(NEW YORK) — An already-approved chemotherapy drug could reduce the risk of dying of cervical cancer when added to the current treatment standard, according to new research presented at a major medical conference.
The study, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology, followed 500 people, most of whom had “locally advanced” cervical cancer that hadn’t yet spread to other body parts.
Half of the patients were treated with chemoradiation — the current gold standard for treatment, researchers said. The other half were given combination therapy that included a pre-dose (or induction dose) of chemotherapy before every session of chemoradiation.
The study found that the group who got the additional chemotherapy survived longer, on average. After 5 years, 80% of these women were still alive, compared to 72% of those who got the standard treatment, according to the study.
Almost all patients in the study experienced some side effects consistent with these types of cancer treatments.
The researchers suggested that their new strategy of giving an early pre-dose of chemo, plus the standard combo of chemo and radiation, should become the new standard.
(NEW YORK) — Health care workers are facing a severe mental health crisis, according to a new survey published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Workers said they are experiencing harassment, burnout, and other mental health symptoms — including anxiety and depression — at levels higher than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Health workers and health-related professions have historically faced long work hours, often with unpredictable or rotating schedules or like what I experienced as an emergency physician working overnights and on holidays,” Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer, said during a press conference about the report Tuesday afternoon.
“Caring for people who are sick can also be intensely stressful and emotional. Exposure to human suffering takes an immense toll on this vital workforce,” she continued.
The CDC analyzed data from the General Social Survey Quality of Worklife Module — conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago — to compare self-reported mental health symptoms from 2018 to 2022.
Over the course of four years, health care workers saw an increase in poor mental health during the past 30 days from 3.3 days to 4.5 days. This increase was higher than among workers in other professions.
The percentage of workers who reported feeling burnout very often increased from 11.6% in 2018 to 19.0% in 2022.
In total, 45.6% of health workers reported feeling burnout often or very often in 2022 compared to 31.9% in 2018.
Harassment was another major issue facing health care workers. More than double the number of workers reported harassment at work in 2022 compared to 2018.
This harassment included threats, bullying, verbal abuse, or actions from patients or coworkers leading to a hostile work environment, according to the report.
The survey also found that those who experienced harassment at work were more likely to experience feelings of anxiety, depression, and burnout.
For example, 31% of health care workers reported feeling depressed who did not experience harassment compared to 60% of workers who did experience harassment.
The CDC says this report is the first to describe and compare the well-being and working conditions of health workers and that the COVID pandemic may have presented unique challenges that worsened workers’ mental health and led many to leave or with plans to leave their jobs.
Dr. L. Casey Chosewood, director of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Office for Total Worker Health, said that he believes many felt that health care workers were immune to many of the challenges that face other workers.
“They’re incredibly resilient as the workforce but, at the end of the day, health workers are human and they’re telling us as we listen to their stories that they really can’t do anymore and that we must address the long-standing systemic issues that have been at play here,” he said during the press conference.
Health care workers were less likely to report feelings of burnout if they reported trusting management, had help from a supervisor, had time to complete their work, and felt that their workplace supported productivity.
To improve working conditions, the CDC says employers can allow their health workers to participate in decision-making including on how work is done and what aspects could be improved.
The study showed that health workers experienced a decrease in the likelihood of feeling burned out if they trusted management, had supervisor help, had enough time to complete work, and felt that their workplace supported productivity, compared with those who did not have these things.
“There is hope,” Chosewood said. “The Vital Signs report noted that poor mental health outcomes are less common when working conditions are positive and where health workers have the potential to thrive.”
He said that a “supportive work environment had a positive impact on health workers. For example, the data shows that the odds of depression symptoms were half when health workers could take part in workplace decisions.”
Employers should also carefully monitor staffing needs and pay attention to harassment reports, Houry said.
“Designing work and policies to support workers can help workers feel safe and protect their mental health,” Houry said.
ABC News’ Dr. Liz Ghandakly contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Moderna announced Tuesday it has dosed its first participant in a phase III clinical trial of a combination influenza and COVID-19 vaccine.
This phase will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combo vaccine compared to flu and COVID vaccines that are administered separately in two groups, one involving 4,000 adults aged 65 and older and another involving 4,000 adults between ages 50 and 64.
In earlier Phase I/II clinical trials, data showed that the vaccine candidate achieved antibody levels similar or greater to the licensed standalone influenza vaccine and to Moderna’s COVID vaccine.
In a press release, the biopharmaceutical company said the combination vaccine has “the potential to efficiently reduce the overall burden of acute viral respiratory disease” by giving simultaneous protection against flu and COVID in a single dose.
Moderna said this could benefit the public health by increasing vaccine coverage rates for both viruses due to the convenience and easy administration of getting two shots at once.
The company previously announced that it is aiming for regulatory approval for the combination vaccine in 2025.
Moderna did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.
“Flu and COVID-19 represent a significant seasonal burden for individuals, providers, healthcare systems and economies,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said earlier this month in a statement when phase I/II clinical trial data was released. “Combination vaccines offer an important opportunity to improve consumer and provider experience, increase compliance with public health recommendations, and deliver value for healthcare systems.”
Moderna estimated between 50 and 100 million COVID vaccine doses will be administered this fall and that, with time, the COVID market will approach the influenza market in the U.S.
Currently, between 500 million and 600 million flu shot doses are administered around the world with 150 million occurring in the U.S., according to Moderna.
Earlier this month, Moderna also said the rates of adverse reactions were not serious and similar to those experienced by the study participants who received the COVID vaccine by itself.
Moderna is not the only company that has been investigating a flu-COVID combination vaccine.
Pfizer-BioNTech announced in November 2022 that it had begun phase I clinical trials and, a month later, announced it had been given Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help expedite the development and review of new drugs.
Pfizer previously told investors during an earnings call in January 2023 that a successful COVID-flu combination vaccine could help increase the percentage of Americans who receive a COVID vaccine.
Novavax also announced it is currently in the process of phase I/II clinical trials. In May 2023, the company said data showed there was a robust immune response among study participants.
Public health officials encourage anyone 6 months and older to get their annual flu and COVID-19 shots to minimize the risk for severe illness.
(NEW YORK) — Dozens of states are taking action Tuesday against Meta, formerly known as Facebook, for allegedly harming young people’s mental health.
A federal lawsuit and parallel state lawsuits allege that Meta knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that purposefully addict children and teens.
The states also allege Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without informing parents or obtaining parental consent.
“Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its Social Media Platforms,” the lawsuit said. “It has concealed the ways in which these Platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children. And it has ignored the sweeping damage these Platforms have caused to the mental and physical health of our nation’s youth. In doing so, Meta engaged in, and continues to engage in, deceptive and unlawful conduct in violation of state and federal law.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — The American Academy of Pediatrics is warning parents and caregivers that excessive exposure to loud noises can be detrimental to children, and sound machines can cause more harm to children than previously thought.
In a statement released Saturday, the AAP said: “What families may not realize is that children are exposed to potentially harmful noise from infancy and that the effects are cumulative over a lifetime.”
ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton told “Good Morning America” that millions of children are at risk of some form of hearing loss.
“One of the reasons why is because children have smaller ear canals. That exposes them to intensification of that higher frequency sound and [makes] them at risk for damage,” Sutton explained.
According to one study published in BMJ Global Health in 2022, more than 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss around the world due to unsafe high listening volumes. The AAP cited another study that estimated 60% of adolescents listened to music and audio that was greater than the maximum recommended daily noise intake of 85 decibels averaged over eight hours, a standard that is also for adults and not children.
“The average volume that kids listen to music at is 70 to 100 [decibels],” Sutton said. “That’s the upper limit of normal or the range for most of our headphone outputs.”
“Now, noise above 70 [decibels] for prolonged periods of time can cause damage. Noise at 100, which is the maximum, can cause damage in minutes. And noise over 120 can cause immediate harm,” Sutton continued. “So it’s important to pay attention to those volume settings [and] keep them at least 60 to 70% total.”
With sound machines, often used to lull infants and children to sleep, the AAP warns that they are often too loud for healthy listening.
“The AAP recommends that parents and caregivers consider that if an environment sounds too loud for an adult, it probably is too loud for a child. ‘Too loud’ can mean having to raise your voice to speak with someone just an arm’s length away,” the pediatricians’ group said.
“The Academy of Pediatrics recommends, for example, that nurseries have a volume maximum of around 50 decibels,” Sutton said. “That’s a volume that you and I can speak at without raising our voice. Most of these machines go above that. So if you’re going to use them, turn that volume down, place it away from the bed at least seven feet and make sure that you give limits.”
Sutton recommended parents pay attention to their child’s communication.
“It’s about paying attention to that communication. If you’re finding that your child is speaking loudly, having difficulties with pronunciation, if you’re finding that they’re not reacting to loud noises — these are all some of the reasons why you should get them checked, their hearing checked, because it can help with their learning comprehension and, of course, reduce their risk long-term,” Sutton said.
(NEW YORK) — A new study released on Friday found that women who followed a heart-healthy diet reduced their risk of cognitive issues later in life.
Doctors have long touted the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which was designed to lower blood pressure, and now a New York University Women’s Health Study of 5,116 women over 30 years showed that following DASH could reduce risks of self-reported cognitive problems such as memory loss.
Subjective cognitive complaints were based on self-perceived memory loss and follow-ups were conducted via questionnaire.
High blood pressure, especially in midlife, has been shown to be a risk factor for dementia and women make up more than two-thirds of those diagnosed with the disease.
The data showed that women who continued the DASH diet in midlife were about 17% less likely to report memory loss and other cognitive decline decades later.
Dr. Genevieve Jing, a resident in the ABC News medical unit, noted that the subject cognitive complaints were all self-reported without clinical assessment.
The diet consists of higher levels of plant-based foods and lower saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar.
Dr. Jing also noted that there is some selection bias due to death, non-response, and loss to follow-up.
The study’s largest takeaway suggests that it’s important to start a healthy diet in midlife to help avoid cognitive decline or impairment later in life.
Jeff Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — CVS Health is planning to remove one type of a common decongestant from shelves after an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was ineffective earlier this year.
The products contain the oral formulation of phenylephrine (PE), which is found in several over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
Although PE has been used as a decongestant for nearly a century, experts have been questioning its efficacy for years.
The FDA Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee unanimously voted in September that PE did not improve nasal congestion any more than a placebo at the dosage given for OTC use.
In response, CVS said it is removing products, in which PE is the only active ingredient, from store shelves. This means products like Dayquil, which uses a combination of active ingredients, will remain available for purchase.
“We are aware of the FDA Advisory Committee’s position on oral phenylephrine (PE) and will follow direction from the FDA to ensure products we sell comply with all laws and regulations,” CVS Health said in a statement. “We are removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy stores. Other oral cough and cold products will continue to be offered to meet consumer needs.”
CVS did not give specifies on brands that will be removed.
The FDA told ABC News it has not yet determined whether it no longer considers PE to be a safe and effective medication and has not ordered the product to be removed from shelves. CVS’s move is voluntary.
“The FDA has no further information to provide at this time regarding the timing of any decision the agency may make following the advisory committee meeting,” the federal health agency said.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association told ABC News that the advisory committee’s recommendation is a non-binding decision and not a change in regulation.
“FDA is currently in the process of reviewing the regulatory status of oral phenylephrine (PE) following September’s advisory committee meeting,” CHPA said in a statement. “Until FDA makes a determination on the committee’s recommendation, oral PE remains a Category 1 OTC ingredient, which is generally recognized as safe and effective.”
Concerns were first raised about PE in 2007. Since then, evidence has accumulated showing that the drug offers little to no relief for nasal congestion.
Experts believe this is because the body processes the drug before it reaches the nasal passages where it needs to work.
It’s unclear if other major retail pharmacy chains will follow in CVS’s footsteps.
Walgreens Boots Alliance would not disclose whether it is planning to remove products with PE from store shelves and said it would defer to the FDA.
“Walgreens follows FDA regulations. We are closely monitoring the situation and actively partnering with the Walgreens Office of Clinical Integrity and suppliers on appropriate next steps,” a Walgreens spokesperson told ABC News.
Other major pharmacy chains including Albertsons, Costco and Kroger did immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment. Walmart did not have an answer immediately available.
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was considering issuing a proposed rule to ban hair straighteners with formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is a chemical and a known carcinogen which has been found to cause an increased risk of endometrial cancers when used in chemical hair straighteners, often marketed to Black women.
However, it’s not just straighteners. A plethora of products — including perms, hair relaxers, lotions and gels — geared towards Black women have been found to raise the risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and health risks while pregnant. Experts say this has been occurring for years.
In Western culture, straight and long hair has been considered a traditional beauty standard while textured hair with tight curls or coils has not.
“There’s a whole history of hair and hair care in the Black community, and some of it stems from issues of racism and discrimination against how women wear their hair and what’s considered a professional hairstyle in office settings, for example, or in school,” Dr. Kimberly Bertrand, an associate professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, told ABC News.
“So, there’s lots of reasons women may have used chemical hair relaxers, historically and even currently, everything stemming from the social pressures to have their hair look a certain way smooth and sleek,” she continued. “Some women find that their hair is just easier to manage when it’s relaxed and then of course there’s individual style and fads and trends, and how people want to wear their hair.”
Studies have shown that many of these products contain chemicals, such as phthalates, which are known to be endocrine disruptors, meaning they mimic, block or interfere with hormones in the body.
According to one Harvard professor, 50% of hair products advertised to Black women contain this group of chemicals while only about 7% of products advertised to white women do the same.
While exposure to phthalates has been linked to obesity, diabetes and pre-term birth, they’ve also been linked to uterine fibroids and uterine cancer.
“Some of the things that we’ve seen with permanent relaxers is the association with several different types of cancer, including breast and uterine cancer and ovarian cancer,” Dr. Jasmine McDonald, an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told ABC News.
“We’ve also seen associations with the chemicals that are present within these products associated with uterine fibroids and fertility, so a lot of hormonal driven conditions, and that’s mainly because a lot of the chemicals of concern are endocrine-disrupting chemicals,” she said.
McDonald performed a study looking at the use of these products in early childhood and its association and found it was associated with an earlier starting age for one’s period, which increases the risk for breast cancer.
Meanwhile, Bertrand is an investigator on the long-running Black Women’s Health Study, which found that Black post-menopausal women who used chemical hair relaxers for more than five years or more than five times a year had a nearly 50% increased risk of developing uterine cancer compared to Black women who never or infrequently used these relaxers.
McDonald said some of the damage can be undone if users switch their products. For example, phthalates are chemicals that are excreted very quickly so small changes can make a difference.
“The great thing about it is there’s been intervention studies that have shown that if you remove that product, and you replace it with a cleaner product, you will see a decrease in your exposures of these chemicals of concern that have been associated with these chronic conditions,” she said.
Both experts say if the FDA does decide to ban formaldehyde it would be an important first step, but that it should extend to more chemicals.
However, the agency is still very early in the regulatory process and its notice only suggests it may a consider a proposal in the future.
“The fact of the matter is it’s one chemical, and we’re exposed to a plethora of chemicals, not just formaldehyde,” said McDonald. “So, I think it’s a very important ban. But it’s just one step that isn’t exhaustive to all the other chemicals of concern.”
(NEW YORK) — A new study has found a link between eating red meat, especially processed red meat, and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton explained the findings of the study, which was led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published Thursday in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“We’re talking about lamb, beef, pork, sausage, hot dogs, burgers,” said Ashton. “This was a big study, over 200,000 people followed for 30 years, [that] basically found a direct link and association — didn’t show cause and effect, but the more red meat consumed the higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes over that period of time.”
Researchers tracked the eating patterns of 216,695 adults over decades and noted whether they developed various health problems, assessing their diet with food frequency questionnaires every two to four years, for up to 36 years. During that time, more than 22,000 participants developed Type 2 diabetes.
The research showed that the more servings of red meat a person ate, the higher was their likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes. The study did not conclude that eating red meat causes a person to develop Type 2 diabetes, only that there appeared to be an association.
U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that if you are getting protein from meat, you should choose lean meats, like chicken breast, over processed meats.
Researchers also noted that people can prevent or offset their potential risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by “substituting one daily serving of red meat for another protein source.” They further discovered that “substituting a serving of nuts and legumes was associated with a 30% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, and substituting a serving of dairy products was associated with a 22% lower risk,” according to the study.
“That was the silver lining,” Ashton said. “They did find consuming as little as half a serving a day of legumes and nuts dramatically lowered that risk.”
Ashton also emphasized the importance of knowing your own risks, and assessing the factors that can contribute to developing Type 2 diabetes, such as genetics, exercise, weight and diet.
“If you have a family history or have had diabetes in pregnancy, you are at higher risk. Getting screened with a simple blood test, everyone should do that regardless of their weight,” Ashton encouraged. “But keeping your weight in a healthy range is key for preventing or lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes.”
Echoing the study findings, Ashton further said “swapping out proteins” can be beneficial, and that while “we all love our occasional burger,” foods like “fish, plant based protein [are] definitely healthier.”
Finally, Ashton reminded that exercise is key to good health.
“Every little bit counts, including walking, so getting those steps in,” she said.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week, or about 22 minutes a day.
Dr. Liz Ghandakly, from the ABC News medical unit, noted that the study participants were all health professionals, 81% of whom were female and about 90% of whom were white, which she said may limit how broadly the data can be generalized.
The study also relied on participants self-reporting their average frequency of eating certain foods over the past 12 months when they filled out the questionnaire, which could have affected accuracy.
(NEW YORK) — People with HIV are at increased risk of being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new federal data.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Chicago Department of Public Health followed adult residents in Chicago from their first reported infection from March 2020 through the end of May 2022, according to the report published Wednesday by the CDC.
The team compared COVID test laboratory data and COVID vaccine administration data to Chicago’s Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System.
About 5% experienced reinfection among more than 453,000 Chicago residents who tested positive for the virus.
Rates of reinfection were higher among people with HIV (6.7%) than among people without HIV (5.2%).
People with HIV are more likely to have completed a primary COVID vaccine series plus a booster before their reinfection — 31.8% versus 27% for those without HIV.
Reinfection rates were consistently higher throughout the pandemic for people with HIV and were highest during the original omicron variant phase, according to the report.
“Understanding if persons with HIV have a higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection may help tailor future COVID-19 public health guidance,” the authors wrote. “[Persons with HIV] should follow the recommended COVID-19 vaccine schedule, including booster doses, to avoid SARS-CoV-2 reinfections.”
Those who were reinfected were more likely to be male, older and Black or African American compared to those without HIV, the study found.
People with HIV were also less likely to have been unvaccinated at the time of their first infection compared to people without HIV.
The report notes the findings are a reminder about the risks of reinfection for those who are immunocompromised.
HIV can weaken the immune system, infecting and destroying CD4 cells, which causes the white blood cell count to drop and compromises the immune system.
This means that people with HIV are susceptible to COVID infection especially those who are not on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
ART is a combination of drugs that suppresses a person’s viral load until HIV Is virtually undetectable. The ability of ART to control viral replication has been shown to greatly improve immune system function, studies show.
“Evaluating the association between HIV infection and SARS-CoV-2 reinfections using surveillance data can help strengthen public health recommendations including the need for extra doses as part of a primary series, booster doses of vaccine, and optimized ART in [persons with HIV],” the authors wrote. “Tailored guidance and prevention messaging for [persons with HIV] can help reduce the elevated risk we identified in this analysis and limit continued SARS-CoV-2 transmission.”
