Month: January 2022

New hope for a HIV cure? Scientists eliminate virus in 40% of mice by using a 'kick and kill' technique that forces it out of hiding and makes it vulnerable to injections of killer immune cells Patients with HIV typically take antiretrovirals to supress the virus in their body Such drugs do not kill the virus, however, but inhibit it at points in its 'life cycle' HIV lies dormant in certain immune cells, ready to emerge if treatment ceases  Experts led from UCLA have shown that the 'kick and kill' approach has promise  After activating the hiding virus, healthy natural killer cells are used to destroy it The team are looking to make the treatment more effective before human tests By Ian Randall For Mailonline Published: 10:21 EST, 18 January 2022 | Updated: 10:21 EST...

One-third of clinical trial participants who received no vaccine reported systemic adverse advents like headache and fatigue. The placebo effect is the well-known phenomenon of a person’s physical or mental health improving after taking a treatment with no pharmacological therapeutic benefit – a sugar pill, or a syringe full of saline, for example. While the exact biological, psychological, and genetic underpinnings of the placebo effect are not well understood, some theories point to expectations as the primary cause and others argue that non-conscious factors embedded in the patient-physician relationship automatically turn down the volume of symptoms. Sometimes placebo effects can also harm –the so-called “nocebo effect” occurs when a person experiencing unpleasant side effects ...

Even as omicron is surging, the seasonal flu is back: More than 2,500 Americans were admitted to the hospital with influenza in the last week of December. The flu hospitalization rate is still about half of the pre-Covid normal, but it is eight times higher than it was last year when one side effect of pandemic restrictions was that flu cases fell off dramatically. This is the first glimpse of a harsh new reality that will outlast this wave of the pandemic: Flu season has transformed into Covid-and-flu season — a “flu-rona” wave every winter. Before the pandemic, the flu alone could sometimes push hospital systems into crisis mode, where they cancel elective procedures and limit other kinds of care. Now there’s Covid-19, which has done the same thing on its own. Suddenly conju...

In vaccinated and boosted people, breakthrough Covid-19 cases can often be quite mild, akin to an annoying cold; these relatively manageable symptoms can result in infected people dismissing a slightly scratchy throat and perhaps forgoing testing. The “what is a symptom” question is also impacting those who do test positive, with new federal guidelines relying on symptoms as a deciding factor in whether you go back to work or stay home after testing positive for Covid-19 — especially for essential workers and those who don’t have paid time off. In December 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for isolation after a positive test, with the number of days someone must isolate being largely dependent on the presence of symptoms. Now, people wh...

Dementia refers to a cluster of symptoms associated with brain decline. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. It is commonly viewed as an inevitable result of the ageing process (even though it isn't), however, certain foods and activities could be increasing your risk. The most common signs of dementia are memory loss and the loss of practical abilities. These symptoms can often lead to withdrawal form work or social activities. A person may also become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual, or appear to lose interest in hobbies. Researchers at University College London say excessive viewing could lead to memory loss and contribute to the development of ...