Adult Vaccinations

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory group today voted to include FluMist in the vaccine line-up for the 2018-19 flu season, returning the vaccine to the US market after a two-season hiatus. Intense discussions swirled around how to weigh the latest scientific data on the nasal-spray vaccine, how keeping the vaccine on the sidelines might reduce vaccine uptake, and challenges healthcare providers may face in communicating the policy change to parents and patients. But in the end, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved restoring the live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) by a 12-to-2 margin. Today's action marks the latest turnaround for a vaccine, first licensed in 2003, that has offered a needle-free option—a plus for children and a formulation that has been useful in school-based flu immunization campaigns. In 2014, ACIP made a preferential recommendation for FluMist in healthy kids ages 2 to 8, because it seem...

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Among those under age 50, vaccination even without a booster protected strongly against hospitalization and death, according to new C.D.C. data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday night published new data on the risks of hospitalization and death from Covid-19 among people who are unvaccinated and vaccinated, with or without booster doses. The agency recommends booster shots for Americans 12 and older. These are the first comprehensive data on the effectiveness of boosters by age in the United States. The figures confirm that booster doses are most beneficial to older adults, as the C.D.C. has previously reported. But the new numbers for younger Americans were less compelling. In those age groups, vaccination itself — two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — decreased the risk of hospitalization and death so sharply that a booster shot did not seem to add much benefit. The data run only through ...

Babies can develop rashes due to heat, dampness, irritation, or allergens. It's common for babies to develop rashes such as eczema, heat rash, diaper rashes, or cradle cap. Rashes can also be caused by chronic problems such as eczema or contagious infections such as impetigo or chicken pox.  Many rashes resolve on their own, while others may require medical attention. However, they are rarely an emergency. This article reviews different types of baby rashes and their the symptoms, causes, and treatments. Comzeal / Getty Images Causes Babies develop rashes for a variety of reasons, including: Sensitive skin  Irritants Heat Allergic reactions Infections While these are more common reasons for babies to develop rashes, rashes are associated with a variety of conditions and triggers. Types of Rashes Allergic Reaction Babies can have allergic reactions to medications, soap, animals, or specific foods. ...

Significance Tubulin polymers are essential for a variety of cellular functions. Using cryo-ET, we reveal the 3D organization of the apical complex in Toxoplasma gondii , an intracellular eukaryote with tubulin-based structures, including an apical "conoid" involved in host cell invasion. Our development of an advanced subtomogram averaging protocol for filamentous structures enabled us to accurately assign tubulins in cellular context. At the subnanometer resolution achieved, tubulins were confirmed to assemble into two major forms: canonical subpellicular microtubules (SPMTs) and noncanonical conoid fibrils (CFs). The data further revealed associated proteins in both structures, a dominant orientation of SPMTs, and a unique patterning of the CFs. This work demonstrates an approach that can be used to determine cellular filamentous structures at multiscale resolutions. Abstract Tubulin is a conserved protein that polymerizes into different forms of filamentous structures in ...

The flu vaccine offers protection against four common strains of the flu. The flu vaccine's effectiveness is 40%–60% during years when the most prevalent flu strains match the strains in the vaccine. In reality, flu vaccine effectiveness has ranged from 29%–48% over the five seasons prior to 2020–2021. That means getting the vaccine every year reduces a person's risk of contracting the flu by up to 48% in recent years. The vaccine also reduces the likelihood of severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and over get the flu vaccine (with very rare exceptions). There are nine different flu vaccines available for the 2021–2022 flu season. All of them protect against the same four strains of flu. Here's what you should know about flu vaccine effectiveness and types of flu vaccines.  FatCamera / Getty Images Flu Vaccine Ef...