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Vending machines offering tests for sexually transmitted infections hold promise as a way to reach people with sexual health services, according to a study that comes on the heels of recent increases in STIs in both the U.S. and England. For the study, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, researchers analyzed data associated with nearly a dozen vending machines in two regions of England that were stocked with free kits to help detect chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. Approximately 6% of the STI tests were positive for chlamydia, while 2.5% tested positive for gonorrhea, according to the study. A total of four samples tested positive for HIV, though they were from people already known to be HIV positive, and three tests came back positive for syphilis antibodies. Previous research suggests vending machines that offer self-tests for HIV can lead to increased uptake in testing among men who have sex with men, and the latest study adds to those findings.

Persons: “, what’s, ”, Aaron Glatt, Glatt Organizations: U.S, World Health Organization, The Washington Post, Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Society of America Locations: STIs, England, Black, U.S, Mount Sinai South Nassau, New York

☆ Tirzepatide: Weight loss drug helps significantly lower blood pressure in adults who are overweight or obese, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The participants had their blood pressure monitored for a day before beginning treatment and again after nine months of weekly tirzepatide injections. The results showed a significant decrease in the participants’ systolic blood pressure, the top number in blood pressure readings, which is a strong predictor of heart disease. It works similarly to semaglutide, the active compound in the weight loss drug Wegovy and its sister diabetes drug, Ozempic. Although there are effective blood pressure medications available, only about a quarter of people with hypertension have adequately controlled blood pressure, Hall said. He views the weight loss effect of the drug as a pleasant side effect that will make people more likely to take their medication.

Persons: —, Eli Lilly, ”, Harlan Krumholz, Michael E, Wegovy, it’s, Ania Jastreboff, Hall, Krumholz, tirzepatide, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, American Heart Association, Food and Drug Administration, Yale University, Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Yale Obesity Research Center, CNN Health Locations: United States

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

☆ Using both medical and recreational marijuana raises risk of addiction disorder
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Developing cannabis use disorder is relatively common in Washington state, one of the first states to fully legalize cannabis, and can even occur in people who only use medical marijuana, according to a new study. “There’s a perception that people who are using marijuana for medical reasons have a lower risk of a cannabis use disorder,” said lead author Gwen Lapham, assistant professor at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Seattle. In addition, using both medical and recreational weed led to a more severe addiction than using medical marijuana alone, the study revealed. There are no current FDA-approved medications to treat cannabis use disorder, Lapham said, so behavior-based treatments or specialty addiction centers are the rule. A 2021 study found cannabis use disorder rose from 17.7% before marijuana was legalized in Canada to 24.3% after legalization.

Persons: “, ”, Gwen Lapham, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J, Lapham, Nicholas Vozoris, Alexandre Dumais, ” Dumais, Dumais, It’s, Beth Cohen Organizations: CNN, Kaiser Permanente, Tyson School of Medicine, US Centers for Disease Control, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research, University of Toronto, University of Montreal, FDA, University of California Locations: Washington, Seattle, respirology, Washington State, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Canada, San Francisco

☆ It may be time to break out the masks against Covid, some experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“And since the masks that are most effective are N95 that are now readily available, that’s the kind of mask you should wear,” he added. But the agency doesn’t make a broad recommendation for everyone to adopt masks. Morris Brown College in Atlanta announced a return to mandated physical distancing and masks just one week after classes started in August. And pediatricians are poised for the typical return-to-school surge in all kinds of respiratory illness, whether colds, flu or Covid. “The virus is always lurking, waiting for openings, so I think Covid is just going to be a bit of a roller coaster, probably forever,” Wachter said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Reiner, “, ” Reiner, Biden, ”, Reiner, Eric Topol, ” Topol, ” What’s, Robert Wachter, ” Wachter, haven’t, Peter Chin, Topol, Dr, Sara Bode, Bode, It’s, ‘, ” Chin, Hong, You’ve, you’ve, Amanda Musa, Brenda Goodman, Deidre McPhillips, Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Scripps, Research, Covid, Department of Medicine, University of California San, University of California, Morris Brown College, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, American Academy of Pediatrics ’, School Health, Internal Locations: Covid, Florida, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Atlanta, Columbus , Ohio, Washington

☆ U.S. plans to stop buying Covid shots for the public this fall. Here's what that means
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

There is a federal program to provide free vaccines to children whose families or caretakers can't afford the shots. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., slammed the vaccine price hike in a letter to Moderna's CEO last month. Under the ACA, private health insurance is required to cover all immunizations recommended by the CDC at no cost to the consumer. There may be a small number of legacy private health insurance plans from before the ACA that are not required to cover Covid vaccines, Cox said. Consumers could also see their health insurance premiums increase if Pfizer and Moderna hike the price of the shots, Cox said.

The study participants all had blood-sodium concentrations considered to be within the normal range: 135 to 146 millimoles per liter. Even people with blood-sodium levels above 142 millimoles per liter had elevated risks of developing certain chronic diseases, including heart failure, stroke, chronic lung disease, diabetes and dementia, the study found. Dmitrieva's previous research similarly found that higher blood sodium may be a risk factor for heart failure. But the study authors cautioned that more research is needed to determine whether good hydration can help slow aging, prevent disease or lead to a longer life. The NIH study "doesn’t prove that drinking more water will prevent chronic disease," he said.

☆ Fact Check-Pepto-Bismol not a proven treatment for COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Pepto-Bismol, the familiar pink over-the-counter medicine, might be expected to ease diarrhea symptoms in people with or without COVID-19. The claim that “big pharma” is hiding the benefits of Pepto-Bismol as a treatment for COVID-19 is part of a narrative that COVID-19 was manufactured for the pharmaceutical industry as a source of profit, previously debunked by Reuters (here). Bruce Yacyshyn, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and co-principal investigator of the Pepto-Bismol clinical trial, told Reuters via email that there was a valid scientific reason to test the medication in the context of COVID-19. But it remained as yet an “unproven treatment” for the virus because “no placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial data is yet available for this drug in this indication.”WHY PEPTO-BISMOL? There is no scientific evidence that Pepto-Bismol provides any benefit as a treatment for COVID-19, and a clinical trial testing that question has not yet produced results.

But just 31% of that group has gotten updated booster shots. Hospital physicians, state public health officials and advocacy groups for older adults pointed to a variety of factors fueling the low booster uptake. They include feelings of fatigue at the pace of Covid shots and a lack of awareness that the new booster could make the difference between a mild case and a hospital visit. Morell said she experienced dizziness, blurry eyesight and heart palpitations after her first Covid booster in November 2021. Wachter said the majority of people who have gotten the new booster get mild Covid, even if they’re older or have risk factors.

☆ Covid will be a leading cause of death in the U.S. indefinitely, whether or not the pandemic is 'over'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Aria Bendix | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

But disease experts said debating whether the pandemic is over overshadows a more important concern: the reality that Covid will remain a leading cause of death in the U.S. indefinitely. Since April, Covid deaths have stayed relatively flat, at a weekly average of around 300 to 500 per day. Predicting Covid's future death tollThe Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, a research organization at the University of Washington that regularly models Covid deaths, predicts a decline in Covid deaths over the next two months. Covid death numbers could also fall if hospitals stop routinely testing people for the virus. Murray estimated that half of annual Covid deaths may fall into that category.

☆ Should You Get Another Covid Booster?
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-29 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

to authorize a second booster shot of its vaccine — that is, a fourth dose — for people aged 65 and older. Two days later, Moderna followed suit, but with a broader request to authorize a second booster for all adults over 18. The agency said on Tuesday that adults aged 50 and older could opt for a second booster shot of the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, to be given at least four months after the first booster of any authorized or approved Covid vaccine. A second booster would be the third shot for those who received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a booster shot of an mRNA vaccine. In fact, other data from Israel suggests that a second booster has only marginal benefits in healthy young people.

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