Bulletin Today
According to CDC, the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines authorized by FDA lower the risk of infection by 91% for fully vaccinated individuals.
“Findings from the extended timeframe of this study add to accumulating evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are effective and should prevent most infection—but that fully vaccinated people who still get COVID-19 are likely to have milder, shorter illness and appear to be less likely to spread the virus to others,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, in a news release. “These benefits are another important reason to get
vaccinated.”
The report is based on 4 weeks of additional data from CDC’s HEROES-RECOVER study of health care workers, first responders, frontline workers, and other essential workers. Preliminary results from the study were first announced in March 2021. In the new findings, nearly 4,000 participants completed weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing, from December 13, 2020, to April 10, 2021, in eight U.S. locations. If the tests came back positive, the specimens were further tested to determine the amount of detectable virus in the nose and the number of days that participants tested positive. Participants were followed over time, and the data were analyzed according to vaccination status.
To evaluate vaccine benefits, the study investigators accounted for the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the area and how consistently participants used personal protective equipment at work and in the community.
Once fully vaccinated, participants’ risk of infection was reduced by 91%. After partial vaccination, their risk of infection was reduced by 81%. The study findings support CDC’s recommendation to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
FDA warns of adverse effects from alcohol-based sanitizer vapors
A recent FDA Drug Safety Communication noted that symptoms such as headache, nausea, and dizziness may occur after individuals use alcohol-based hand sanitizers on the skin.
According to the agency, the symptoms are likely to have occurred because of vapors from the hand sanitizer, potentially from exposure in enclosed spaces or settings with poor air circulation. FDA said it has received a growing number of reports of such adverse effects since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with most individuals experiencing minor or minimal effects, although a few required treatment from a health care professional.
To minimize the risk of any effects, FDA recommends that consumers use hand sanitizers in well-ventilated areas. In addition, the agency says to make sure hands are totally dry and any vapors have cleared before engaging in activities involving heat, sparks, static electricity, or open flames. Hand sanitizers and all OTC and prescription medicines should be stored up and away out of children’s reach and sight. FDA noted that swallowing even a tiny amount of hand sanitizer can cause alcohol poisoning in children.
Some blood pressure meds could contribute to less memory decline in older adults
Certain blood pressure–lowering medications that cross the blood–brain barrier may be linked to less memory decline in older adults, according to new research published in June 2021 in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
Older adults taking renin–angiotensin drugs, which cross the blood–brain barrier, exhibited better memory recall for up to 3 years of follow-up compared with those taking medications that do not cross the blood–brain barrier. However, the researchers found that study participants taking medications that do not penetrate the blood–brain barrier showed better attention over the same follow-up period, although their lower vascular risk burden may partially explain this result.
“These findings represent the most powerful evidence to date linking brain-penetrant ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers to better memory,” said study author Jean Ho, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine, in a news release. “It suggests that people who are being treated for hypertension may be protected from cognitive decline if they take medications that cross the blood–brain barrier.”
The study is the first meta-analysis to compare the potential impact over time of blood pressure–lowering medicines that do versus those that do not cross the blood–brain barrier. The research team evaluated the medications for their effects on several cognitive domains, including attention, language, verbal memory, learning, and recall.
“Hypertension occurs decades prior to the onset of dementia symptoms, affecting blood flow not only in the body, but also to the brain,” said study author Daniel Nation, PhD, an associate professor of psychological science in the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California, Irvine.
Researchers gathered information from 14 studies of nearly 12,900 adults 50 years and older in several countries.
More older adults are taking drugs that can lead to falls
Older adults increasingly are taking medications that are prescribed for valid reasons but that also elevate their risks for falls, as indicated in a new study published in Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety earlier this year. In their analysis of government data, researchers found that the share of patients matching this profile surged from 57% in 1999 to a staggering 94% in 2017.
Deaths attributed to falls among older adults more than doubled over the study period. Major contributors to the trend include more frequent use of antihypertensives and antidepressants within this demographic. Women—in particular, Black females overall and white females ages 85 years and older—appear to be especially vulnerable.
The research team, led by Amy Shaver, PhD, PharmD, MPH, does not necessarily believe older adults should be deprived of important medications solely because those drugs could increase the risk of falling. However, they do emphasize the importance of awareness. Shaver, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, said it is critical that patients look for the warning labels on their medications and ask questions.
“They should talk to their doctors and pharmacists about what those side effects could mean and what they can do to ensure they stay safe and not fall,” she said.
NIH researchers identify potential new antiviral drug for COVID-19
An experimental drug, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (Tempol), may be a promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, according to new research from NIH.
The research team used cell cultures to study viral replication and found that the drug can curb SARS-CoV-2 infection by impeding the activity of RNA replicase.
“An oral drug that prevents SARS-CoV-2 from replicating would be an important tool for reducing the severity of the disease,” said Diana Bianchi, MD, director of NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
“Given Tempol’s safety profile and the dosage considered therapeutic in our study, we are hopeful,” said lead researcher Tracey Rouault, MD, head of the NICHD Section of Human Iron Metabolism.
“However, clinical studies are needed to determine if the drug is effective in patients, particularly early in the disease course when the virus begins to replicate.”
CDC finds childhood vaccination rates are still lagging
In a new analysis, CDC said there was a large decline in essential childhood vaccinations in the early months of the pandemic last year, but rates did not return to pre-pandemic levels with the lifting of the stay-at-home orders.
CDC’s latest report, which used data from 10 U.S. states, found a decline in routine vaccinations during March to May 2020 compared with the same periods in 2018 and 2019. However, the data show that between June and September 2020, the decline was still evident compared with the 2 previous years.
There was, for example, an almost 9% decrease in MMR vaccinations among children ages 1 to 2 years last summer compared with 2018 and 2019 rates, and there was a 30% decline in Tdap vaccinations for adolescents ages 12 to 17 years.