MONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News)

Birth rates tend to fall during pandemics, and history is repeating itself with the COVID-19 scourge, researchers say.

Fewer babies have been born in much of Europe and the United States. Earlier in the pandemic, U.S. births declined 7%, a new study finds.

In Europe, birth declines varied. In Italy they dropped 9%, in Spain 8% and Portugal 7%, while in Denmark, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands birth rates did not go down.

“When compared to the large fall in southern Europe, the relative stability of [crude birth rates] in northern Europe points to the role of policies in support of families and employment in reducing any impact on births,” the researchers noted.

“The bottom line is that there was a lot of variation across countries in the decline,” said study co-author Seth Sanders, a professor of economics

FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Researchers hoped to show that the natural antioxidant urate could delay Parkinson’s disease progression, but a study completed at Massachusetts General Hospital dashed those expectations.

The trial enrolled nearly 300 individuals recently diagnosed with early Parkinson’s disease, which affects the body’s motor system. Symptoms such as tremors, stiff limbs and balance problems progress gradually, and there is no known cure.

The research team found no significant difference in the rate of disease progression for those given the metabolite inosine for two years compared to the placebo group.

Inosine raises levels of urate in the brain and blood. It has appeared neuroprotective in preclinical models.

The inosine did not prove beneficial, and those who received it also had an increased rate of kidney stones, according to the study.

“The convergence of epidemiological, biological and clinical data from past research made a compelling argument that

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News)

The White House has reached out to rapper Nicki Minaj over her concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, which she said had caused swollen testicles in a friend of her cousin in Trinidad.

A White House official said Minaj was offered a call with a doctor to address her questions about the vaccine, after her message went viral on Twitter, various outlets report.

Minaj said on Twitter that she actually had been invited to the White House, but the Biden administration said she simply was offered a call.

“As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine,” a White House official told CBS News.

Minaj insists she was invited to visit in person. In an Instagram video posted Wednesday night, Minaj said: “Do

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News)

Movement can be very difficult for people with Parkinson’s disease, as shaking and stiffness play havoc with balance, coordination and gait.

There are many different tricks Parkinson’s patients can use to improve their walking and avoid injury from a bad tumble — but a new study reveals that people often have to figure them out on their own, with no help from either a doctor or physical therapist.

Nearly one-quarter of Parkinson’s patients have never tried well-known strategies proven to help improve movement, according to a report published online recently in Neurology.

“While compensation strategies are commonly used by persons with Parkinson’s disease, their knowledge on the full spectrum of available strategies to improve walking are rather limited,” said lead author Dr. Anouk Tosserams of the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

Parkinson’s is a disease of

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 15, 2021 (HealthDay News)

During the next few weeks or months, you might find yourself dropping by the doctor’s office or pharmacy to get your annual flu shot along with a dose of COVID vaccine.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to get two individual jabs. Though at least two drug companies are working on a combo flu/COVID booster, the single-dose shot won’t be ready for this flu season.

But rest assured that it’s perfectly safe to get your flu shot and COVID vaccination during the same visit, infectious disease doctors say.

Getting several vaccinations at once has been standard medical practice for decades now, and these combos have never caused any harm, said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the Bethesda, Md.-based National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

“It certainly hasn’t inhibited the armed forces,” said Schaffner, a professor of infectious disease and preventive medicine at