More-infectious ‘stealth’ Omicron variant makes up 4% of Covid cases in the US, CDC reports for the first time The ‘stealth’ Omicron variant, or BA.2, only makes up around 4% of U.S. cases, the CDC reports The strain that quickly took over Denmark and the UK has failed to make much impact in America Experts have not issued grave warnings […]

Almost everyone has heard of the placebo effect — when people experience beneficial effects from an inert drug. But few are aware of its flip side, the “nocebo effect.” Here, individuals taking a drug, whether placebo or not, experience unwanted, negative effects. Medical News Today spoke to experts in the field to investigate the basis of the nocebo effect and […]

Almost everyone has heard of the placebo effect — when people experience beneficial effects from an inert drug. But few are aware of its flip side, the “nocebo effect.” Here, individuals taking a drug, whether placebo or not, experience unwanted, negative effects. Medical News Today spoke to experts in the field to investigate the basis of the nocebo effect and […]

Already weary from two years of navigating parenthood during a pandemic, parents are facing a new stress: What to think about surging numbers of kids diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19. Statistics show both have reached a pandemic high. For the week ending Jan. 20, 1.1 million child COVID-19 cases were reported, a 17 percent increase over the week before, and […]

The origin of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has long been debated among scientists. However, prior research found early genetic material of a unique SARS-CoV-2 variant from the soil on King George Island, Antarctica between 24 December 2018 and 13th January 2019. Following up on these findings, new research by scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, suggests […]

The rocketing price of fuel could be making people’s physical and mental health worse, according to a new study from the University of East Anglia. Researchers investigated how fuel poverty—not having enough money to heat your home—impacts health and wellbeing. They found that not being able to keep homes warm enough affects people’s levels of life satisfaction. But they also […]

A new study finding that samples from maternal urine and the meconium of their newborn babies frequently produce different results is raising more questions about drug testing of pregnant women. The study found concerningly high rates of disagreement (or “discordance”) in biochemical testing between maternal urine in women with a documented history of or active drug use and the meconium […]

The treatment of serious prodromal cervical cancer, CIN3, can cause problems during later pregnancy amongst women of fertile age. A new registry study from Karolinska Institutet shows a higher risk of several adverse pregnancy outcomes after such treatment, but the risks have declined over time and the increased risk of infant death no longer exists. The study, which included a […]

A genome study undertaken by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers to look for variants in a gene considered a fundamental building block for microscopic structures that synthesize proteins took a surprising twist. Human ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are essential for building ribosomes, or machineries that translate proteins. The study findings, to be published in the Feb. 2 issue of […]

Binyam Nardos, PhD, an instructor in the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died unexpectedly Jan. 29, 2022, in St. Louis. He was 39. Nardos joined the faculty in summer 2021 as an instructor in occupational therapy and neurology. As an instructor, his focus was research methods, evidence-based practice, and neuroscience. His research […]