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TUESDAY, Dec. 8, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol poses the greatest threat to brain health at three periods of a person's life, according to new research.During those three periods -- from conception to birth, from ages 15 to 19, and after age 65 -- people undergo "dynamic" brain changes that may be particularly sensitive to the harmful effects of alcohol, researchers say.Worldwide, about 10% of pregnant women drink. Heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and even low or moderate drinking during pregnancy is associated with poorer brain health and behavior in children, according to the authors of a paper published Dec. 7 in the BMJ journal.More than 20% of teens ages 15-19 in wealthy nations report at least occasional binge drinking.Research shows...

MONDAY, Dec. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who wear face masks with metal parts or coatings during MRIs could suffer facial burns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Monday.That's because metal parts such as bendable nose clips or wires, staples on the headband, nanoparticles (ultrafine particles), or antimicrobial coating that may contain metal (such as silver or copper) can heat up during an MRI. The FDA recently received a report about a patient's face being burned by metal in a face mask worn during an MRI."Given the increased use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA wants patients and health care providers to be aware of the potential risk of face burns related to the use of patient face masks containing metal during an MRI," an agency news release...

MONDAY, Dec. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors became concerned that people were delaying needed medical care to avoid hospitals. Now a new study hints that some parents may have waited to get emergency treatment for their children's appendicitis.Appendicitis is a painful inflammation of the appendix, a finger-shaped pouch that extends from the colon, on the lower right side of the abdomen. It's usually treated as a medical emergency, with doctors often surgically removing the appendix to keep it from rupturing.But in the new study, doctors found a concerning trend at their children's hospital. During the early months of the pandemic, more children started arriving in the emergency department with a ruptured appendix.Between March 16 and June 7, 90...

MONDAY, Dec. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists say they may be getting closer to creating a universal flu vaccine.In an early-stage clinical trial with 65 volunteers in the United States, an experimental vaccine triggered strong immune responses to a wide range of flu virus strains and subtypes. The immune responses lasted at least 18 months, according to the researchers at Mount Sinai Health System, in New York City. The vaccine produces antibodies that target the part of the surface protein of the influenza virus known to neutralize different influenza strains, the researchers said. This chimeric hemagglutinin-based vaccine could provide long-term protection with two or three immunizations, eliminating the need for annual vaccinations, the study authors explained."An influenza...