COVID
After COVID
Infection, Antibodies Highly Protective for Months, Prospective Study Shows: After infection with SARS-CoV-2,
antibodies protect most healthcare workers from reinfection for up to 6 months,
results of the first prospective study of the subject reveal. published online The New England Journal of Medicine.
COVID-19
Immunity Could Last Longer Than 8 Months: Certain antibodies and memory cells likely last more than
8 months after someone has contracted the coronavirus, especially if they have
a strong immune response to COVID-19, according to a new
study published in Science.
COVID Makes
2020 the Deadliest Year in U.S. History: The number of deaths in the United States is expected to
top 3.2 million by the end of December, making 2020 the deadliest year in the
nation's history, the Associated Press reported. The number of deaths in the
United States is expected to top 3.2 million by the end of December, making
2020 the deadliest year in the nation's history, the Associated Press reported.
Vitamin D
Fails to Help in Severe COVID-19:
Low vitamin D levels are linked with higher risk for severe COVID-19, but
treatment that boosted vitamin D levels in critically ill COVID-19 patients did
not shorten their hospital stay or lower their odds of intensive care unit
admission, needing mechanical ventilation, or dying, doctors in Brazil found.
COVID-19
Vaccine Reactions: Allergy Group Updates Guidance: The American College of Allergy,
Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) has updated its advice regarding risks of
allergic reactions to new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, such as those manufactured by
Moderna and by Pfizer-BioNTech. "Reactions to vaccines, in general, are
rare," the ACAAI says. Still, the group says, the new vaccines should be
given in health care settings where reactions can be treated, and patients
"must be observed for at least 15-30 minutes...to monitor for any adverse
reaction." Briefly, the ACAAI's advice includes the following:
- Anyone with a
severe allergic reaction to the first shot should not get the second shot.
- People with
allergies to medications, foods, insects and latex are no more likely than the
general public to be allergic to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
-It's not clear
yet whether having had an allergic reaction to an older type of vaccine means
people will react badly to the mRNA vaccines; these individuals should discuss
the vaccine's benefits and risks with their health care providers.
"These
recommendations are based on best knowledge to date but could change at any
time," the ACAAI says. American College of Allergy,
Asthma, and Immunology, online December 22, 2020.
Review concludes universal mask use by lay persons reduces the spread of viral infections including SARS-CoV-2: A
new narrative review of over 100 research articles concludes that masks and
face coverings worn by members of the public reduce the spread of respiratory
viral infections including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The
virus travels in the air in tiny droplets and particles, which are blocked to
some extent even by 'imperfect' cloth face coverings. Wearing a face covering
in a crowded indoor space reduces the chance that an infected person will pass
the virus on to others. Even small reductions in the transmission rate can lead
to large reductions in the number of people becoming infected over time. Annals
of Internal Medicine
Cloth Masks
Provide Inferior Protection vs Medical Masks, Suggests Evidence Review: Cloth masks should not be considered
equivalent to medical masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in clinical
settings, according to an evidence review published
Jan. 11 in Annals of Family Medicine. Nevertheless, cloth masks may provide
some degree of protection, filtration studies indicate. If clinicians use cloth
masks, they should take into account the fit, material, and number of layers,
the review authors wrote.
Loss of
Smell Associated with Milder COVID-19 Cases: About 86 percent of people who have COVID-19 lose some or
all of their ability to smell. But the majority who lost their sense of smell experienced
a mild form of the disease, according to new research.
COVID-19:
Research points to long-term neurological effects: A recent paper
examining existing evidence argues that SARS-CoV-2 infection might increase the
risk of long-term neurological problems, including cognitive decline and
dementia. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The
Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association
COVID forced
psychiatric care online.
Many patients want it to stay there, study finds. JMIR
Formative Research
Roche,
Sanofi Arthritis Drugs Reduce Death Rates Among Sickest COVID-19 Patients: Treating critically ill COVID-19
patients with Roche's Actemra or Sanofi's Kevzara arthritis drugs significantly
improves survival rates and reduces the amount of time patients need intensive
care, study results showed. The findings, which have not yet been
peer-reviewed, showed that the immunosuppressive drugs - Actemra, also known as
tocilizumab, and Kevzara, also known as sarilumab - reduced death rates by 8.5
percentage points among patients hospitalised and severely ill with the
pandemic disease.
medRxiv
Pfizer Vaccine Appears to Work Against Variant, Research Shows: Laboratory experiments indicate the
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will offer protection against the two coronavirus
variants found in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Feds to States: Give COVID Vaccine to 65+ and Those With Comorbidities: Federal health officials are urging
states to vaccinate all Americans over age 65 and those ages 16 to 64 who have
a documented underlying health condition that makes them more vulnerable to
COVID-19. US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield,
MD, made the recommendation on a briefing with reporters Tuesday, saying that
the current vaccine supply was sufficient to meet demand for the next phase of
immunization as recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices.
Colleges can
prevent 96% of COVID-19 infections with common measures: The combined effectiveness of three
COVID-prevention strategies on college campuses--mask-wearing, social
distancing, and routine testing--are as effective in preventing coronavirus
infections as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), according to a new study. Annals of Internal Medicine
Johnson
& Johnson's One-Dose COVID Vaccine Promising in Early Trial: A single-shot COVID-19 vaccine from
Johnson & Johnson has shown very strong results in early clinical trials,
potentially providing a significant boost to U.S. vaccination efforts. The
vaccine produced an immune response of all 805 clinical trial participants
within two months of inoculation, according to results published Jan. 13 in the
New England Journal of Medicine.
Convalescent
Plasma Reduced COVID-19 Deaths: Blood transfusions from recovered COVID-19
patients that contained high antibody levels reduced the number of COVID-19
deaths among other hospitalized patients, according to a new
study by Mayo Clinic. .If given early to
patients with mild COVID-19, the treatments slowed the progression of disease,
they wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Over 75% of
People Hospitalized With COVID-19 Had Symptoms 6 Month Later: New research has found that 76 percent
of people who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 experienced at least one
lingering symptom 6 months after recovering. Long-term symptoms affect people
of all ages and have occurred in people with mild, moderate, and severe
COVID-19. Doctors suspect the risk
factors include genetics, inflammation, and abnormal immune responses. The
Lancet studyTrusted Source
PAIN
Immersive
virtual reality boosts the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for
chronic pain: Allowing
patients to see as well as feel the effects of electrical stimulation on a
virtual image of their own body - can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness
of SCS, reports a study in PAIN®
Treatment
for chronic pain must address both physical and social pain: Physical pain and social pain may be
more closely related than previously thought. Social pain, which typically
results from interpersonal rejection or abuse, has been viewed as a non-medical
response to external factors. However, recent research suggests that some
physical and social stress responses may arise because of shared processing in
the brain. Long-term usage of opioid medications could perpetuate a cycle of
experiencing both physical and social pain and may increase risk of addiction.
American Academy of Family Physicians
COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
More than
half of people using cannabis for pain experience multiple withdrawal symptoms
when they're between uses.
About 10% of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening
changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next
two years as they continued to use cannabis. Many of them may not recognize
that these symptoms come not from their underlying condition, but from their
brain and body's reaction to the absence of substances in the cannabis products
they're smoking, vaping, eating or applying to their skin. Addiction
FDA ACTION
• Approves
Osimertinib the first adjuvant therapy for most type of lung cancer
• Announced that the common diabetes drug metformin
may have unacceptably high levels of a cancer-causing drug.
• Granted
the first conditional approval under its expanded authority to KBroVet-CA1
(potassium bromide chewable tablets) to control seizures in dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy.
• Conditionally
approved Laverdia-CA1 (verdinexor tablets) to treat dogs with lymphoma
• Approved
the first generic of glucagon for injection USP, 1 mg/vial packaged in an
emergency kit, for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia
PREVENTION: Exercise
Research
finds increased first-trimester exercise may reduce gestational diabetes risk: Pregnant women who exercise more during
the first trimester of pregnancy may have a lower risk of developing
gestational diabetes. The analysis found that lower risk was associated with at
least 38 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each day--a bit more than
current recommendations of at least 30 minutes a day five days a week.
Diabetes Care
Exercise may
protect bone health after weight loss surgery: Although weight loss surgery is a highly effective
treatment for obesity, it can be detrimental to bone health. A new study
suggests that exercise may help address this shortcoming. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
Low fitness linked to higher psoriasis risk later in life: Scientists have now demonstrated a
connection between inferior physical fitness in young adults and elevated risk
of the autoimmune disease psoriasis. For the male recruits to compulsory
military training who were rated as the least fit, the risk of developing
psoriasis later was 35 percent higher than for the fittest. PLOS One
PREVENTION: Diet/Nutrition
2020-2025
Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend grains at all life stages: The DGA recommends for the average
healthy American adult to consume six one-ounce servings of grain foods daily,
with half of those servings coming from whole grains.
Including unhealthy foods may diminish positive effects of an otherwise healthy diet: New research reports diminished
benefits of a Mediterranean diet among those with high frequency of eating
unhealth foods. Eating a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruit, fish and whole
grains may positively affects a person's health, but when it is combined with
fried food, sweets, refined grains, red meat and processed meat, we observed
that the benefits of eating the Mediterranean part of the diet seems to be
diminished." The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association on Jan. 7.
Beating the bulge with a nice cup of tea:
Researchers led by the University of Tsukuba find that drinking two cups of
oolong tea a day can stimulate fat breakdown while you sleep. Nutrients
High doses
of saccharin don't lead to diabetes in healthy adults: A new study led by
researchers at The Ohio State University found the sugar substitute saccharin
doesn't lead to the development of diabetes in healthy adults. Microbiome.
Even One
Drink a Day May Raise Your Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Researchers said they found that
having an alcoholic drink every day was associated with a 16 percent increase
in risk for atrial fibrillation over an average 14-year follow-up period when
compared to people who didn’t drink. European Heart Journal study
Low Carb
Diet May Help People with Type 2 Diabetes Go Into Remission: A new study, published in The BMJ, found that adhering to a low
carb diet for six months was associated with higher rates of remission among
people with type 2 diabetes. However, the benefits flattened after about a year
likely due to the restrictive diet. Lowering carb intake can help improve blood
glucose levels along with other markers of carbohydrate intolerance or insulin
resistance.
MIND and
Mediterranean diets associated with later onset of Parkinson's disease: A new study suggests a strong
correlation between following the MIND and Mediterranean diets and later onset
of Parkinson's disease (PD). While researchers have long known of
neuroprotective effects of the MIND diet for diseases like Alzheimer's and
dementia, this study is the first to suggest a link between this diet and brain
health for Parkinson's disease (PD). The MIND diet combines aspects of two very
popular diets, the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension (DASH) diet. Movement
Disorders
Link between
dietary fiber and depression partially explained by gut-brain interactions: Fiber is a commonly recommended part of
a healthy diet. That's because it's good for your health in so many ways --
from weight management to reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and
some types of cancer. A new study also finds that it might be linked with a
reduced risk of depression, especially in premenopausal women. Menopause
PREVENTION:
VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS
Could a
supplement be as effective as exercise at protecting health? New research suggests that a common
dietary supplement, glucosamine, may help reduce overall death risk to a
similar degree as regular exercise. Researchers recently found that individuals
who took glucosamine/chondroitin on a daily basis for at least 1 year saw a 39%
reduction in mortality from all causes of death and a 65% reduction in the
likelihood of death from cardiovascular disease. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
Clinical
trial finds vitamin D does not ward off colds and flu: A randomized controlled trial of
vitamin D supplements has found they do not protect most people from developing
colds, flues and other acute respiratory infections. The trial, which is the largest
of its kind to study the relationship between vitamin D and respiratory
infection to date did show, however, that the supplements may shorten the
length of infection slightly and help ease the severity of those illnesses. The
Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology
PREVENTION
New studies suggest vaping could cloud your thoughts: Two new studies from the University of Rochester Medical
Center (URMC) have uncovered an association between vaping and mental fog. Both
adults and kids who vape were more likely to report difficulty concentrating,
remembering, or making decisions than their non-vaping, non-smoking peers. It
also appeared that kids were more likely to experience mental fog if they
started vaping before the age of 14. Tobacco Induced Diseases and Plos
One
Workaholism
leads to mental and physical health problems: Workaholism or work addiction risk is a growing public
health concern that can lead to many negative mental and physical health
outcomes such as depression, anxiety or sleep disorder. Perception of work (job
demands and job control) may become a major cause of employees' work addiction.
The international group of researchers including the HSE University scientist
explored the link between work addiction risk and health-related outcomes using
the framework of Job Demand Control Model. The results were published in the International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
New study
suggests that a woman's menopause stage can affect cognitive performance;
declines in memory may persist in the postmenopause period. Menopause
Acute
itching in eczema patients linked to environmental allergens: New research indicates that allergens
in the environment often are to blame for episodes of acute itch in eczema
patients, and that the itching often doesn't respond to antihistamines because
the itch signals are being carried to the brain along a previously unrecognized
pathway that current drugs don't target. Cell
TREATMENT
Osteoporosis drug could half number of redo hip replacement operations: Researchers have found the osteoporosis
drug, denosumab, could protect patients from osteolysis, reduce the need for
re-operations, and reduce the health burden of this disease. The Lancet Rheumatology
Stopping RAS inhibitors tied to worse outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease: Small studies have suggested that a
group of medications called RAS inhibitors may be harmful in persons with
advanced chronic kidney disease, and physicians therefore often stop the
treatment in such patients. Researchers now show that although stopping the
treatment is linked to a lower risk of requiring dialysis, it is also linked to
a higher risk of cardiovascular events and death. Journal of the
American Society of Nephrology
The American Academy
of Sleep Medicine has published a new clinical practice guideline establishing
recommendations for the use of behavioral and psychological treatments for
chronic insomnia disorder in adults.
Bupropion-Naltrexone
Bests Placebo in Methamphetamine Use Disorder: For adults with methamphetamine use disorder, response is
higher with receipt of extended-release injectable naltrexone plus oral
extended-release bupropion versus placebo, according to a study published in
the Jan. 14 issue of the New
England Journal of Medicine.
OTHER
People in rural areas less likely to receive specialty care for neurologic conditions: A new study has found that while the
prevalence of neurologic conditions like dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease
and multiple sclerosis (MS) is consistent across the U.S., the distribution of
neurologists is not, and people in more rural areas may be less likely to
receive specialty care for certain neurologic conditions. The study, funded by
the American Academy of Neurology, is published in the December 23, 2020, online
issue of Neurology®
A 'ghastly
future' unless extraordinary action is taken soon on sustainability : Without immediate and drastic intervention, humans face a
"ghastly future" -- including declining health, climate devastation,
tens of millions of environmental migrants and more pandemics -- in the next
several decades, according to an international team of 17 prominent scientists.
Frontiers
in Conservation Science
