By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – Millions of people who take statins to lower cholesterol may not get maximum protection from flu vaccines, two new studies suggest. Both studies looked at the effectiveness of flu vaccines in people who were or were not using statins. Taken together, the results connect statins to a dampened immune response to flu vaccines and greater odds of respiratory infections during flu season.
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – When it comes to leadership skills, some surgeons may be better at coordinating specific tasks than at sharing information and encouraging cooperation, a small analysis suggests. This distinction between what’s known as transactional, or task-focused, leadership versus the type known as transformational, or team-focused, may make the difference between achieving minimum standards and inspiring performances that exceed expectations, according to the study in the
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – When it comes to leadership skills, some surgeons may be better at coordinating specific tasks than at sharing information and encouraging cooperation, a small analysis suggests. This distinction between what’s known as transactional, or task-focused, leadership versus the type known as transformational, or team-focused, may make the difference between achieving minimum standards and inspiring performances that exceed expectations, according to the study in the
Three people have been arrested on charges that they engaged in what court papers describe as one of the largest schemes ever uncovered to divert oxycodone pills involving pharmacies in New York City, U.S. prosecutors said Thursday. Lilian Jakacki, who owns two pharmacies in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, was arrested in Greenwich, Connecticut late Wednesday along with her husband, Marcin Jakacki, for illegally distributing 500,000 pills of the
Three people have been arrested on charges that they engaged in what court papers describe as one of the largest schemes ever uncovered to divert oxycodone pills involving pharmacies in New York City, U.S. prosecutors said Thursday. Lilian Jakacki, who owns two pharmacies in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, was arrested in Greenwich, Connecticut late Wednesday along with her husband, Marcin Jakacki, for illegally distributing 500,000 pills of the
Twelve people have died in Turkey and dozens have been hospitalised over the last three days after being poisoned by bootleg alcohol, media reported on Thursday. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu earlier in the day said six people had died. Turkey’s Islamist-rooted government levies some of the world’s highest taxes on alcohol and tobacco, which analysts say has encouraged increased smuggling and illegal production.
According to researchers in Australia, people whose work days require constant decision-making are at greater risk of expanded waistlines compared to their counterparts. The overarching conclusion from the study, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, suggests that the two aspects of job control — decision-making and the application of skills — should be treated separately when evaluating levels of job stress and health. For the study, researchers from
Botox maker Allergan Plc and Pfizer Inc on Thursday confirmed they were in preliminary, friendly talks on a potential merger, a deal that would create the world’s largest drugmaker. Both Pfizer and Ireland-based Allergan said no agreement has been reached and declined to discuss any terms that might lead to such a tie-up. Allergan shares jumped 8.2 percent to $310.92 in U.S. trading, while Pfizer was off almost 1 percent
By Jan Schwartz HAMBURG (Reuters) – Volkswagen believes that up to around 20 people were involved in its rigging of diesel-engine emissions tests, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. “This should be a two-digit number in the range of between 10 and 20.” Europe’s biggest carmaker admitted last month to cheating diesel emissions tests in the United States, triggering a crisis that has wiped more than a
My brothers and nephew are perfectly healthy; they don’t even usually get a cold and certainly have never had anything serious enough to send them to the hospital other than a broken bone. By contrast, I have done the hospital tour in three states: New York, where I work; New Jersey, where I live and Boston, where I used to go to college. I…