THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted emergency approval of a new antibody cocktail to prevent COVID infection in people who have weakened immune systems or who can’t tolerate COVID vaccines. “Vaccines have proven to be the best defense available againstContinue Reading
SUNDAY, Dec. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — If you’re a patient with a weakened immune system, roll up your sleeves to stay safe over the holidays and winter months. “Immunocompromised patients absolutely should get a flu shot as well as an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose,” said Dr. Marwa Kaisey, aContinue Reading
MONDAY, Nov. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A defect in the blood-brain barrier may play a role in Parkinson’s disease, a groundbreaking research study suggests. The blood-brain barrier acts as a filter to keep out toxins while still allowing the passage of nutrients to nourish the brain. This study foundContinue Reading
MONDAY, Nov. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Physiotherapist David Putrino was working on a vibrating glove to help deaf people experience live music when a friend mentioned that the same technology might stop tremors in people with Parkinson’s disease. Putrino, director of rehabilitation innovation for Mount Sinai Health System inContinue Reading
MONDAY, Nov. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who take medications that suppress the immune system don’t have a higher risk of severe COVID-19 than those with normal immune systems, a new study finds. Early in the pandemic, it was feared that people taking immunosuppressive drugs were atContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Nov. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A COVID-19 vaccine booster shot gives cancer patients — especially those with blood cancer — much-needed protection, new research reports. “Our study demonstrates in clear terms how the booster shot can make all the difference for some people with compromised immune systems, suchContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Nov. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Guidelines for treating movement problems in people in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease have been updated. The new treatment recommendations from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) focus on dopaminergic medications, which increase dopamine levels or mimic dopamine effects. Parkinson’s is aContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Here’s some comforting news for people who struggle with inflammatory bowel disease and worry that the immune-suppressing drugs they must take might blunt their response to COVID-19 vaccines: New research finds vaccination triggers a strong immune reaction in these patients. “At eight weeks,Continue Reading
THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — An experimental gene therapy to boost the effectiveness of the Parkinson’s drug levodopa yielded promising results in mice, researchers report. As the loss of dopamine-releasing neurons advances in late-stage Parkinson’s, levodopa is less able to ease movement problems caused by the disease, whichContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Transplant patients and certain other folks may need four shots of COVID-19 vaccine for optimal protection, new research suggests. People with weakened immune systems who’ve received both doses of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines aren’t adequately protected against severe illness. They should be given aContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Oct. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The number of Americans who are dying from Parkinson’s disease has jumped by 63% in the past two decades, new research shows. The fresh analysis also revealed that men face double the risk of dying from the progressive and incurable disease than women.Continue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Severely immunocompromised people may require a fourth mRNA coronavirus shot, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The agency didn’t provide an official recommendation about a fourth shot in its updated guidelines, but did say that people should talk to theirContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Oct. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Nine of 10 patients with so-called “bubble boy” immune disease who received gene therapy about a decade ago are still disease-free, researchers report. The gene therapy was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to treat the rare and deadly immuneContinue Reading
MONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A study of millions of people vaccinated against COVID-19 has identified those at greatest risk of hospitalization and death after breakthrough infection. The most vulnerable are those who are immunosuppressed from chemotherapy, a recent bone marrow or solid organ transplant, or HIV/AIDS. AlsoContinue Reading