Month: June 2021

New York City will spend as much as $60 million, according to one estimate by health officials, on a vaccine outreach program to combat hesitancy and access issues. But in many Orthodox neighborhoods messages from respected rabbis resonate more. In Israel, where coronavirus restrictions have ceased now that the majority of the population has been vaccinated, state officials confronted similar difficulties with the ultra-Orthodox community. However, representatives from within the community waged an effective counter-messaging campaign. But those messages have not been as successful in New York. In the ZIP code for Borough Park in Brooklyn, which has a large Orthodox community, 28.5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, compared with a 45.7 percent rate for all city residents. In ...

A nurse prepares a dose of AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Fasano Italy, April 13, 2021. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo/File Photo The Italian government said on Friday it was restricting the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to people over the age of 60, after a teenager who had received the shot died from a rare form of blood clotting. Camilla Canepa died on Thursday aged 18 after being given the vaccine on May 25, triggering a media and political outcry over the Anglo-Swedish company's shot being used for adults of all ages despite previously-raised medical concerns. "AstraZeneca will only be used for people over 60," the country's special COVID commissioner Francesco Figliuolo told reporters. People under the age of 60 who have received a first dose of AstraZe...

Vitamin D deficiency strongly exaggerates the craving for and effects of opioids, potentially increasing the risk for dependence and addiction, according to a new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). These findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that addressing the common problem of vitamin D deficiency with inexpensive supplements could play a part in combating the ongoing scourge of opioid addiction. Earlier work by David E. Fisher, MD, PhD, director of the Mass General Cancer Center’s Melanoma Program and director of MGH’s Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC), laid the foundation for the current study. In 2007, Fisher and his team found something unexpected: Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays (specifically the form called UVB), causes the...

Dementia is a much-feared condition associated with aging. But it's becoming more common, simply because more of us are living longer. According to the World Health Organization, dementia cases are expected to triple from their current rate by the year 2050. Although the disease is progressive and there is currently no cure, treatments are available to slow its progression if at all possible. The key is early detection. In particular, forgetting one thing might mean you're developing dementia. Read on to find out more, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You Have "Long" COVID and May Not Even Know It. Shutterstock "Dementia is not a single disease but a term that describe...

3D tumors that disintegrate within a few days thanks to the action of a well-known Omega-3 (DHA, found mainly in fish) — this is the exceptional discovery by University of Louvain. Hungry for fatty acids, tumor cells in acidosis gorge themselves on DHA but are unable to store it correctly and literally poison themselves. The result? They die. Credit: Copyright UCLouvain So-called “good fatty acids” are essential for human health and much sought after by those who try to eat healthily. Among the Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA or docosahexaenoic acid is crucial to brain function, vision and the regulation of inflammatory phenomena. In addition to these virtues, DHA is also associated with a reduction in the incidence of cancer. How it works is the subject of a major discovery by a multidi...