Talk with Your Doctor about Taking Aspirin to Prevent Disease
The Basics Taking low-dose aspirin (or “baby aspirin”) regularly can lower your risk for heart attack, stroke, and colorectal cancer. For most people, aspirin is safe. But it’s not right for everyone. Ask your doctor about taking aspirin regularly if you are age 50 to 59 and you have any of these risk factors for […]
Reduce Stress for a Healthier Heart
(NewsUSA) – Whether it’s from everyday deadlines, financial struggles, or the COVID-19 pandemic, stress shows up often in life. And your body reacts to it: your heart rate increases, your blood vessels narrow — and over time, these little blows can add up and do damage to your health, particularly your heart. With chronic stress, […]
Omicron makes booster shots more critical for medically vulnerable seniors
Laurie Archbald-Pannone, University of Virginia People are understandably worn out, tired of thinking about COVID-19 and wanting to get back to a true normal. This so-called “pandemic fatigue” is real. But it’s also contributing to lapses in COVID-19 precautions and to more people getting infected with the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. It is become starkly […]
Is the omicron variant Mother Nature’s way of vaccinating the masses and curbing the pandemic?
Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina In the short time since the omicron variant was identified in South Africa in November 2021, researchers have quickly learned that it has three unique characteristics: It spreads efficiently and quickly, it generally causes milder disease than previous variants and it may […]
How mRNA and DNA vaccines could soon treat cancers, HIV, autoimmune disorders and genetic diseases
Deborah Fuller, University of Washington The two most successful coronavirus vaccines developed in the U.S. – the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – are both mRNA vaccines. The idea of using genetic material to produce an immune response has opened up a world of research and potential medical uses far out of reach of traditional vaccines. […]
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials
Brittany Taylor, University of Florida Brittany Taylor is a biomedical engineer and assistant professor who studies novel ways to improve bone and tendon healing after injuries. She is exploring drug delivery systems and temporary artificial tissue replacements to promote healing of tendons and the interface with bones and muscle. Millions of musculoskeletal injuries each year […]
CORBEVAX, a new patent-free COVID-19 vaccine, could be a pandemic game changer globally
Maureen Ferran, Rochester Institute of Technology The world now has a new COVID-19 vaccine in its arsenal, and at a fraction of the cost per dose. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen over 314 million infections and over 5.5 million deaths worldwide. Approximately 60% of the world population has received at […]
5 Things You Should Know About ‘Free’ At-Home Covid Tests
Damon Darlin January 19, 2022 Americans keep hearing that it is important to test frequently for covid-19 at home. But just try to find an “at-home” rapid covid test in a store and at a price that makes frequent tests affordable. Testing, as well as mask-wearing, is an important measure if the country ever hopes […]
Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause positive viral test results?
None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines can cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection. If your body develops an immune response to vaccination, which is the goal, you may test positive on some antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate you had a previous infection and that you […]
CDC Study Shows Flu Vaccination Prevents Severe Flu Illness in U.S. Children
Vaccine protects, even when vaccine virus and circulating viruses are different. A new CDC study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID)external icon shows that flu vaccination protected children against serious flu illness even when they were infected with a flu virus that was antigenically different from the vaccine virus. This reinforces the benefit […]