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STUDY

Fauci’s office flooded with attacks over beagle experiments

The study that NIAID did fund by those researchers, also in Tunisia, involved evaluating a vaccine for leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by sand flies that infects both humans and dogs. Twelve dogs were given the vaccine and then put in a fenced-in open space outside during high sand fly season, NIAID said, to see if the dogs still became infected. That study is ongoing, though NIAID’s funding has ended. None of the dogs have been euthanized, NIAID said.

washingtonpost.com

Pfizer and BioNTech say their vaccine is 91% effective against COVID-19, citing new test data

Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday that their COVID-19 vaccine is "highly effective" after a new study showed it is more than 91% effective in preventing the disease. The study is based on more than 46,000 trial participants, the companies said on Thursday. Among those participants, there were 927 confirmed symptomatic cases of COVID-19, with 850 cases of COVID-19 in the placebo group and 77 cases recorded among people who received the vaccine. Pfizer announced in a news release that the vaccine is 91.3% effective six months after people get their second dose. The analysis also found that the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 cases in South Africa, where the coronavirus variant B.1.351 is prevalent.

cbsnews.com

Hate incidents against Asians are happening in San Antonio, but victims are not reporting them, expert says

San Antonio – Romelette Metz, a business owner in San Antonio, says she like many others were victims of hate incidents last year. A recent study by the organization looked at hate incidents from 2020 and showed nearly a 150% increase in hate crimes against Asians in 16 major cities. Around 2010, he said hate crimes were increasing against Latinos with a lot of concerns about undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border. He said words matter and the rhetoric that people hear is often correlated with hate crimes going up. Levis urges victims to report hate crimes to law enforcement and hate incidents to advocacy groups like Stop AAPI Hate.

San Antonio researchers examining COVID-19’s long-term effects on the brain

SAN ANTONIO – UT Health San Antonio researchers are trying to determine if COVID-19 will have long-term effects on older adults’ brains. San Antonio resident Robert Renteria is participating in the study. Renteria said his father, a veteran of the San Antonio Fire Department, had Alzheimer’s disease. And in a few studies, when they have been imaged, they have actual changes in their brain,” Seshadri said. Researchers in more than 30 countries are involved in the study in which UT Health San Antonio is participating.

Why experts say drinking coffee from paper cups can lead to serious health conditions

But according to a new study on studyfinds.org, researchers say drinking coffee or other hot beverages from paper cups is dangerous to our bodies. Experts say in the 15 minutes it takes for coffee or tea to be consumed, the microplastic layer in a paper cup degrades. Researchers further experimented with several paper cups using different high temperatures. Researchers say disposable paper cups do not decompose in a landfill and cannot be recycled. Instead of using paper cups to enjoy your drinks, experts suggest using insulated or traditional coffee mugs.

Study: Peers can influence drinking outcomes in young people

Now new research in young adults is shedding light on how peers affect outcomes. For teens and young adults, drinking alcohol is an age-old and often risky pastime. Now scientists are learning that being around others may impact the way young people react to alcohol. The young adults were given drinks that they were told may contain alcohol. The young people also showed differences in brain activity and displayed less impulse control on the tests.

Working 40 hours a week is bad for our mental health, study shows

But is 40 hours a week too much for our mental wellness? According to a study from the Australian National University, working 40 hours a week, or more, can be lead to mental health issues. Researchers found full-time employment can lead to mental health issues, especially when combined with other commitments. Experts say working damages a person’s mental and physical health, because it leaves less time to eat well and look after ourselves. Researchers found the average healthy work limit for women is only 34 hours a week.

New study shows which movies are the scariest

But, a recent study conducted by the Website Broadband Choices let its participants watch 120 hours of the scariest horror films of all time, and measured their heartbeats via a heart monitor while watching. Using a baseline average heartbeat of 65 beats per minute, the study watched for how much the viewers' heartbeats jumped during scary scenes. The study showed that the average heart rate was the highest at 86 beats per minute and that number spiked to 131 during a jump scare. The second scariest film, according to the study, was the film “Insidious” from 2010. RELATED: 11 of the best horror movies, TV shows to stream on Netflix this Halloween

Spending meaningful time sitting down could actually benefit seniors' cognitive function, study says

We’re used to hearing that sitting for long periods of time can negatively affect your health, but a new study published in Consumer Affairs explored how spending meaningful time sitting down could actually benefit seniors' cognitive function. The study says while physical activity is important for older peoples' overall wellness, taking time to sit down isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Researchers said skills in general knowledge and vocabulary were higher for people who spent more time sitting, whereas problem solving and reasoning skills were higher for those who exercised regularly. The study suggests keeping the mind active, even while sitting, can lead to strong cognitive abilities. While researchers aren’t encouraging people to spend more time on the couch, they do suggest keeping your brain active while sitting down.

Aliens watching us? Scientists spot 1,000 nearby stars where E.T. could detect life on Earth

As humanity ramps up its search for alien life , we should keep in mind that E.T. A new study makes that point by identifying more than 1,000 nearby stars that are favorably positioned for spotting life on Earth. "And we can even see some of the brightest of these stars in our night sky without binoculars or telescopes," Kaltenegger said. Soon, researchers will also be able to scan the atmospheres of some nearby transiting planets for potential signs of life. This search turned up 1,004 qualifying main-sequence stars — stars that, like our sun, fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores.

space.com

'Superflares' may make it hard for life to begin around dwarf stars

Powerful stellar eruptions could pose a serious challenge to the origin and evolution of life around the universe , a new study suggests. Such outbursts throw off large amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is not only directly harmful to life as we know it but can also strip away the atmospheres of relatively close-orbiting planets. These issues are especially pronounced for worlds circling red dwarfs , small and dim stars that make up about 75% of the Milky Way galaxy's stellar population. For starters, red dwarfs are more active than sunlike stars, especially when they're young. Researchers calculated the likely UV emissions generated by red-dwarf superflares, as well as the radiation loads absorbed by rocky planets that might reside in the small stars' habitable zones.

space.com

Study: San Antonio one of the top U.S. cities where adults live with their parents

SAN ANTONIO If youre an adult and you still live with your parents, youre not alone. San Antonio was named third among the top U.S. cities with adults living with their parents, whether its due to the economic downturn, high rent costs or a number of other factors. A total of 24.7% of non-students, between the ages of 25 and 40, are living with their parents in San Antonio, according to the study. The study also revealed that adult men were more likely to live with their parents than adult women, particularly in New Orleans and San Antonio. To clarify, the study did not differentiate whether these adults lived in their parents household or whether the parents lived with them -- just that they were in the same home.

UT Health co-authored study shows how cancer patients with COVID-19 react to different treatments

SAN ANTONIO – A new study co-authored by a UT Health researcher shows how cancer patients with COVID-19 react to different treatments. According to researchers, the study found new evidence of how cancer patients with COVID-19 react to different treatments, analyzing the treatment of almost 2,200 cancer patients with COVID-19. US signs contract with Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccine dosesThe study found that the cancer patients’ mortality rate was 16%, triple the global average. Dr. Dimpy Shah said patients taking the anti-viral medication Remdesivir had lower mortality rates. However, those taking other drugs engineered to help fight COVID-19 did not.

Study is halted as HIV vaccine fails test in South Africa

The latest attempt at an HIV vaccine has failed, as researchers announced Monday they have stopped giving the experimental shots in a major study. The study had enrolled more than 5,400 people since 2016 in South Africa, a country with one of the world’s highest HIV rates. “An HIV vaccine is essential to end the global pandemic and we hoped this vaccine candidate would work. Two other large studies, in several countries, are under way testing a different approach to a possible HIV vaccine. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.

Intermittent fasting may provide health benefits, Texas State study finds

SAN MARCOS, Texas – New research that was conducted in part at Texas State University indicates that intermittent fasting may provide significant health benefits. Some of the health benefits include improved cardiometabolic health, improved blood chemistry and reduced risk for diabetes, according to the study. It is a way to use fasting each day to promote various aspects of cardiometabolic health,” said Matthew McAllister, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. First pediatric flu death of the season reported in San AntonioIn the Texas State University study, 22 men were divided into two groups to complete a 28-day study. And the reduction of daily calories would cause weight loss and other health benefits,” McAllister said.