SIDS Awareness Month: Safe Sleep Techniques Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as “crib death” or “cot death,” occurs when a healthy baby dies while asleep for no apparent reason. SIDS is the most prevalent cause of death among babies one month to one year of age, with most deaths happening during the first four months. What Causes SIDS? Pediatricians and medical professionals do not know what causes SIDS. Still, experts suspect that SIDS can occur when babies have problems waking up or when their bodies have difficulty detecting excess carbon dioxide in the blood. Research...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has claimed millions of lives at a scale not seen for nearly 100 years. To treat COVID-19, there has been an unprecedented global effort to advance monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies against SARS-CoV-2 as therapeutics because no specific treatment for COVID-19 existed when the pandemic first began. Amongst the various potential therapeutic interventions, antiviral mAbs represent one of the most promising forms of treatment due to their long-lasting track record of human...

The COVID-19 virus spreads by close person-to-person contact (6 feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) via respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing, singing, exercising, or talking) and direct contact with contaminated surfaces. Most people with mild clinical presentation can rest at home until they get better and start symptomatic supportive treatment like hydration, over-the-counter antipyretics, analgesics, or antitussives for fever, headache, myalgias, or cough, respectively. Quarantine at home for 14 days (incubation period) is crucial for healthy individuals after the last...

Take a moment to visualize your home medicine cabinet. Are there pill bottles sitting on the shelves that have been collecting dust for years? Are there bottles with partially torn or faded labels that could unintentionally be taken instead of your current medications? For many people, their home medicine cabinet can easily become a museum of ailments past. However, prescription medications are anything but exhibits. In the wrong hands, they can be dangerous or even deadly. Properly disposing of unwanted, unused, or expired prescription drugs can be one of the most important steps you can take...

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be feeling a bit confused or hazy when it comes to all pandemic-related terminology. Our collective understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus—and the COVID-19 illness that it causes—has grown tremendously over the past eighteen months. Everyone has endured a steep learning curve when it comes to our mastery of virology and pandemic behavior. However, not all of the terms that we have become so accustomed to hearing mean the same thing. This is particularly true when it comes to the terms “isolation” and “quarantine.” Knowing the difference between...