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The United States could soon have another tool in the fight against respiratory syncytial virus, an illness that’s the No. 1 cause of hospitalization in infants. In a mid- to late-stage trial, Enflonsia reduced RSV-associated hospitalizations in infants more than 84% compared with a placebo. RSV can sometimes turn into serious lower respiratory infections like pneumonia, but the shot also reduced lower respiratory infections that needed medical attention by more than 60% compared with a placebo.

A new type of antibiotic for treatment of urinary tract infections in women could also work against gonorrhea infections, a new study finds. This could put the medication, called gepotidacin, on track to become the first new antibiotic for gonorrhea since the 1990s. “Gepotidacin is a novel oral antibacterial treatment with the potential to become an alternative option for the treatment of gonococcal infections, supported by an acceptable safety and tolerability profile,” the researchers wrote in the study published Monday in The Lancet, adding that the drug “could mark a meaningful advancement in patient care.” As an antibiotic, gepotidacin works...

Dying of dysentery is now more than just a video game meme in Oregon. In a disgusting turn of events straight out of the “Oregon Trail” game, the diarrhea-inducing malady dysentery is making a stomach-churning comeback in a densely populated region of the state. Cases of the hyper-contagious bacterial disease have surged in Multnomah County, with health officials reporting 40 cases of the wretched sickness in January, according to the Multnomah County Health Department, KOIN reported. The infection, also known as shigellosis, can spread through exposure with infected feces, contaminated food or water, or sexual contact – with person-to-person the...

Antidepressants like Prozac treat mental health disorders, but new research suggests they could also protect against serious infections and life-threatening sepsis. The study follows recent findings that users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac had less severe COVID-19 infections. Another study found that Prozac—also known as fluoxetine—was effective in protecting mice against sepsis. While our immune systems do their best to protect us against infections, sometimes they can overreact. An obvious solution would presumably be to suppress the inflammatory response, but doing so can actually make patients more vulnerable to infection. Instead, an ideal treatment would 1) proactively...

Here is a long take on the court injunction crisis, which is less crisis than an opportunity… OK, stop panicking about all the stupid legal decisions from leftist judges that the left is getting from judge shopping in leftist jurisdictions. Stop. Panicking. First, no one should be surprised by any of this. The administration certainly isn’t. We always knew exactly what they would do. Do not take the fact they are not screaming and yelling as them rolling over. They are not rolling over. There’s plenty going on behind the scenes as administration lawyers prepare their papers for the legal...

[Video] Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied Gov. Josh Green’s allegation that he caused many deaths in Samoa by discouraging the measles vaccine. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- Gov. Josh Green was in the U.S. Capitol hearing room Wednesday while Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied Green’s allegation that he caused many deaths in Samoa by discouraging the measles vaccine. Green responded with profanity on national television. Speaking on CNN and MSNBC cable outlets after the hearing, the governor was clearly angry. It was understandable because during his confirmation hearing, RFK Jr. basically called Green a liar. Kennedy, who was nominated by President Donald...

Can lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic help treat cancer? A new study led by researchers at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has revealed a connection between COVID-19 infection and cancer regression. The team’s discovery could pave the way for novel cancer treatments. In an unexpected twist, researchers observed that the RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus – responsible for COVID-19 – triggered the development of a unique type of immune cell with anti-cancer properties. These cells, dubbed “inducible nonclassical monocytes (I-NCMs),” were found to attack cancer cells and could potentially be harnessed...

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Cases of Dengue fever are rising along the Texas-Mexico border with rates in the Lone Star State reaching levels not seen in more than two decades. In Mexico, hospitalizations and deaths from complications of the virus are also on the rise. Despite the proximity of border cities in Mexico and Texas, the rates of contagion with the Dengue virus differ significantly. In Mexico, rates of infection and deaths from the mosquito-borne virus are significantly higher. In Texas, the first locally acquired case of Dengue fever this year did not appear until November. The Cameron County resident...

Doctors have used a new catheter-based approach to draw out resistant pockets of infection that settle in the heart, known as right-sided infective endocarditis, without surgery. Unless treated quickly, the walled-off infections can grow, severely damaging heart valves and potentially affecting other organs as well. In a recent study, over 90% of the participants had their infection cleared, and they had lower in-hospital mortality compared to those whose infections remained. The research is part of a Mayo Clinic-led study across 19 U.S. sites involving patients who were not good candidates for surgery and whose right-sided heart infections had not responded...

The Covid-19 pandemic may be behind us, but its effects are still evident across Europe. In the aftermath, countries are seeing an increase in viral infections, particularly among children and teenagers. Are these infections a cause for alarm, or is it a natural consequence of our post-pandemic world? The surge in viral infections across Europe In Denmark, cases of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, a bacterium responsible for respiratory infections, have surged. The 2023-2024 season saw a threefold increase in infections compared to pre-pandemic years, and hospitalisations rose 2.6 times, according to a report on The Lancet. Despite this uptick, the severity of...

Paris organisers’ worst fears have come true after mutiple athletes fell seriously ill after competing in the triathlon. Concerns were raised going into the Olympics over the events taking place in the Seine River and now the reality has hit. Belgium were forced to pull out of the mixed triathlon relay after one of their athletes was hospitalised with an E. coli infection. Claire Michel, 35, has been sick for the past four days, an illness that has now ruled her out of the race entirely. With Belgium unable to replace her in their four-person team, they have been forced...

Changing the way antibiotics are given to adult patients with sepsis will save thousands of lives a year globally, according to research. A clinical trial and systematic review have shown that intravenously administering commonly used penicillin-like antibiotics via continuous infusion—instead of multiple short infusions—cures infections and saves lives. The clinical trial of more than 7,000 patients tested findings from laboratory studies to deliver the best drug concentration for the bacteria causing the infection. "We found by delivering these antibiotic doses as a continuous infusion we can maintain the concentration of the antibiotic in a patient's blood and tissue, and kill...

Eczema, a skin inflammatory disease that causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin, affects millions worldwide. Eczema is associated with an altered skin microbiome and higher colonization by Staphylococcus aureus. A study by Anish R. Maskey, Ph.D., focuses on the natural compound berberine and its impact on eczema exacerbated by S. aureus. The findings shed light on berberine's ability to inhibit S. aureus colonization and alleviate eczema symptoms without adverse effects. Current treatments often fall short—topical antibiotics can give temporary relief, but risk development of antibiotic resistance, and steroid use can potentially result in topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) syndrome. This study...

The composition of the intestinal flora can predict the chances of developing serious infections such as pneumonia. Researchers followed more than 10,000 people for six years. More than 600 people who had less healthy intestinal flora developed a serious infection, with this leading in some cases to death. The 602 people who were hospitalized due to an infection showed at the start of the study that they had fewer butyrate-producing bacteria in their microbiome. Butyrate is a small fatty acid that is known to have a positive impact on the immune system of mice. It has also been seen before...

With the arrival of a new, highly contagious fungal infection in NYC, health experts are sharing what you need to know to keep yourself safe. An unidentified NYC man in his 30s was diagnosed with the first US-reported case of Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII, a rare, sexually transmitted form of ringworm. Details of his infection were shared Wednesday in the journal JAMA Dermatology. “The first thing to note is that we do not have evidence this infection is endemic in the US or even widespread in the US,” Dr. Avrom S. Caplan, who led the study of the man’s case,...

Bioengineered bird flu souped up via gain-of-function lab work could be developed in a shockingly short period of time, former CDC Director Robert Redfield told News Nation recently: I think it puts our world at great risk. We have the risk of natural spillover, but there is a species barrier. I’m obviously most worried about bird flu. Right now, it takes five amino acid change for it to be effectively infecting humans. That’s a pretty heavy species barrier but this virus is already now in 26 mammal species, as you saw most recently in cattle. But in the laboratory, I...

London -- A team of scientists from the world’s leading universities have developed a new all-in-one vaccine that they hope can protect humans against a broad range of coronaviruses, including ones that are yet to emerge. The research published in ‘Nature Nanotechnology’ on Monday is based on a new approach to vaccine development called “proactive vaccinology”, where scientists build a vaccine before the disease-causing pathogen even emerges, which has shown promising results in mice. The study by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK and Caltech in the US says the vaccine works by training the body’s immune...

Despite progress in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the U.S. since its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital-acquired AMR infections remain well above pre-pandemic levels, according to a major new study examining AMR before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 120 US hospitals. The study was led by Dr. Christina Yek from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is being presented at this year's ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April). It reveals that AMR rates remain high largely due to the persistence...

A new study demonstrates the use of a simple pre-surgical infection prevention protocol to prevent dangerous post-surgical infections. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a type of health care-associated infection with deadly consequences for some patients. These infections lead to a high rate of morbidity and mortality, with a patient's estimated risk of death as much as 11 times higher than normal. Researchers aimed to evaluate the results of a protocol designed to reduce SSIs through a particular focus on the Staphylococcus aureus pathogen. The approach involved a pre-surgical intranasal application of povidone-iodine and skin antisepsis using chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). The...

My computer keeps popping up messages from http://squipisioncha.co.in -- which I'm sure is a hacker site -- claiming to be McAfee (which I don't have) claiming it's trying to fix a virus & invasion. Also, every time I try to make an original post on Facebook, I get "Your post is being processed. We'll let you know when it's ready to view." I can share mems an memories. I can comment. I cannot type an original post. How do I fix these problems?