The virus is proving it can attack multiple organs, including the gut, liver, lungs and brain, even in children who were previously healthy.

Boyan Slat has set the bar high for what he wants his non-profit to achieve, removing 90% of the plastic from the world’s oceans by 2040.

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BackgroundAcute COVID-19 alters the airway microbiota. Whether these changes persist post-COVID-19 and contribute to long COVID is unknown. We aimed to describe the microbiota by long COVID severity and subtype, and identify links with inflammation.MethodsAdults were prospectively recruited to the longitudinal UK Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID). Patients were grouped by previously described “severity clusters” (of ongoing health impairments) and symptom subgroups. Oral and sputum microbiota (at 6 months post-discharge) were characterised through 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing, and microbiota diversity was assessed. Co-occurrence network analysis identified keystone taxa. Associations between keystone taxa and plasma inflammatory proteins were assessed through Spearman's rank correlations.Results771 participants had their microbiota assessed. Of participants with oral rinses and “severity cluster” assignment (mean age 57.5 years), 278 out of 722 (38.5%) were women. The “very severe” cluster, in which disease was predominantly pulmonary in nature, was associated with a distinct microbiota profile post-COVID-19. Reduced lung function was associated with a distinct oral microbiota profile. Persistent neurocognitive symptoms were associated with a distinct oral microbiota profile, while gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with a distinct sputum microbiota profile. Microbiota keystone taxa shifted to a higher prevalence of lactic acid bacteria associated with worse health outcomes. Lactic acid bacteria abundance was associated with elevated blood inflammatory proteins.ConclusionDistinct oral and sputum microbiota profiles were associated with pulmonary function and with neurocognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms in long COVID. Shifts in keystone microbiota taxa linked with inflammation, based on worse health outcomes, suggest a potential role change for lactic acid bacteria, which may be associated with the host immune response.

Workers and employers are drowning in their health insurance premiums. The reason for that deluge: the health care industry's high and inscrutable prices.

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An exemption in Idaho law shields faith-healing parents from criminal prosecution for conduct that otherwise would be charged as neglect. It also keeps police and social workers from stepping in to pr...

Midterm candidates are talking up Medicare for All, and in a poll 2 out of 3 Americans said they support it. The phrase speaks to a desire for radical change, though many don't really know what it is.

Administration is "aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options," an official told Axios.

Migrant children as young as 2 are showing up at immigration courts nationwide, many without attorneys, to try make their case to stay in the US and avoid deportation.

Jacob D. Miller admitted to illegally importing plutonium from Russia and selling it online to at least 67 customers across the US and abroad.

Studies indicate that a simple treatment could halt a leading cause of death for millions of people.

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Premiums are stable, but Medicare Advantage plans are making big changes that could make care more expensive for patients.

Untreated, it could have a big effect on your health.

Menopause is an important biological transition with up to 72 symptoms that shapes aging trajectories across organs and encompasses ~40% of the female lifespan. Although menopause awareness is increas...

Older adults treated with targeted behavioral therapy experienced higher insomnia remission rates and a slower pace of aging.

YouTube video by Dr. Tracey Marks

While private equity’s ownership of hospitals may earn millions for their investors, they have put patients, communities and providers at risk.

Experts say that the drop is a cause for worry, and that it’s unlikely that the need for food assistance has dropped.

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In this observational study, Shengzhi Sun and colleagues examine accelerometer-derived sleep patterns in 95,559 participants from the UK Biobank and find that differences in sleep stages, duration, re...

Heart's X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes from a regional airport in upstate New York, running on battery power the entire time. The aircraft reached 1,100 feet...

Job preparation through internships matters more than ever for young people amid a precarious and fast-changing job market.

Not all older people need benzodiazepines, antibiotics, or daily aspirin — and taking them can carry increased risks.

Enhancing human physical capability

With prompt and appropriate medical care, experts say, people shouldn’t die from an ectopic pregnancy. Women in Texas and Oklahoma have sued over delays in care, which, coupled with our new analysis, ...