The FDA has encouraged manufacturers to include the word “sesame” on ingredient labels whenever it’s used as a food flavoring or additive to alert consumers who have a sesame allergy. New draft guidance on the matter came 2 years after the agency invited consumers, advocacy groups, health professionals, industry groups, and others to submit data and comments about [...]
Having hope for the future could protect people from risky behaviors such as drinking and gambling—according to new research from the University of East Anglia. The researchers studied “relative deprivation”—the feeling that other people have things better than you in life. They wanted to find out why only some people experiencing this turn to escapist [...]
As US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisors prepare to consider Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use authorization (EUA) later this week, an agency review posted ahead of the meeting made a strong case, suggesting that a two-dose regimen was safe and 94% effective at preventing disease. The development comes as more states immunized the [...]
Two commentaries published yesterday in JAMA and a University of Michigan news release offer ideas from behavioral science and other fields to boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the United States and discuss the ethics of continuing placebo arms in trials of coronavirus vaccines already proven effective. Evidence-based uptake strategies The first commentary, by Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, and Alison [...]
The latest weekly update from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the COVID-19 pandemic shows new infections continuing to rise, with stabilization in Europe and a reduction in cases in other regions of the world being offset by the ongoing surge in the Americas and a sharp increase in cases in Africa. Overall, there were more than [...]
Background Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatory actions. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of azithromycin in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial, several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. [...]
For many, whole grains are an important part of a healthy diet. Consuming at least three servings of whole grains per day (one serving is one-half cup of cooked grains like oatmeal or rice, or one slice of bread) can reduce the risk of some chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and certain cancers. One study also showed that [...]
What is already known about this topic? COVID-19 incidence is higher among American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) than among non-Hispanic Whites. In 2009, AI/ANs experienced disproportionately high pandemic influenza A(H1N1)–associated mortality. What is added by this report? Based on data from 14 participating states, age-adjusted COVID-19–associated mortality among AI/ANs was 1.8 times that among non-Hispanic Whites. Among AI/ANs, mortality [...]
What is already known about this topic? Families and school districts face challenges balancing COVID-19 mitigation and school reopening. What is added by this report? Among parents of school-aged children who participated in an Internet panel survey, racial and ethnic minority parents were more concerned about some aspects of school reopening, such as compliance with mitigation measures, safety, [...]
Question What are the fitted filtration efficiencies (FFEs) of consumer-grade masks, improvised face coverings, and modified procedure masks commonly used during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic? Findings In this comparative study of face covering FFEs, we observed that consumer-grade masks and improvised face coverings varied widely, ranging from 26.5% to 79.0% FFE. Modifications intended to [...]
