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Omicron May Overcome Prior COVID Infection

People who've already had COVID-19 have a higher risk of reinfection with the Omicron coronavirus variant than with earlier variants, new research shows.

The South African scientists who reported the findings believe that vaccination will have the power to stop severe illness, however.

Speaking at a World Health Organization brie...

Gene Found in Amish Helps Protect Their Hearts

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A rare gene variant discovered among Amish people may help lower "bad" cholesterol and protect against heart disease, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among nearly 7,000 Amish people, the gene variant was tied to reductions in both LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen -- a p...

Could Pollution Help Decide Your Baby's Sex?

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A boy or a girl? New research suggests that the air pregnant women breathe or the water they drink could play a role in their baby's sex.

The finding stems from tracking hundreds of factors — including pollution exposure — surrounding the birth of more than 6 million American...

Do Immune-Based Cancer Drugs Work Better in Men?

Women are two times more likely than men to die after receiving a combination of cancer immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, but it's not clear if that difference is due to side effects or because the treatment isn't working, researchers say.

This new class of highly targeted drugs — which includes pembrolizumab (Keytruda),...

AHA News: Teen With Three Heart Conditions Aims to Become a Pediatric Cardiologist

In second grade, Emily Meister was performing as Gretl Von Trapp in the local high school production of "The Sound of Music" when she felt her heart beating unusually fast. She also sensed pressure in her chest.

The youngster from Wichita, Kansas, had consumed an energy drink to stay awake for the late-night show. Her physician suggested t...

New York Reports 5 Omicron Cases, U.S. Total Rises to 9

Five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in New York state, one in Minnesota and one in Hawaii, officials in those states announced Thursday.

That brings the known total in the United States to nine, with California and Colorado previously announcing one case each.

One of the New York cases is a 67-year-old w...

Study Finds Delta Somewhat Resistant to Vaccines — What About Omicron?

Lab studies show that the mutations found in COVID-19's Delta variant make the virus more resistant to existing vaccines, a potentially ominous development as the new Omicron variant starts to wend its way around the world.

Full vaccination with the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines still produces enough antibodies to neutralize Delta, Britis...

Most Vaccinated Adults Plan to Get Boosters: Poll

Most vaccinated American adults have every intention of getting booster shots, a new poll finds.

Only about one in five say they won't get it, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey conducted with 1,820 U.S. adults between Nov. 8 and Nov. 22. About 23% of vaccinated adults have already received a booster shot in the United St...

Black Americans Less Likely to Lose Hearing as They Age

Older Black Americans are much more likely to have good hearing than white Americans, and the difference is especially notable among men, a new study shows.

“We found that among males, non-Hispanic Black Americans have a prevalence of hearing loss that is similar to non-Hispanic white Americans who are 10 years younger,” co-author ZhiD...

Gene Test Spots Breast Cancer Patients Who Can Skip Post-Op Chemo

A genetic test can identify older breast cancer patients who can forgo chemotherapy after surgery, even if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, a large international clinical trial shows.

"For decades, women with breast cancer that had spread to the axillary [armpit] lymph nodes were treated with chemotherapy after surgery, to redu...

Almost 13 Million Americans Per Year Skip Meds Due to Cost

Nearly 13 million U.S. adults a year skip or delay filling needed prescriptions due to high price tags, new research shows.

This figure includes more than 2.3 million Medicare beneficiaries and 3.8 million privately insured working-age adults who didn't get needed medications each year in 2018 and 2019 because of cost, according to a natio...

Pandemic Data Suggests Cars Spew More Ammonia Than Suspected

COVID-19 lockdowns brought surprising news to scientists studying pollution: Cars spew much more ammonia into the air than previously thought.

Ammonia is a common air pollutant that's a major cause of lung and heart disease, especially in cities.

“The tricky question has always been: How do we separate out ammonia concentrations ow...

Windy Days Are Safer Days When It Comes to COVID-19

If you're getting together with others outdoors, a windy day might be best, researchers say.

The investigators found that when people socialize outside, the risk of coronavirus infection is as much as 45% greater when there's hardly any breeze than when there are stronger winds.

"The issue is really about an increased danger of infec...

Second Omicron Case Reported in Man Who Traveled to NYC Anime Convention

Just one day after the first Omicron case was reported in the United States, federal officials announced a second case on Thursday, this time in a Minnesota man who had traveled to an Anime convention in New York City in November.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working on the case with the Minnesota Departme...

Autism Now Diagnosed in 1 in Every 44 8-Year-Olds, CDC Says

Autism may be more prevalent among American children than believed, a new U.S. government study shows.

One in 44 children at age 8 in the United States have been diagnosed with the developmental disorder, a jump from the previous estimate of 1 in 54 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found.

But a sec...

Is the Mumps Vaccine Becoming Less Effective?

Children and teenagers vaccinated against the mumps virus have accounted for one-third of infections in recent years, a new U.S. government study finds.

The reasons are unclear, and experts stressed that routine childhood vaccination remains the best weapon against mumps -- a contagious infection that is usually mild, but can cause serious...

After Vaccines & Easing of Lockdowns, College Students' Mental Health Still Poor

College students are not bouncing back from the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling new study finds.

Researchers were surprised to find that one year after the start of the pandemic, college students were still less active and more at risk for depression even as social restrictions were lifted and many were vaccinated....

AHA News: Foraging for Food Connects You to Nature – But Do Your Homework Before You Eat

To occupy his mind during long-distance trail runs, Philip Stark started noticing the variety of plants in the fields around him, then the way they changed with the seasons. As the plants bloomed and thrived over time, he began to wonder, "Can I eat that?"

So Stark, a professor of statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, chall...

Survivors of Severe COVID Face Doubled Risk for Death a Year Later

People who recovered from a severe case of COVID-19 may have more to worry about: New research finds that patients hospitalized with COVID are 2.5 times more likely to die within the year than people who never contracted the coronavirus.

They also are nearly twice as likely to die as people who had a mild case of COVID, researchers say.

'Mild Cognitive Impairment' in Older Age Often Disappears, Study Finds

A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) might worry an older adult, who could see it as a stepping stone to dementia. But a new study suggests one does not necessarily lead to the other.

In fact, nearly half of seniors tracked in the study -- all of who had been diagnosed with issues in memory and thinking and received an MCI diagno...