Booster shots against COVID-19 are once again on my mind. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that older people and immunocompromised people are eligible for a second booster shot…
Category: Health & Medicine
Joggers naturally pace themselves to conserve energy even on short runs
For many recreational runners, taking a jog is a fun way to stay fit and burn calories. But it turns out an individual has a tendency to settle into the…
50 years ago, scientists were seeking the cause of psoriasis
Cyclic AMP and psoriasis — Science News, April 29, 1972 [A team of dermatologists] discovered that cyclic AMP levels in psoriasis lesions are significantly lower than in healthy skin.… [The…
Antibiotics diminish babies’ immune response to key vaccines
Taking antibiotics in the first two years of life can prevent babies from developing a robust immune response to certain vaccines. The new finding provides another cautionary tale against overusing…
What experts told me to do after my positive COVID-19 at-home test
After two years of successfully evading getting COVID-19 — including a few brushes with close contacts, a couple of are-they-just-colds? scares and lots of negative tests — I recently tested…
Why taking medications during pregnancy is so confusing
Obstetrician Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman was treating patients in New York City when the COVID-19 pandemic swept in. Hospitals began filling up. Some of her pregnant patients were among the sick. It…
A new nuclear imaging prototype detects tumors’ faint glow
A type of light commonly observed in astrophysics experiments and nuclear reactors can help detect cancer. In a clinical trial, a prototype of an imaging machine that relies on this…
Can dietary supplements help fight stress, improve mood and quality of life?
Stress is the plague of modern society. Stress is the state of tension caused by the fear of being unable to cope with a particular situation. People under pressure, often…
What we learned about COVID-19 safety from a NYC anime convention
As Kristin Meyer set up her merchandise booth at the Anime NYC convention last November, she was sure she’d be exposed to the coronavirus at some point during the three-day…
Racial bias can seep into U.S. patients’ medical notes
When health care providers enter notes into patients’ electronic health records, they are more likely to portray Black patients negatively compared with white patients, two recent studies have found. The…
