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Month: September 2020

Irregular periods linked to a greater risk of an early death

A team of mostly US-based researchers found that women who reported always having irregular menstrual cycles experienced higher mortality rates than women who reported very regular cycles in the same age ranges. The study took into account other potentially influential factors, such as age, weight, lifestyle, contraceptives and family medical history.

The study assessed 79,505 women with no history of cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes. The women reported the usual length and regularity of their menstrual cycles at three different points: between the ages of 14 to 17, 18 to 22, and 29 to 46 years. The researchers kept track of their health over a 24-year period.

“This study is a real step forward in closing the data gap that exists in women’s health. It raises many interesting research questions and areas of future study,” Dr. Jacqueline Maybin, a senior research fellow and consultant gynecologist at the University of Edinburgh’s … Read More

Women’s FA Cup: Manchester City check Rose Lavelle fitness before Arsenal tie

Rose Lavelle
Rose Lavelle scored in 2019’s Women’s World Cup final against the Netherlands in Lyon
Date: Thursday, 1 October Kick-off: 19:15 BST Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and online from 19:00

Holders Manchester City are monitoring Rose Lavelle’s improving fitness before Thursday’s Women’s FA Cup semi-final against 14-time winners Arsenal.

Whoever goes through will face Everton at Wembley on 1 November after the Toffees beat Birmingham City 3-0.

United States midfielder Lavelle has yet to play for Man City since arriving in August with a minor ankle injury.

But manager Gareth Taylor hopes to give a debut “over the next couple of games” to the 25-year-old World Cup winner.

“Rose has been training hard,” said Taylor. “What we’re trying to do with her is just make sure she’s ready.

“She’s been really keen to get back in. It’s just been a case of keeping the reins on her

… Read More

Mom’s viral warning on tub toys after toddler’s terrifying infection

“Just throw them out.”

Genevieve Shaw Brown

September 30, 2020, 6:27 PM

4 min read

“Just throw them out.”

That’s the message one mom has about bath tub toys that squirt water after her 2-year-old son suffered from severe cellulitis after getting water from a rubber bath toy in his eye. Cellulitis, according to Stanford Children’s Health, is a serious type of infection and inflammation that can occur in different parts of the body. The most common cause of cellulitis of the eye, the organization said, is an infection with bacteria.

“This is not the hill you want to die on,” Eden Strong, a mom of three from suburban Chicago, told “Good Morning America.”

There are plenty of toys kids can play with in the bath that don’t trap water, she said. “It’s not like these [rubber water squirting bath toys] are a necessity,” she said.

In a Facebook post that’s now

… Read More

A major study in India offers insights into on how the spread of the virus differs by age and gender.

An ambitious new study of nearly 85,000 coronavirus cases in India and nearly 600,000 of their contacts, published Wednesday in the journal Science, offers important insights not just for India, but for other low- and middle-income countries.

India now has more than six million cases, second only to the United States.

Among the findings of the study: The median hospital stay before death from Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, was five days in India, compared with two weeks in the United States, possibly because of limited access to quality care. And the trend in increasing deaths with age seemed to drop off after age 65 — perhaps because Indians who live past that age tend to be relatively wealthy and have access to good health care.

The contact tracing study also found that children of all ages can become infected with the coronavirus and spread it to others

… Read More

Most recovered coronavirus patients experience side effects of disease: study

Bolstering other researchers’ findings, a new study found that an estimated nine in 10 recovered COVID-19 patients have experienced side effects of the disease.

The preliminary South Korean study found that more than 90% of respondents to an online survey reported suffering at least one side effect of the novel coronavirus, such as fatigue and continued loss of taste and smell, for instance. The survey involved 965 recovered patients, with 879 respondents reporting at least one side effect, Kwon Jun-wook, an official with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), told a briefing, per Reuters.

Some 26.2% of respondents said they suffered fatigue, while concentration difficulties followed behind at 24.6%. (iStock)

Some 26.2% of respondents said they suffered fatigue, while concentration difficulties followed behind at 24.6%. (iStock)

More specifically, some 26.2% of respondents said they suffered fatigue, while concentration difficulties followed behind at 24.6%, the outlet reported.

The news comes after a study conducted by a researcher at St. James’s Hospital and Trinity Translational Medicine

… Read More

Alabama nursing homes to allow limited in-person visits

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday the resumption on Oct. 2 of limited in-person visits to nursing homes more than six months after they locked down in response to coronavirus.

Each nursing home resident will be allowed one caregiver or visitor at a time. Nursing homes can only permit indoor visits if they have not had a positive coronavirus case in two weeks, according to the Alabama Nursing Home Association. Facilities can limit the total number of visitors at one time and masks and social distancing will be required.

The Alabama Nursing Home Association provided the following guidance to family members:

· Do schedule an appointment to visit with your loved one

· Do use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before, during and after your visit

· Do wear a mask covering your mouth and nose during your entire visit in the facility

· Do maintain social distance of at least six

… Read More

Oklahoma among worst in nation in coronavirus

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma remains among the worst states in the United States for positive coronavirus tests per 100,000 people and the number of new reported cases, according to a report released this week by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Oklahoma is in the red zone for virus cases, meaning 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with a rate of 201 new cases per 100,000, an increase of 15% from a week ago, according to the federal report dated Sept. 27 and released Wednesday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The report recommends increased testing to identify those with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and to isolate those infected to limit the spread of the virus.

“Abbott BinaxNOW supplies (a rapid test for the virus) will be distributed in the coming weeks; develop (a) plan for weekly surveillance in critical populations to monitor

… Read More

Exclusive: FDA Widens U.S. Safety Inquiry Into AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine – Sources | Top News

By Marisa Taylor and Dan Levine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has broadened its investigation of a serious illness in AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine study and will look at data from earlier trials of similar vaccines developed by the same scientists, three sources familiar with the details told Reuters.

AstraZeneca’s large, late-stage U.S. trial has remained on hold since Sept. 6, after a study participant in Britain fell ill with what was believed to be a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis.

The widened scope of the FDA probe raises the likelihood of additional delays for what has been one of the most advanced COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. The requested data was expected to arrive this week, after which the FDA would need time to analyze it, two of the sources said.

Effective vaccines are seen as essential to help end a pandemic that

… Read More

M Health Fairview Applauds PreferredOne as First in Minnesota to Cover Innovative Prescription Digital Therapeutics to Treat Addiction

Largest Minnesota health system urging others to cover the FDA-authorized treatments

PreferredOne, Fairview’s health benefits management company, is the first health insurance provider in Minnesota to cover two innovative prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs) to treat addiction: reSET® and reSET-O®, which are manufactured by Pear Therapeutics, Inc. The software-based treatments are authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are indicated to treat substance use disorder and opioid use disorder, respectively.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200930005985/en/

PreferredOne, Fairview’s health benefits management company, is the first health insurance provider in Minnesota to cover two FDA-approved prescription digital therapeutics to treat addiction. (Provided by Pear Therapeutics)

reSET and reSET-O are the first two PDTs to receive market authorization to treat disease from FDA. PDTs are apps that are downloaded to a patient’s mobile device after being prescribed. Both products, which are adjunctive to outpatient counselling,

… Read More

COVID Treatment’s Positive Test Results Contain Troubling Wrinkles Upon Examination

KEY POINTS

  • Regeneron’s COVID-19 monoclonal antibody cocktail performed well on safety and reduction of viral load
  • It was not, however, tested on hospitalized patients, and limitations on pricing and the production of monoclonal antibody treatments suggest it’s no panacea for the pandemic
  • Also concerning were its effects on actual symptom reduction, for which none of the groups produced a statistically significant effect

Positive results from trials are a hopeful step for a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody cocktail, but some elements of the data cast doubt on the efficacy and practicality of the treatment. The results, announced Tuesday by pharmaceutical company Regeneron, did suggest that their drug reduced viral loads and performed well on safety metrics.

“We are highly encouraged by the robust and consistent nature of these initial data, as well as the emerging well-tolerated safety profile, and we have begun discussing our findings with regulatory authorities while continuing our ongoing

… Read More