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While COVID-19 in 2021 was again the third leading cause of death in the U.S., racial and ethnic disparities narrowed from the year before, provisional CDC data indicated. Overall, 65.2% of the COVID-19 deaths in 2021 were among white individuals, 16.5% were among Hispanic individuals, and 13.3% were among Black individuals. In 2020 these proportions

Many wondered whether the COVID lockdowns would lead to a baby boom or a bust. We finally have some answers – for the UK, at least. Broadly, provisional data from the Office for National Statistics suggests there was a temporary decline in babies conceived during the first three months of the first lockdown in 2020,

This article was originally published in Portuguese on Medscape . Almost one quarter of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have overweight or obesity, according to a study conducted in 14 public clinics in 10 Brazilian cities. The study, published this past January in Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, found that these patients had a higher prevalence of traditional risk factors for micro- and

A group of Stanford students and researchers was able to come up with an antiviral solution that could prevent the spread of certain viruses, including the novel coronavirus. They were able to develop a useful and very affordable nasal drop using chicken eggs and some household items.  Chicken Egg Antibodies The main component of the

Not so fast! Daily fasting with calorie restriction may not lead to shedding more pounds than just cutting back on calories, according to the authors of a new study. Over the course of a year, study participants who ate only from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. did not lose significantly more weight than individuals who ate

People’s mental health suffered when strict COVID-19 control measures were put in place by their governments, according to two new studies. In one longitudinal analysis drawing on data from 15 countries excluding the U.S., policies with higher stringency were associated with higher mean psychological distress scores during the first 15 months of the pandemic (standardized

Vaccine maker Novavax announced Wednesday that its combination vaccine that targets COVID-19 and the flu provided a strong immune response based on early data conducted.  According to Yale Medicine, the Novavax vaccine differs from Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA shots in that it’s a protein adjuvant, meaning an ingredient used to improve immune response. mRNA vaccines work

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday it had dropped its “Do Not Travel” COVID-19 recommendations for about 90 international destinations. Last week, the CDC said it was revising its travel recommendations and said it would its reserve Level 4 travel health notices “for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating

As the number of New York City’s COVID-19 infections increase, local news stations are reporting that mask mandates may soon make a return.  According to NBC New York, cases have been rising in the city over the past month and a half, with some parts of Manhattan having positivity rates as high as 15%. According to local

A 35-year-old man comes to clinic for evaluation of new, severe headaches. He reports that these started 3 days ago. His headache is worse when he stands, and resolves when he lies down. Valsalva maneuver makes the headache much worse. The headaches are present in the occipital region. He has also noticed the onset of tinnitus.

Public health agencies need to define the purpose of COVID boosters, or risk the public falling victim to “booster fatigue,” the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said on Wednesday. Agencies have been plagued by the lack of a clear voice in defining the exact purpose of the COVID vaccination strategy, and many ACIP

For generations, people have been fascinated by the links between mind and body. For example, do people really die of a broken heart? Does a healthy mind indicate a healthy body? Scientists have been studying the associations between mental and physical health for some time. One such association is between depression and heart disease. Research

The study covered in this summary was published on medRxiv.org as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed. Key Takeaways Why This Matters COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and the effects anticancer treatments may have on that efficacy are not fully understood for people with blood cancers. Understanding factors influencing vaccine effectiveness in this patient

Researchers have used a technology that utilizes sound to treat tumors. Apart from breaking down tumors, it also helps prevent the recurrence and further spread of cancer. The new technique is called histotripsy, and it essentially disrupts tumors using “precisely controlled acoustic cavitation,” the researchers noted in their paper, published in Cancers. “Our transducer, designed and built

Sips of pickle juice may be all it takes to lessen the severity of muscle cramps in adults with cirrhosis, according to results of the PICCLES randomized controlled trial. In the trial, patients with cirrhotic cramps who sipped pickle brine at the onset of a muscle cramp saw a significant decrease in cramp severity relative

Doctors have already proven their worth. We have succeeded beyond what most of the population will achieve. And yet, there are certain goals we cannot seem to achieve. And the worst part is that we know we could do it, and the person getting in our way is someone we know well. We look at

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has entered its third year, it is a must for everyone to do their part in preventing the spread of the virus. One way to effectively do this is by self-testing at home or anywhere. Doing so will not only give you a rapid diagnosis, but it can also alert

Researchers published the study covered in this summary on Research Square as a preprint that has not yet been peer reviewed. Key Takeaways In American Indians (Native Americans) with type 2 diabetes, higher plasma levels of ceramide-16 (ceramide with acylated palmitic acid) associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular disease events, especially CVD events associated

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided emergency use authorization to the first COVID-19 breath diagnostic test. The test, developed by InspectIR, can tell whether someone has contracted COVID-19 by analyzing breath samples. It is not an at-home test, meaning authorized personnel must administer the breath test at a hospital, doctor’s office, or mobile COVID-19

A team of experts is recommending that doctors forgo describing early, low-grade prostate tumors as “cancers” as a way to ease anxiety among patients and their families and reduce unnecessary treatment. Physicians often advise that men with low-risk prostate tumors wait to see if the disease worsens — an approach called “active surveillance” — rather

Last week, CMS updated guidance on the heavily disputed aspects of an arbitration process for resolving payment disagreements between insurers and providers under the No Surprises Act. The updates to this guidance were made in response to a Texas ruling that compelled HHS to change how dispute resolution entities would approach the pricing benchmark known

With yet another COVID-19 booster available for vulnerable populations in the U.S., many people find themselves wondering what the end game will be. The mRNA vaccines currently used in the U.S. against COVID-19 have been highly successful at preventing hospitalization and death. The Commonwealth Fund recently reported that in the U.S. alone, the vaccines have

NEW ORLEANS — A novel biomarker based on stem-cell epigenetic signatures may help identify children and young adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who would be unlikely to benefit from chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy. The researchers coined the term “stem-cell epigenome with multilineage potential” (SCE-MLP) for the novel candidate

Psilocybin from “magic mushrooms” could aid in the long-term improvement of treating depression in a recent study. The small study conducted by Imperial College of London and published in Nature Medicine on Monday concluded that psilocybin made participants’ “brains functional network become more functionally interconnected.” Two separate trials were tested on 60 people total. In

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. The White House is paying close attention to BA.4 and BA.5, two new subvariants of the COVID-19 Omicron strain that are being tracked by the World Health Organization and have appeared in nations including South Africa, said Anthony Fauci, the president’s

“My disbelief was quickly replaced by relief and immense gratitude at being able to pursue my dreams on my own terms. In so many ways, the universe made a hard decision on my behalf.” — Travis Hughes, PhD, MPH, on the brighter side of not matching into residency. “The hospital is not and should not

A new COVID-19 nasal spray will advance to human clinical trials soon after performing well and even doing better than currently available antibody treatments against SARS-CoV-2 in mice experiments.  The protein-based antiviral nasal spray worked by interfering with the novel coronavirus’ ability to enter cells. Developed by researchers at Northwestern University, University of Washington, and

A new study has found that aged black garlic (ABG) on top of dietary guidance lowers diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in men with moderately elevated cholesterol. After 6 weeks, consumption of ABG with a high concentration of s-allyl-L-cystine (SAC) was associated with a nearly 6-mm Hg reduction in DBP in men. Other cardiovascular disease (CVD)