During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have purchased small devices called pulse oximeters for use in their home—based on well-intentioned recommendations from health care providers and the media. Pulse oximeters are devices, usually placed on a person’s finger, used to noninvasively measure oxygen levels in the blood. Clinics and hospitals, for example, use them regularly […]
People with severe allergies to previous vaccinations warned off Pfizer COVID vaccine—for now
Two people in the United Kingdom have experienced an allergic reaction to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This led the UK medicines regulator to issue precautionary advice earlier this week that “people with a significant history of allergic reactions” should not be given this vaccine for now. This is an appropriate cautious move. The advice may […]
Why can’t some people admit defeat when they lose?
When US President-Elect Joe Biden and Deputy Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris gave their victory speeches on Saturday evening, local time, the tally of Electoral College votes showed they had decisively passed the crucial 270-vote threshold, delivering them to the White House this January. Tradition dictates the losing candidate also gives their own speech to concede […]
Warfarin use significantly increases risk of knee and hip replacement in people with OA
New research presented at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, shows that use of warfarin, a vitamin K drug widely prescribed to prevent blood clots, is associated with a significantly greater risk of knee and hip replacements in patients with osteoarthritis (ABSTRACT #0934). Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease that most […]
New approach for treating people affected by diabetic eye disease
A new study, published in Diabetologia, presents the results of the largest clinical trial for diabetic retinopathy. The study highlights a new approach that could transform diabetic eye screening around the world that also has a significant cost saving for the NHS. The number of people living with diabetes in the world is over 460 […]
How a cloud-based solution is transforming care for people with cystic fibrosis
Sitting beside their son during one of his weeks-long hospital stays over the Christmas holidays a few years ago, David and Kirsty Hill had plenty of time to worry and think. As 12-year-old George lay in an isolation room, receiving antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection related to his cystic fibrosis, a progressive genetic disease […]
Drinking green tea and coffee daily linked to lower death risk in people with diabetes
Drinking plenty of both green tea and coffee is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause among people with type 2 diabetes, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. Drinking 4 or more daily cups of green tea plus 2 or more of coffee was associated […]
High intensity training best for older people
Five years of high-intensity interval training increased quality of life, improved fitness and might very well have extended the lives of participants in the Generation 100 study. “First of all, I have to say that exercise in general seems to be good for the health of the elderly. And our study results show that on […]
Five People Have Contracted Flesh-Eating Bacteria from the Long Island Sound—Here's What to Know About About the Rare Infection
Public health officials in Connecticut are warning residents about the risk of swimming or wading in the Long Island Sound after an “unusual number” of people became infected with flesh-eating bacteria from the water. Since July, there have been five reported cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections caused by bacteria in the water, according to a […]
5M people infected, India’s virus outbreak still soaring
India’s total of coronavirus infections passed 5 million Wednesday, still soaring and testing the feeble health care system in tens of thousands of impoverished towns and villages. The world’s second-most populous country has added more than 1 million cases of infection this month alone and is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country within weeks, […]