Clinical

Flu activity was the highest in a decade last week and hospitalizations for three respiratory viruses are straining healthcare systems, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Monday.

Participants who used air purifiers with active HEPA and carbon filters had improved markers of heart health. This included a 25% increase in heart rate variability, investigators say.

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There are 15% higher odds of later developing dementia with each added chronic condition, investigators say.

Approximately 44% of US adults were “possibly asymptomatically infected,” between August 2021 and May 2022, blood serum evidence shows. 

The results revealed profound early decline among dementia patients with active seizures, including worse cognitive and mental health, and daily functioning.

Investigators urged skilled nursing facilities to adopt non-opioid pain modalities and opioid reduction in their post-surgical care.

People who report subjective examples of memory loss are more likely to develop dementia over a five-year followup period, investigators have found.

The CDC reports that COVID patients treated with the antiviral Paxlovid have a 51% lower risk of hospitalization, while another study has tied acute-care stays to muscle loss and long COVID.

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