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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — “Mysterious Dolphin” needed an emergency contraception pill dropped off on a porch outside of town. Allison Medulan, a sophomore at Texas A&M University who had just come from biology class, saw the request on her cellphone via an anonymous text hotline. She gathered a box of the one-dose contraceptive, a pregnancy

The COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about the dangers of the virus have diverted attention from the primary response to the crisis — the decision to lock down entire populations. Yet there are important questions to ask. Why did the world go into major lockdown for this infection and not for other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, which

Impaired vision in older adults is an underrecognized and modifiable dementia risk factor, new research suggests. Investigators analyzed estimated population attributable fractions (PAFs) associated with dementia in more than 16,000 older adults. A PAF represents the number of dementia cases that could be prevented if a given risk factor were eliminated. Results showed the PAF

[embedded content] In this video, Mikhail Varshavski, DO — who goes by “Doctor Mike” on social media — looks at unexplainable world records. Following is a transcript of the video (note that errors are possible): Varshavski: Most knuckles cracked in 30 seconds. I think this is my morning routine right here. “Caught on Camera —

A COVID-19 diagnosis within a family could trigger psychological sequelae among members who did not battle the virus. Research has found that family members tend to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms months after a patient’s admission to the intensive care unit.  A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine Monday examined the stress-related

This article was originally published in Portuguese on Medscape. In Latin America, Brazil is the leader in the use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of infection with HIV. It was the first country in the region to establish free national access to prophylaxis through the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) for men who have

The third dose of the Pfizer vaccine may provide sufficient protection against omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants, but it is not for long term. Research has found that the booster dose is only highly effective for three months.  A new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal reported how the protection afforded by the

Zinc use shortly before or after hospitalization of COVID-19 patients didn’t result in benefit, according to findings presented at the 2022 Critical Care Congress, the annual meeting of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. “Zinc use is not correlated to mortality, mechanical ventilation, or [acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)] rates among COVID-19 patients,” said the

I am standing before a team of fellows, residents, medical students, and pharmacists on Monday morning about to start rounds on the oncology service. As the intern is about to dive into the first patient presentation, I take a moment to ask a question: “Is anyone here into aviation?” This is met with an awkward

Many people with severe COVID-19 landed in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the pandemic, but how did this impact their family members who were waiting at their homes? A new study found that many of them were experiencing stress-related disorders months after the ordeal, suggesting that restricting visitations may generate a “secondary public health crisis.”

Older Black adults with newly diagnosed gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies have higher rates of frailty and functional impairments than White patients, according to new findings. Overall, half of Black patients and nearly one third of White patients were frail. Black participants were also significantly more likely to report limitations in walking one block and performing basic

The supply of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill is set to increase dramatically as the United States government looks to make it available in all pharmacies nationwide, Bloomberg reports.  Antiviral pills were meant to be a crucial tool in slowing down hospitalizations, especially as the notoriously contagious Omicron variant was spreading out of control. Pfizer’s pill, known

Treatment with deep brain stimulation improved motor function and quality of life, but depression scores increased after 1 year, based on data from 20 adults. Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) has emerged as an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease symptoms, with evidence supporting improved motor symptoms and quality of life, wrote Francesca Mameli, PsyD,

A drug combination that uses emergency contraception and a cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor may effectively disrupt ovulation, making it the first potential candidate for on-demand, pericoital oral contraception, according to an exploratory pilot study. Among a group of nine patients, six demonstrated ovulation disruption after taking a combination drug of ulipristal acetate (UA) and meloxicam, reported

A man in the United Kingdom was infected with the coronavirus for over 505 days, according to health officials in the country.  The BBC reports that the patient, who remains anonymous, died in the hospital last year and had other comorbidities. he was not hospitalized throughout his entire period of infection, and was in and

Caregivers who brought suicidal adolescents to the emergency department reported safer gun storage practices after firearm counseling ― a crucial way to cut gun deaths among children, according to researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In the study, which took place between June 2021 and Feb 2022, gun safety counseling and handouts were provided to 99

Maintaining a healthy diet is never easy as it requires consistency, perseverance, and a lot of time and effort. Despite the challenges of switching to a healthier diet, many people are starting to consider it. Since healthy eating is often associated with dieting or losing weight, you must keep in mind that you can eat

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. LISBON, Portugal — An overall ninefold increase in COVID-19 antibody levels can be seen with a longer interval between first and second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine in people without prior infection, according to data from the UK government’s SIREN

A steroid combo to beat back septic shock, delirium in COVID-19 patients, and hospital adherence to ventilator standards during the pandemic were examined in studies at the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) virtual Critical Care Congress. No One-Two Punch for Septic Shock A single-center study found that adding fludrocortisone to hydrocortisone did not increase

At age 35, Megan Fox remains to be one of the top celebrities people look up to as their body goals. Ever since her breakout role as Mikaela Banes in the blockbuster action film Transformers in 2007, the star has maintained her figure. This is why a lot of people are intrigued–how does she stay

More than 50% of obese adolescents met criteria for depression, which also was associated with several components of metabolic syndrome, based on data from 160 individuals. Previous research shows that the metabolic consequences of obesity are worsened with the coexistence of depression in adults, but a similar relationship in obese adolescents has not been explored,

Dealing with Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is more difficult than the usual back pain most people experience. It is the kind of back pain felt in the lower back and buttocks commonly caused by damage or injury to the joint between the spine and hips, extending to the groin and thighs. The other causes of

This article was originally published in Spanish on Univadis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons from the cortex, brain stem, and spinal cord. As a result of this disease, motor neurons gradually decrease functioning until they die, which causes progressive and fatal muscular paralysis of the patient. ALS is therefore

The 24-hour news cycle is just as important to medicine as it is to politics, finance, or sports. At MedPage Today, new information is posted daily, but keeping up can be a challenge. As an aid for our readers, here is a 10-question quiz based on the news of the week. Topics include the leading

COVID-19 has been linked to several side effects and conditions as scientists continue to examine SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the respiratory disease that started wreaking havoc in 2020. New research has found that the infection may increase the risk of developing shingles in a certain group of people.  A study published in the journal

Approximately two-thirds of pediatric acute care concerns managed in telemedicine visits required no additional visits or follow-up, based on data from more than 600 visits. The increase in use of telemedicine during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic enabled access to care and connection to doctors for many pediatric patients, said Kristina Kissiova, MD,

COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the country last year, according to the latest mortality report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week.  Top 10 Causes Of Death The latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) offered an overview of provisional mortality data for 2021 and a

Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number-one cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States, a new survey suggests the cardiology workforce may be ill-prepared to care for pregnant and postpartum women. The national survey found that only 29% of practicing cardiologists received cardio-obstetrics didactics during training, and among these, only 13% believed their clinical