Jason Lee

The number of COVID-19 cases spiralled by more than a half across the world this week, while pandemic-linked deaths dropped nine percent. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-pandemic-spirals-deaths.html

Hospital staff absences due to Covid have more than doubled in a month in England as the virus surge puts strain on beds, according to data published Friday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-england-hospital-staff-absences-virus.html

A group of newspapers has intervened in a lawsuit over vaccine mandates with a goal of challenging the plaintiffs' anonymity. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-newspapers-anonymity-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit.html

Omicron has become the main coronavirus strain in France where the number of infections has surged in the last few days, the country's public health agency has said. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-omicron-main-coronavirus-variant-france.html

(HealthDay)—Many pediatric patients with COVID-19-related hospitalization have severe illness, according to research published in the Dec. 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-severe-illness-viral-coinfection-common.html

(HealthDay)—For adolescents ages 12 to 17 years, the effectiveness of full vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 92 percent against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), according to research published in the Dec. 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-bnt162b2-vaccine-effectiveness-percent-teens.html

A New Year shorn of mass celebrations beckoned Thursday for millions around the world as the number of daily Covid infections, driven by the Omicron variant, surged through another symbolic high. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-year-parties-slashed-covid-world.html

New pediatric COVID hospitalizations have hit a record-high in the United States, as children are increasingly swept up in Omicron's lightning spread. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-pediatric-hospitalizations-omicron-severe.html

Quebec announced Thursday it will reimpose a nighttime curfew beginning New Year's Eve, and Ontario delayed the resumption of school by two days as several Canadian provinces reported new highs for coronavirus infections. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-quebec-reimposing-nightly-curfew-pandemic.html

Year after year, several thousand women in the U.S. carry an unintended pregnancy to term and then offer the baby for adoption. It's a choice commended by many foes of abortion. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-comments-renew-debate-abortion-alternative.html

Britons who live in the European Union can no longer drive through France to their homes elsewhere in the bloc under new regulations that have created confusion for many holiday travellers. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-france-blocking-britons-transiting-eu.html

We use 'it's not rocket science' and 'it's not brain surgery' almost interchangeably to say that we don't think something is very difficult to do or to understand. Which phrase is more deserving? And more importantly, should rocket scientists or brain surgeons be crowned the winners of the wits? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-smarter-rocket-scientists-brain-surgeons.html

The current advice and treatment given to patients with obesity mostly involves eating less and healthier food and exercising more. In some of the most severe cases, patients undergo obesity surgery. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-treatment-overeating.html

For the second time in as many days, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for an investigational antiviral pill to treat COVID-19. This time it is Merck's molnupiravir. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-fda-issues-emergency-authorization-at-home.html

"Holiday heart" may sound like another joyous part of the holiday season. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-video-holiday-heart.html

Researchers often compare the differences between identical and fraternal twins to better understand health and behavior. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-twins-taught-health-behavior-unique.html

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an adverse reaction to ingesting a drug, which can appear both in developmental stages, in their clinical use and even after being approved as a drug. It is the main cause of acute liver failure in Europe and the United States, and its incidence has increased as a result of the polypharmacy that goes hand in hand with the increased lifespan of the population, and from the prolonged use of parapharmacy or herbal products. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-clearer-visual-pattern-drug-induced-liver.html

Citing recent evidence, experts in rehabilitation research advocate for integrating exercise into the care plans of persons with multiple sclerosis. The central role of neurologists in clinical care offers an opportunity for them to promote exercise as fundamental for managing the physical and cognitive symptoms of MS. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-powerful-tool-symptoms-multiple-sclerosis.html

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found marked decreases in orphanhood particularly double orphanhood, among adolescents in Rakai, Uganda, corresponding with the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) beginning in 2004 and of male medical circumcision in 2007. Until now, little had been known about the contribution of HIV combination prevention including ART and male circumcision to recent trends in orphanhood. The study is published in the Lancet HIV. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-orphanhood-declines-hiv-antiretroviral-therapy.html

Russian bioinformaticians have proposed a new neural network architecture capable of evaluating how well a guide RNA has been chosen for a gene editing experiment. Their approach will facilitate more efficient DNA modification with the popular CRISPR/Cas method and therefore will help develop new strategies for creating genetically modified organisms and find ways of treating grave hereditary disorders. The study, supported by a Russian Science Foundation grant, was published in the Nucleic Acids Research journal. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-neural-network-accurate-dna.html

Joe Biden promised to "follow the science" when he took over from Donald Trump, but a year later record infections, testing shortfalls and stubborn vaccine resistance have turned one of his presidency's political strongpoints into a growing liability. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-covid-bogs-biden-winter-discontent.html

Devastated by the loss of his daughter to COVID-19, Jaime Michaus joined hundreds of Mexicans seeking compensation from China and the World Health Organization, despite reservations and uncertain prospects of success. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-mexicans-covid-compensation-china.html

The number of people in hospital with Covid in England topped 10,000 on Wednesday, the highest total since March, as UK case numbers hit a new record. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-english-hospitals-virus-govt.html

Five blindfolded young men kneel before a priest who is uttering blessings in the West African language Yoruba, while they vow to be brave, respectful and good to their community. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-pandemic-crisis-young-cubans-solace.html

The U.S. government has approved California's overhaul of the nation's largest insurance program for low-income and disabled residents, officials said Wednesday, a decision that among other things allows Medicaid money to be spent on housing-related services as the most populous state struggles with homelessness and a lack of affordable housing. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-federal-california-medicaid-overhaul.html

Mexico's health safety council announced Wednesday that it has approved the use of Cuba's three-dose Abdala coronavirus vaccine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-mexico-cuba-abdala-coronavirus-vaccine.html

(HealthDay)—Close to 30 percent of reproductive-aged women hospitalized with influenza were pregnant during the 2010-2011 through 2018-2019 influenza seasons, according to a study published online Dec. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-characteristics-hospitalized-pregnant-women-flu.html

(HealthDay)—Child hospitalizations for COVID-19 jumped 30% this past week as the Omicron variant spread like wildfire throughout the United States. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-omicron-child-hospitalizations-climb-percent.html

(HealthDay)—The majority of U.S. adults support net-risk pediatric research posing minimal risk and support pediatric research posing greater risk if it has high social value, according to a study published online Dec. 28 in Pediatrics. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-adults-net-risk-pediatric.html

(HealthDay)—During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms among older adults, according to a study published online Dec. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-depressive-symptoms-seniors-covid-.html

Rapid Covid home tests are more likely to give a false negative with the heavily-mutated Omicron variant compared to earlier strains, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-rapid-covid-accurate-omicron.html

Much of Asia has largely managed to keep omicron at bay even as the variant rages in other parts of the world, but the region that is home to most of the globe's population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-asia-omicron-bay-surge-inevitable.html

California became the first state to record more than 5 million known coronavirus infections, according to the state dashboard Tuesday, which was delayed by the holiday weekend. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-california-1st-state-5m-cases.html

Omicron still poses "very high" risk and could overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO warned on Wednesday, as the highly transmissible coronavirus variant fuelled record outbreaks in many countries. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-high-omicron-covid-surges-worldwide.html

A Belgian court on Tuesday suspended the closure of cultural venues, including theatres, a measure announced last week to stem the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-belgium-covid-closure-cultural-venues.html

More than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. But she said nearly all of them were only mildly ill. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-cdc-chief-omicron-mild-1.html

The volume of prescription opioids dispensed from retail pharmacies declined by 21% from 2008 to 2018, but the decline was not uniform across geographic areas, among types of patients or by type of prescriber, according to a new RAND Corporation study. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-opioid-declines-uniform.html

Tomsk State University (TSU) neurobiologists are studying congenital brain anomalies in the human prenatal and postnatal periods. While studying agenesis of the corpus callosum (complete or partial absence of the structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain), the scientists discovered that its functions can be compensated for by other brain structures. The child's cognitive abilities remain intact. This new data can drastically change clinical practice and reduce the number of pregnancy terminations. The project is supported by the Russian Science Foundation. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-discovery-children-anomalous-brain.html

Cambridge scientists have identified a key signal that the fetus uses to control its supply of nutrients from the placenta, revealing a tug-of-war between genes inherited from the father and from the mother. The study, carried out in mice, could help explain why some babies grow poorly in the womb. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-sexes-womb-father-mother-genes.html

The FDA recently approved a first long-acting, injectable HIV prevention for everyone. But will everyone get it? source https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20211227/hiv-prevention-equity?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Certain factors reflecting lower socioeconomic status (SES) are linked to increased risks of cleft lip and/or cleft palate, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-socioeconomic-factors-affect-cleft-lip.html

While researchers have identified several genes that drive prostate cancer, a new study published in Nature reveals the puppet master controlling the strings. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-approach-enhancer-addicted-cancers.html

The Chinese city of Xi'an, where 13 million residents are currently confined to their homes, announced tightened restrictions on Sunday as the country recorded its biggest COVID-19 infection numbers in 21 months. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-covid-hit-xian-tightens-china-month.html

Australia's most populous state reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and a sharp jump in hospitalizations while thousands of people were isolating at home after contracting the virus or coming into contact with someone who has. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-australian-state-cases-lab-false.html

Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday acknowledged a COVID "testing problem" as the Omicron strain overwhelms the nation, and he vowed to make more tests available to Americans next month. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-fauci-vows-covid-omicron.html

Germany has reached its goal of 30 million additional immunizations against COVID-19 by year's end, a push aimed at re-energizing a lagging vaccination campaign and countering a resurgence in COVID-19 infections. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-germany-goal-million-vaccine-shots.html

France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month, as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the French government's efforts to stave off a new lockdown. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-france-daily-virus-infections-1st.html

Newly infected COVID-19 patients have two new treatment options that can be taken at home. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-easy-to-use-covid-pills.html

India will open its COVID vaccination drive for adolescents and start administering booster doses to its at-risk adult population, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-india-covid-vaccines-ages-january.html

COVID infections in France hit six figures Saturday, health officials recording 104,611 cases over the previous 24 hours, the third consecutive day the numbers have been record highs. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-france-barrier-hour-covid-infections.html

Thousands of people across England are spending a few minutes of Christmas Day to line up under leaden winter skies to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the omicron variant fuels a surge in infections across the country. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-thousands-line-jingle-jabs-christmas.html

China Saturday reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases in four months as officials rushed to contain outbreaks in several regions, including Xi'an city where millions are still under lockdown. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-china-highest-coronavirus-cases-months.html

Omicron has become the dominant strain in Portugal where over 12,000 daily COVID-19 cases were registered on Friday, the national health agency said. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-portugal-omicron-dominant-infections.html

Australia's most populous state recorded more than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time Saturday, adding a somber note to Christmas celebrations. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-daily-covid-cases-australia-south.html

The number of COVID-19 cases shot up by almost a fifth across the world this week, as the pandemic picked up speed in most regions, with Europe bearing the brunt. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-world-covid-cases-rocket.html

The U.S. recently added two new weapons to its small arsenal against the coronavirus: pills that patients can take at home to treat COVID-19. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-covid-therapies.html

The UK on Friday announced a new record number of virus cases fulled by the Omicron variant. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-uk-virus-cases-1.html

France set a new daily coronavirus infections record on Friday, registering 94,124 cases over 24 hours, the highest figure since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-france-daily-covid-infections.html

A COVID-19 outbreak took place on a South Florida-based cruise ship for the third time this week, as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida hit its second-highest level since the start of the pandemic. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-3rd-florida-based-ship-outbreak-state.html

Hammam was WebMD's longtime editor-in-chief and senior vice president . source https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20211222/in-remembrance-of-kristy-hammam?src=RSS_PUBLIC

How can I protect a child too young for a COVID-19 vaccine? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-child-young-covid-vaccine.html

The cause of her death was triple-negative breast cancer. She was 50 years old. Hammam retired from a 22 year career at WebMD in June of 2021, after losing much of her eyesight to chemotherapy. source https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20211223/former-editor-hammam-dies?src=RSS_PUBLIC

The first study to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of fully vaccinated patients with cancer who had breakthrough COVID-19 infections indicates they remained at high risk for hospitalization and death. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-fully-vaccinated-patients-cancer-breakthrough.html

Staff absences for COVID-19 tripled this month in London's hospitals, and nearly 10% of the city's firefighters called out sick. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-omicron-latest-pandemic-weary-front-line-workers.html

As the holidays approach, new information continues to surface about the omicron variant of COVID-19. We've asked our experts to weigh in on the most common questions we receive about omicron prevalence, transmission and severity; the safety of holiday gatherings and travel; the new FDA-approved antiviral, and more. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-experts-covid-omicron-variant.html

WebMD discusses 13 ways you can fight sugar cravings. source https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/13-ways-to-fight-sugar-cravings?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Researchers have solved a decade-long mystery about a critical protein linked to Parkinson's disease that could help to fast-track treatments for the incurable disease. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-parkinson-protein-blueprint-fast-track-treatments.html

Nearly 100 percent of cancer patients with solid tumors have antibodies effective against the delta variant after a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to new results published as a correspondence in Cancer Cell this week. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-covid-vaccine-dose-effectively-boosts.html

Germany's health minister said Thursday that he expects a surge in coronavirus cases around New Year's snd people will likely need a fourth vaccine shot to maintain the best immune response against COVID-19. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-german-health-minister-virus-surge.html

China shut down a city of 13 million people on Thursday in a bid to extinguish a tiny COVID-19 outbreak and chase its zero-case goal, as other nations around the globe battled huge infection surges driven by the Omicron variant. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-china-city-covid-cases-surge.html

As airline ticket sales have soared during the holiday season and the omicron variant causes surges of COVID-19 cases, a new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study may help passengers and airlines reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission by optimally seating passengers to minimize potential virus spread. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-optimal-airplane-seating-viral-transmission.html

The UK government announced Wednesday it is buying millions of doses of new COVID treatment pills as the Omicron variant takes hold, while cutting the isolation period for positive cases. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-uk-millions-covid-pills-isolation.html

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in France is set to exceed 100,000 by the end of December due to the faster-spreading Omicron variant, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-france-daily-covid-cases-year.html

Middle-aged adults, men, Black adults and adults living in rural counties have significantly higher heart attack death rates before the age of 65 compared to women, white adults and people living in urban counties, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-premature-heart-death-vary-sex.html

President Joe Biden on Tuesday told Americans worried about the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant that the country was "prepared" to fight it, as Israel—which pioneered the use of COVID vaccine boosters—announced fourth shots for those over 60 and health workers. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-biden-omicron-israel-4th-shots.html

South Africa's noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country's dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-south-africa-case-omicron-peak.html

California will require health care workers to get a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, pledging to make sure hospitals are prepared as a new version of the disease begins to spread throughout the state. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-california-require-booster-shots-healthcare.html

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis said Wednesday it was to acquire a UK-based biotech company developing gene therapies for eye diseases called Gyroscope Therapeutics. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-novartis-uk-based-ocular-gene-therapy.html

Camille Abbey was two months away from giving birth to twins when she sensed something wasn't right. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-preeclampsia-ongoing.html

U.S. health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-track-surpass-year-nation-deadliest.html

Researchers with the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester are studying how the brain puts the 'brakes' on behavior. That may be different in individuals recovering from cocaine addiction and who are also HIV-positive. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-brain-hinder-addiction-recovery-people.html

A target trial emulation study found that in an elderly population of U.S. veterans with high comorbidity burden, mRNA vaccine efficacy at preventing infection with COVID-19 was substantially lower than previously reported but effectiveness against death was very high. These finding suggest that complementary infection mitigation efforts remain important for pandemic control, even with vaccination. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-mrna-vaccines-highly-effective-death.html

A new study suggests that a parenting educational intervention for first-born children is robust enough to influence the weight of second-born children, according to a paper published online in Obesity, The Obesity Society's journal. The findings presented make the Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) program the first educational intervention for early obesity prevention delivered to first-born children to demonstrate "spillover" to sub-sequent offspring. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-parenting-intervention-bmi-second-born-siblings.html

When considered alongside the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, new findings suggest that focusing less on structured exercise, and more on building frequent periods of enjoyable movement into the day, will more likely contribute to health benefits that can be sustained, according to a paper published online in Obesity, The Obesity Society's journal. This study is the first to demonstrate that a behavioral intervention focused on moving often throughout the day produces similar short-term weight loss and better long-term weight maintenance relative to a high volume of aerobic treadmill walking. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-long-term-weight-loss-older-adults.html

Diagnostics have proven to be crucial to the COVID-19 pandemic response. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-infographic-covid-diagnostic.html

The relationship between alcohol and atrial fibrillation has long been referred to as the Holiday Heart Syndrome. An extensive study of the relationship between total alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease determined that this phenomenon is not associated with ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). It appears in Heart Rhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and the Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-holiday-heart-syndrome-affects-atria.html

A clinical trial in which two test drugs failed to help patients with mild COVID-19 nevertheless had a silver lining: It proved the viability of a study model in which a medication's potential arrhythmic side effects are safely, effectively monitored without the participants ever setting foot in a hospital or clinic. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-digital-silver-lining-covid-drug.html

Adults wearing masks may decrease COVID-19 outbreaks at schools and preschools, shows a new study published in Frontiers in Public Health. The study found that the first identified cases (index cases) in schools were predominantly children, but outbreak events were more severe when an adult was the index case. Wearing a mask significantly lowered secondary cases. The researchers recommend obligatory mask wearing for adults working at schools and preschools to help prevent outbreaks. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-requirement-adults-masks-schools-major.html

We often turn to the same festive foods during the holidays. Here are makeover tips to make them healthier but still delicious. source https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/merry-makeovers-healthy-holiday-foods?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Patients with atrial fibrillation are at risk of forming clots that can migrate to the brain and cause dangerous strokes; these can be prevented by chronic administration of blood-thinning drugs (anticoagulants). Introduced to the market in the past decade, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are a much safer option for patients with atrial fibrillation than traditional warfarin treatment, in addition to being much more convenient because of the tight blood-sample monitoring and regular dose adjustment needed for warfarin treatment. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-safer-blood-thinners-under-prescribed-elderly.html

The EU's drug regulator will decide Monday whether to approve a COVID jab by Novavax, which uses a more conventional technology that the US biotech firm hopes will reduce vaccine hesitancy. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-eu-novavax-covid-vaccine.html

A University of Birmingham-led study shows an increased risk of patients developing illnesses including mental ill-health and heart conditions if they have a GP-inputted medical history of periodontal (gum) disease. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-gum-disease-illness-mental-health.html

(HealthDay)—Have you just turned 60 and feel like you're in great health? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-billions-potentially-cancer-causing-cells.html

What do all the microbes living rent-free in your gut have to do with disease risk? Perhaps a lot. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-stool-samples-1980s-clues-hiv.html

With restaurants in Brooklyn closing in rapid succession and lines at COVID-19 test centers swelling by the day, fears are growing in New York of a return to the nightmare of 2020, when the city was the global epicenter of the pandemic. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-york-omicron-revives-dark-memories.html

Iran has detected its first case of infection by the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, state TV reported Sunday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-iran-1st-case-omicron-variant.html

Middle-aged men are around 50% more likely to die after surgery than middle-aged women, according to new research being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), held online this year. The study of more than 100,000 non-cardiac patients at a leading German hospital found that mortality rates are higher in men in their 40s and 50s, as well as those in their 60s and 70s. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-men-aged-die-surgery.html

COVID-19 lockdown measures appear to have had drastically different effects on men and women living with chronic pain, with women experiencing greater pain severity, according to new research being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), held online this year. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-covid-lockdowns-women-men.html

Portugal, one of the countries with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates worldwide, began inoculating over-fives Saturday, and France said it was ready to roll out jabs for them from next week. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-portugal-france-vaccinating-younger-children.html

The CEO of a major airline suggested during a congressional hearing this week that face masks provide little value on planes—a claim that was quickly amplified online. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-fact-focus-masks-curb-covid-.html

U.S. officials intensified calls Friday for unvaccinated Americans to get inoculated in the face of the new omicron variant that contributed to a record number of infections in New York and threatened to wipe out a second holiday season in Europe. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-surging-covid-cases.html

Egyptian health authorities said they have identified the country's first cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-egypt-cases-omicron-variant.html

A recent study at the Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) Digestive Disease Research Core Center (DDRCC) provides insight into why physicians should be cautious when using a certain liver function test to diagnose alcoholic cirrhosis. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-physicians-over-relying-commonly-laboratory-liver.html

Why do 80 to 90% of people infected with COVID-19 experience only mild cases while 10 to 20% face more severe or life-threatening symptoms? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-covid-cases-severe-humanized-mice.html

Biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside, propose a way for drugs to be more effective against inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, in which the intestine undergoes inflammation. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-therapy-inflammatory-bowel-disease.html

After surgery under general anaesthesia, older patients often experience a decline in cognitive function that can last for months or even years. This worsening brain function has been linked to deep anaesthesia during surgery. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-anaesthesia-impacts-brain-functioning-patient.html

New research being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), held online this year, suggests that using 3D printing and virtual reality can improve patient care and reduce anaesthesiologist stress and equipment wastage. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-3d-virtual-reality-anaesthesiologists-surgery.html

New research being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), held online this year, suggests that among COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), those who have an abrupt decline in kidney function are more likely to die during hospitalisation than those with pre-existing kidney diseases. Moreover, renal replacement therapy (such as dialysis) does little to improve their chances of survival. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-critically-ill-covid-patients-acute.html

Patients will be able to have a telemedicine appointment with a provider who can prescribe the pills and send them to the patient by mail. source https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20211217/fda-allows-abortion-pill-to-stay-available-by-mail?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Rates of water loss experienced by migrants attempting to cross the desert from Mexico into the U.S. are sufficient to cause severe dehydration and to explain patterns of migrant mortality, according to a University of Idaho study. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-migrants-us-mexico-border-subject-dehydration.html

As the world faces an impending wave of COVID cases due to omicron, scientists are racing to assess vaccine efficacy against the new variant. In a new study, Rockefeller scientists report on their comprehensive analysis of omicron's resistance to antibodies, offering insights about the levels of immunity current vaccines may provide. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-evidence-boosters-crucial-omicron.html

Facing addiction can seem insurmountable—especially when opioids are involved. Doubts of one's ability to stay substance-free; fears around judgment from family, friends, and society; and efforts to manage addiction while continuing balancing life's responsibilities can compound. Now, imagine on top of that, you find out you are pregnant, and now you really want to have a healthy baby but know it could be extra difficult. Will my baby be okay? Should I try to quit cold turkey? How will my doctor react if they find out? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-pregnancy-opioid-use-disorder-pregnant-patients.html

Mutations in a histone regulator protein are linked to both a rare neurodevelopmental disorder and to some cancers, according to a study published in the journal Genes and Development. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-histone-protein-neurological-disorder-cancer.html

WEHI researchers have developed enhanced imaging technology that can model how breast cancer cells invade and spread into bone and remodify themselves to fuel tumor growth. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-revolutionary-3d-imaging-breast-cancer.html

Outwit, outplay, outlast. Just like the motto on television show Survivor, a three-pronged approach to learning about pain could improve the lives of people experiencing chronic pain, according to new research from the University of South Australia. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-unlearn-pain-chronic.html

A research group led by Associate Professor Ryoji Yoshida and Professor Hideki Nakayama from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Kumamoto University (Japan) has analyzed the extracellular vesicles (EVs) of radiation-resistant oral cancer cells and the microRNA contained within them, and discovered a new mechanism by which microRNA imparts radioresistance to surrounding radiation-sensitive oral cancer cells. The researchers believe that that their discovery may lead to the development of new diagnosis and treatment methods for radiation-resistant oral cancer. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-oral-cancer-radioresistance.html

People who like to drink their coffee black also prefer dark chocolate, a new Northwestern Medicine study found. The reason is in their genes. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-black-coffee-genes.html

Many IBS sufferers avoid certain types of food and often exclude gluten. However, a large new study from Chalmers University of Technology and Uppsala University, Sweden, does not show a relationship between high intake of gluten and increased IBS symptoms. The researchers did find that a certain type of carbohydrate called 'fodmaps' can aggravate intestinal problems, however, the overall results indicate that they also have less influence than previously thought. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-ibs-specific-diets-important.html