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FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Women are two times more likely than men to die after receiving a combination of cancer immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, but it's not clear if that difference is due to side effects or because the treatment isn't working, researchers say.This new class of highly targeted drugs — which includes pembrolizumab (Keytruda), nivolumab (Opdivo) or ipilimumab (Yervoy) — has revolutionized cancer care. They work by triggering the immune system to combat cancer, but they can also cause severe, sometimes life-threatening side effects, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia explained.Gender might also play a role in patient outcomes, the new research showed."This is the first large population-based study that...

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- In second grade, Emily Meister was performing as Gretl Von Trapp in the local high school production of "The Sound of Music" when she felt her heart beating unusually fast. She also sensed pressure in her chest.The youngster from Wichita, Kansas, had consumed an energy drink to stay awake for the late-night show. Her physician suggested the overload of caffeine in the drink may have caused her discomfort.The symptoms recurred periodically over the next two years. She always blamed them on caffeine.Then, during a school sports physical, her pediatrician detected an irregular heart rhythm. The next day, a cardiologist ordered a series of tests, then had her wear a heart monitor. Wires from the device stuck out Emily's shirt – a...

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in New York state, one in Minnesota and one in Hawaii, officials in those states announced Thursday.That brings the known total in the United States to nine, with California and Colorado previously announcing one case each. One of the New York cases is a 67-year-old woman who traveled to South Africa, returned to the United States on Nov. 25 and tested positive on Nov. 30. She had received at least one dose of vaccine and has "mild symptoms," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Thursday, CBS News reported.There was limited information on the state's other four cases.New York and Hawaii officials said they believe the Omicron variant is now spreading in their...

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Lab studies show that the mutations found in COVID-19's Delta variant make the virus more resistant to existing vaccines, a potentially ominous development as the new Omicron variant starts to wend its way around the world.Full vaccination with the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines still produces enough antibodies to neutralize Delta, British researchers found.But the Delta variant put up a stronger fight against antibody protection than earlier versions of COVID-19."As Omicron has multiple mutations, some of which are in the same areas of the viral surface protein as the Delta variant, we would expect the Omicron variant to have reduced sensitivity to neutralization," said senior researcher Brian Willett, a professor of viral immunology with the...