Health & Fitness

On March 18, 2022, this report was posted online as an MMWR Early Release. Christopher A. Taylor, PhD1; Michael Whitaker, MPH1; Onika Anglin, MPH1,2; Jennifer Milucky, MSPH1; Kadam Patel, MPH1,2; Huong Pham, MPH1; Shua J. Chai, MD3,4; Nisha B. Alden, MPH5; Kimberly Yousey-Hindes, MPH6; Evan J. Anderson, MD7,8,9; Kenzie Teno, MPH10; Libby Reeg, MPH11; Kathryn Como-Sabetti, MPH12; Molly Bleecker, MA13; Grant Barney, MPH14; Nancy M. Bennett, MD15; Laurie M. Billing, MPH16; Melissa Sutton, MD17; H. Keipp Talbot, MD18; Keegan McCaffrey19; Fiona P. Havers, MD1; COVID-NET Surveillance Team (View author affiliations) View suggested citation Summary What is already known about this topic? SARS-CoV-2 infections can result in COVID-19–associated hospitalizations, even among vaccinated...

Issued on: 24/03/2022 - 19:18 Paris (AFP) – Consuming artificial sweetener could increase the risk of developing cancer, a large-scale study suggested Thursday, but experts not involved in the research said it was not enough proof to consider changing current health advice. Sweeteners are consumed by millions every day in products like diet soda, partly as a way to avoid weight gain from sugar -- but how healthy these substitutes are themselves has long been a matter of controversy. To assess the cancer risk of sweeteners, researchers analysed the data of more than 100,000 people in France who self-reported their diet, lifestyle and medical history in intervals between 2009-2021 as part of ...

"I want a beer" ... a simple and direct request, but a damn amazing one because it was uttered by a paralyzed man who's communicating for the first time in months, thanks to a life-changing brain implant. In a testament to the power of science, and beer -- researchers in Switzerland outfitted a 36-year-old ALS patient with a chip in his brain, which allows him to spell out sentences one letter at a time, and he used it to order up a cold one. On top of a brew, the guy also a...

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Plastics Exclusive: The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested.The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year. Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People were already known to consume the tin...

BALTIMORE — Leafy greens are not only good for your health, they may help end the coronavirus pandemic as well. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center have collected compelling evidence that a chemical found within broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may offer a potent new way of fighting both COVID-19 and the common cold. Scientists call the plant-derived chemical (phytochemical) in question sulforaphane. Prior work has already connected sulforaphane with cancer preventing benefits. Now, this latest work reports it can also inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19), and other coronaviruses across both cell and mice samples. To be clear, while these results are very promising, study authors caution against running to the grocery stor...

A British man developed a flesh-eating disease that infected his genitals after undergoing a minor medical procedure during a recent business trip to Costa Rica, according to a report. Colin Graw, 47, who traveled to the Central American country to pursue a business opportunity, underwent the operation and was discharged the same day, but soon developed intense pain, LancsLive reported. Four days later, doctors told him he was suffering from necrotising fasciitis, a rare but serious flesh-eating bacterial infection that affects the tissue under the skin and surrounding muscles and organs. Making matters worse, he contracted Fournier’s gangrene, a form of necrotizing fasciitis that affects the scrotum, penis or perineum, according to the outlet. Graw underw...

Orthopaedic surgery (surgery for problems related to bones, joints, tendons and ligaments) is the third most common reason Australians go under the knife. Last year, more than 100,000 orthopaedic surgeries were performed in Australian public hospitals. As most orthopaedic surgeries are performed in private hospitals, the real number is much higher (and unfortunately unknown). But what most people don’t know is that many common orthopaedic surgeries are not better for reducing pain than non-surgical alternatives that are both cheaper and safer, such as exercise programs. Some surgeries provide the same result as a placebo surgery, where the surgeon only conducts a joint examination, rather than performing the real surgery. And contrary to popular opinions, placebos are not...

Jennifer Dornan-Fish is marking two years grappling with the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on her body. She said her road to recovery from the virus has been mired in a "bewildering array" of agonizing and debilitating new symptoms -- which gradually emerged after she had already fended off her initial infection. A couple weeks after testing positive in March 2020, it seemed like Dornan-Fish had made it mostly out of the woods. However, the healthy 46-years-old said she struggled with COVID fatigue and labored breath but avoided hospitalization. She said she was "convincing myself I was on the mend" and was anxious "to jump back into" her busy life finishing her next book and homeschooling her son. But then, "everything started going haywire." Dornan-Fish told ABC News her doctors have ...

Summary: The motivation to exert sustained effort to achieve a goal following stress exposure depends on an individual’s level of trait anxiety. The expression of CRHR1 in dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area connects anxiety to either boosted or diminished motivation levels. Source: NCCR-Synapsy People often have different responses to stress. These distinct behavioral reactions could represent factors that indicate different individual susceptibility to develop certain pathologies such as depression. A research team from the EPFL, member of the Swiss Synapsy national center of competence in research (NCCR-Synapsy) on mental health, demonstrated that the motivation to exert sustained effort to obtain goals after stress exposure depends on the individual’s level of trait an...