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THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted emergency approval of a new antibody cocktail to prevent COVID infection in people who have weakened immune systems or who can't tolerate COVID vaccines.“Vaccines have proven to be the best defense available against COVID-19. However, there are certain immune-compromised individuals who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, or those who have a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine and therefore cannot receive one and need an alternative prevention option,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. “Today’s action authorizes the use of the combination...

THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Children at risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) might find some protection from the disease by spending more time in the sun, a small study suggests.Although MS is rare in children and young adults, those with relatives who have the condition have increased odds of developing the disease early. Exposure to sunlight may cut their risk in half, researchers say."In families where there's several cases of MS, then we know that typically there's a higher risk for individuals in that family," said lead author Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, a neurologist and director of the Regional Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of California, San Francisco.She emphasized that this study doesn’t prove sunshine reduces MS risk, only that there may be a...

THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A condition called "diabetic retinopathy" often threatens the vision of adults with diabetes, but new research suggests that kids with type 2 diabetes may be particularly vulnerable to the vision-robbing complication.In fact, these kids were nearly twice as likely to develop the condition as children with type 1 diabetes were, the researchers found."The new findings emphasize the need to differentiate between the two types of diabetes when discussing screening for eye disease with patients and families," said study author Patricia Bai. She is a medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona. "Closer monitoring for retinopathy development in youth-onset type 2 diabetes to prevent vision-threatening complications may be...

THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- Bob Parker was waiting for a parking spot at his neighborhood coffee shop when he suddenly saw a flash. His foot slipped off the break and he crashed into a pole. The café window shattered.Inside his crumpled car, Parker couldn't speak or move.A bystander called 911 and Parker, then 72, was taken to a local hospital. Testing showed he'd had a stroke caused by a clot in his carotid artery. Because he got help soon after symptoms started, he was eligible for a clot-busting medicine. His symptoms eased."He seemed mostly stunned, but could still talk," said Jennifer Parker-Stanton, Bob's daughter.That night, Parker had a second stroke. This time, it left him unable to move or swallow and his speech was garbled.Parker spent 48...