Although more patients are surviving severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there are limited data on outcomes after initial hospitalization. We therefore measured the rate of readmission, reasons for readmission, and rate of death after hospital discharge among patients with COVID-19 in the nationwide Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. We identified index hospitalizations for COVID-19 [...]

When scientists began seeking a vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in early 2020, they were careful not to promise quick success. The fastest any vaccine had previously been developed, from viral sampling to approval, was four years, for mumps in the 1960s. To hope for one even by the summer of 2021 seemed highly optimistic. But [...]

Many of us strive to hang onto the parts of our lives outside of our idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis because it helps us remember that we’re more than a “chronically-ill patient”. Or at least, this is how I feel. I want the other aspects of my identity to shine through, and never want to [...]

Background/objectives Influenza is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly for older adults. Persistent functional decline following hospitalization has important impacts on older adults’ wellbeing and independence, but has been under‐studied in relation to influenza. We aimed to investigate persistent functional change in older adults admitted to hospital with influenza and other acute respiratory illness (ARI). [...]

Question  Among patients with recent myocardial infarction or hospitalization for heart failure, is high-dose trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine more effective than standard-dose quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine for reducing all-cause mortality or hospitalizations for cardiac or pulmonary causes? Findings  In this randomized clinical trial that involved 5260 adults and was conducted over 3 influenza seasons, there was [...]

Stanford found itself in hot water last week after deploying a faulty Covid-19 vaccine distribution algorithm. But the fiasco offers a cautionary tale that extends far beyond Stanford’s own doors — and holds crucial lessons as the country prepares to confront complex decisions about who gets the vaccine, when, and why. At the center of the [...]

Scientists have revealed a mechanism that causes heart cells to age and identified a drug that can rejuvenate them, according to a study published today in eLife.  The drug is now in clinical trials. The results provide the first direct evidence that aging increases proton leakage in heart cells. The findings could lead to new treatments to [...]

The coronavirus behind the pandemic presents some vexing dualities. It’s dangerous enough that it dispatches patients to hospitals in droves and has killed more than 1.6 million people, but mild enough that most people shrug it off. It blocks one arm of the immune system from responding as it takes hold, but lures other parts into [...]

A French agency has warned people of the risks of eating berries or leaves from decorative plants. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Oc Image by dendoktoor from Pixabay cupational Health and Safety (ANSES) seasonal message focused on holly, mistletoe and poinsettia blooms, berries and leaves that can be used to decorate cakes, homes [...]

This week, Gov. Cuomo ordered indoor dining to shut down in New York City and a new study in South Korea suggests that coronavirus spreads much faster and farther inside restaurants than previously thought. Don Milton, MD, professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, explains.     CC0 [...]