It’s that time of year when respiratory viruses start to circulate widely, but how can you tell the difference between the symptoms of a cold, the flu and COVID? Dr. William Brian Glenn, from Hackensack Meridian Medical Group in New Jersey, shares what you need to know to be ready for whatever virus comes your way this fall and winter. The challenge with cold, flu and COVID-19 is that the symptoms for each are similar, Glenn noted. A cold can show up as cough, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and fatigue, while the flu can include all of those symptoms plus headache, fever, chills, body aches and fatigue. Meanwhile, COVID can present with cold and flu symptoms, along with a loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, or shortness of breath, Glenn said. Cold symptoms tend to come on gradually, while flu symptoms come on suddenly. COVID symptoms take between two and 14 days after exposure to surface — and can progress to more severe symptoms in some people. Are some people more at risk of developing colds, flu and COVID-19 than others? The elderly, as well as children and adults with chronic conditions including diabetes, lung or kidney disease, metabolic disorders, heart disease and cancer are more susceptible to respiratory infections. Taking certain medicines that weaken the immune system can also put…  read on >  read on >

Each year, an average of 174 U.S. kids under the age of 5 lose their lives over causes linked to nursery products. Many of these tragedies could be prevented, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Thursday issued a list of products deemed most hazardous. Leading the list by far: Any soft bedding added into cribs, bassinets and playpens. These products alone were part of the cause of 126 child deaths between 2019 and 2021, the CPSC said. Also implicated: Inclined infant “sleepers” and similar products, and infant carriers. Together, soft bedding, inclined sleepers and baby carriers were tied to three-quarters (76%) of deaths, the agency said. Many of these products are unnecessary as well as dangerous, said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “Babies aren’t little adults. They don’t need pillows and blankets to feel comfortable and safe when they sleep,” Hoehn-Saric said in a CPSC news release. “The safest way for your baby to sleep is without blankets, pillows, or other items surrounding them. A firm flat surface in a crib, bassinet, play yard or bedside sleeper with just a fitted sheet is all they need.” Always put infants to bed on their backs, to cut the risk for sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SIDS/SUID) and suffocation. If your baby falls asleep while in a swing, bouncer, lounger or similar product, transfer them to…  read on >  read on >

It’s called the MIND diet and its primary aim is to help guard against thinking and memory declines as you age. But does it work? Yes, claims new research that found following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, memory and concentration problems. “With the number of people with dementia increasing with the aging population, it’s critical to find changes that we can make to delay or slow down the development of cognitive problems,” lead study author Dr. Russell Sawyer, an assistant professor of clinical neurology and rehabilitation medicine at the University of Cincinnati’s Gardner Neuroscience Institute, said in a news release on the study. “We were especially interested to see whether diet affects the risk of cognitive impairment in both Black and white study participants.” How does the diet work its magic? The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet joins elements of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which focuses on reducing blood pressure. “Among the MIND diet components are 10 brain-healthy food groups — green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, seafood, poultry, olive oil and wine,” Sawyer told CNN. Meanwhile, five unhealthy food groups — red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, fried and fast foods, and pastries and sweets — are very limited in the MIND…  read on >  read on >

There have been 50 face transplants performed in 11 countries since the surgery was pioneered back in 2005, and long-term outcomes have been favorable, a new review finds. In total, 85% of people receiving these complex surgeries survived five years and 74% were still alive a decade after transplant completion, researchers report. When the numbers focused on deaths linked to the transplants per se, five- and ten-year survival rose to 96% and 83%, respectively. That’s significantly better than survival for other types of transplant, said the team of Finnish researchers. For example, at 10 years post-surgery, survival for liver transplants reaches 61% and for heart transplants the number is 65%, they noted. “The first 50 face transplants in the world during a period of 18 years demonstrate a promising survival rate of the grafts, exceeding several solid organ transplants,” concluded a team led by Dr. Pauliina Homsy, from the department of plastic surgery at the University of Helsinki. Her team published their report Sept. 18 in the journal JAMA Surgery. Homsy’s team collected data on all 50 face transplants conducted in 48 patients, carried out at 18 centers in 11 countries. Two of the patients required a second transplant, which in each case proved successful, the researchers noted. Nineteen patients were operated on in North America (18 in the United States), 29 in Europe, 1…  read on >  read on >

Wegovy, Zepbound and other cutting-edge weight-loss drugs can be tough to get these days. They’re in short supply, and often too expensive to afford without insurance coverage. Because of these barriers, many people are doing an end-run around their doctor’s office, reaching out to potentially unreliable sources that promise to set them up with the drugs, a new survey finds. About 1 in 4 people surveyed said they would consider using an injectable weight-loss drug without consulting their doctor, Ohio State University researchers report. Their reasons for skipping the doctor include: Lower cost (18%) Not covered by insurance (15%) Unable to get a prescription from their doctor (9%) Lack of availability through a pharmacy (6%) However, unlicensed online pharmacies or dodgy telehealth sites could be risky places to turn to for these drugs, experts said. “It’s really important for those who want to lose weight to first discuss options with their doctor,” said Dr. Shengyi Mao, an internal medicine specialist with Ohio State. “It is not one-size-fits-all, and every medication can have risks and side effects,” Mao added in a university news release. “A trusted doctor can go through a patient’s medical history and current medications to assess their particular risks and benefits.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued two warnings this year about compounded semaglutide, which has caused dosing errors that resulted…  read on >  read on >

Brain training aimed at improving memory can ward off symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease for years, a new study claims. Seniors experienced a slower decline in their memory and thinking abilities after undergoing brain training, compared to others who didn’t get the training, researchers found. This benefit persisted for five years after the seniors got the brain training, results show. “These results are important because this kind of intervention is non-pharmacological — there are no drugs involved — and can have a significant impact on the lives of those affected,” said lead researcher Sylvie Belleville, research chair in cognitive neuroscience of aging and brain plasticity at the University of Montreal. For the study, 145 seniors with mild cognitive impairment were recruited from memory clinics in Montreal and Quebec City between 2012 and 2015. One-third of the seniors were randomly assigned to receive training in memory strategies. They worked on things like memorizing the names of people, remembering lists of items or tasks and focusing their attention to better memorize. Another third underwent training to help their overall psychological well-being, such as techniques in anger management and problem-solving. The final third received no training at all. The initial results “showed that early intervention can improve cognitive function in people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” Belleville said in a university news release. “We had also observed cerebral changes…  read on >  read on >

For the first time, scientists have detected microscopic microplastics lodged in the human brain. Researchers in Germany and Brazil say that 8 out of 15 autopsied adults had microplastics detected within their brain’s smell centers, the olfactory bulb. The particles were likely breathed in over a lifetime, since tiny floating microplastics are ubiquitous in the air. Although microplastics have already been found in human lungs, intestines, liver, blood, testicles and even semen, it had long been thought that the body’s protective blood-brain barrier might keep the particles out of the brain. However, the new study suggests that there’s “a potential pathway for the translocation of microplastics to the brain” via the olfactory bulb, according to a team led by Luis Fernando Amato-Lourenco, of the Free University Berlin and Thais Mauad, an associate professor of pathology at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil. The team published its findings Sept. 16 in the journal JAMA Network Open. “With much smaller nanoplastics entering the body with greater ease, the total level of plastic particles may be much higher,” Mauad said in a news release from the Plastic Health Council, a group that advocates for reductions in plastics use and funded the new study. “What is worrying is the capacity of such particles to be internalized by cells and alter how our bodies function,” Mauad added. The new…  read on >  read on >