent symptoms were fatigue or muscle weakness,

What makes the brains of people with psychopathy different from the brains of those who don’t? A team of researchers found a specific region of the brain that’s actually larger in psychopathic individuals. Individuals with psychopathic traits tend to have personalities marked by superficial charm, impulsiveness, insensitivity to consequences and a lack of empathy and emotional sensitivity. Often,

A qualitative analysis of 20 people with head and neck cancer (HNC) has led to recommendations for improvements in care. HNC has a high burden of treatment-related adverse events, along with frequent trouble with speech, swallowing, facial disfigurement, and psychological distress. Among cancer patients, “they have the highest rates of emergency department use and hospitalization

A new study is shedding light on the benefits of getting a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose or a second booster amid the ongoing pandemic. The findings may strengthen the public’s trust as the medical community continues to figure out a long-term solution for the novel coronavirus.  The team behind the research aimed to investigate the

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Rising COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations likely mean we’re in a new phase of the pandemic. And the number of Americans dying from COVID-19 is also anticipated to grow, although the surge in the short term is not expected to look