One in 500 men carry extra sex chromosome, putting them at higher risk of several common diseases

Around one in 500 men could be carrying an extra X or Y chromosome — most of them unaware — putting them at increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and thrombosis, say researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Exeter. In a study published in Genetics in Medicine, researchers analysed genetic data collected on over 200,000 UK […]

NMPA (China) approves Paxlovid conditionally to treat COVID-19 – Pfizer

China’s medical products regulator has given conditional approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, making it the first oral pill specifically developed to treat the disease cleared in the country. The National Medical Products Administration said Paxlovid is approved to treat adults who have mild to moderate COVID-19 and high risk of progressing to a severe condition. Further study on the […]

Peanut allergy treatment safest when started for infants under 12 months, researchers find

UBC researchers demonstrated in 2019 that pre-schoolers can safely overcome peanut allergies with a treatment called oral immunotherapy. Now they have evidence that the earlier pre-schoolers start this treatment, the better. This real-world study focused on infants younger than 12 months old and reveals that not only is oral immunotherapy effective against peanut allergies, it’s even safer for this age […]

Why COVID vaccines are deemed non-essential for UK young children

Throughout the pandemic the University of Huddersfield’s Department of Pharmacy has been raising awareness on what vaccines are, how they are formulated, and why they’re an important part of the healthcare strategy as well as the progress on further developments in COVID vaccines, so that people can make an educated decision on becoming vaccinated or if choosing for their children. In […]

Long COVID poses risks to vaccinated people, too

Even vaccinated people with mild breakthrough COVID-19 infections can experience debilitating, lingering symptoms that affect the heart, brain, lungs and other parts of the body, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System. The study of more than 13 million veterans also found that vaccination against […]

Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine does not appear to increase severe adverse events

Investigators report that even though there was some increase in cases of low-severity adverse events after third-dose vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection with mRNA vaccines, such third-dose vaccination did not significantly increase severe adverse events. The findings appeared on April 14, 2022 in JAMA Network Open. As background the authors said. “Recent reports on waning of COVID-19 vaccine–induced immunity have led […]

Conventional vaccine messages miss the mark

Promotional campaigns designed to increase vaccine uptake are often ineffective, according to a new study in eight European countries. Some initiatives which highlight the benefits of immunisation may even be counterproductive, say scientists. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich worked with colleagues at the University of Trento and the London School of Economics and Political Science to test the […]

EU experts cautious on fourth dose of COVID-19

It is ‘too early’ to consider using a fourth dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in the general population, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC). However, experts from both agencies agreed that a fourth dose – or second booster shot – can be given to adults 80 years of age. […]

Additional COVID vaccine helps protect transplant patients

Additional booster doses of vaccine against COVID-19 are particularly important for those who are immunosuppressed, namely those who have had solid organ transplants, a new study shows. The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, shows that even after vaccination, patients taking immunosuppressive medications to prevent rejection of an organ transplant have higher risk for severe COVID-19 than those with […]

New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice

A new protein-based antiviral nasal spray developed by researchers at Northwestern University, University of Washington and Washington University at St. Louis is being advanced toward Phase I human clinical trials to treat COVID-19. Designed computationally and refined in the laboratory, the new protein therapies thwarted infection by interfering with the virus’ ability to enter cells. The top protein neutralized the […]