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The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in 141 countries averted 2.4 million excess deaths by August 2021 and would have saved another 670,000 more lives had vaccines been distributed equitably, estimates a working paper from University of Southern California (USC) and Brown University researchers. (Van Beusekom, 10/31)

A new study published in Human Reproduction shows no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination in either male or female partners is linked to early or late miscarriages and that maternal vaccination shortly before conception has no impact on early (less than 8 weeks) miscarriage rates. The study was based on outcomes seen in the Boston University School of Public Health’s Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), an ongoing study that follows participants from preconception through 6 months after delivery. The present study included 1,815 women from the United States and Canada who were followed from December 2020 through November 2022. The women were ages 21 to 45 years and were trying to conceive without the use of fertility treatment at enrollment. (Soucheray, 10/31)

A new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine of US veterans prescribed nirmatrelvir–ritonavir (Paxlovid) during COVID-19 infections shows no difference in long-COVID rates among groups who took the antivirals and those who did not. The study was based on 191,057 veterans with a first positive SARS-CoV-2 test result during January through July 2022. Among that group, 9,593 nonhospitalized patients were treated with Paxlovid, and outcomes were compared among their matched untreated cohorts for 31 post-COVID conditions (PCCs). (Soucheray, 10/31)

The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, looked at more than 270,000 adults across the U.K. and found that those who were infected with the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 were much more likely to experience both more serious and more long-lasting cases of long COVID compared to those infected with newer variants. ... Researchers found that one in 13 participants who contracted COVID-19 reported were still experiencing symptoms 12 weeks later, and one in twenty were still experiencing symptoms a year after their initial infection. (Mae Jones, 10/31)

Male sperm count has fallen by more than 50% globally in the last 50 years, leaving researchers scrambling to understand why. Could it be pollution, PFAS and other potential toxins in our food and water, an increase in obesity and chronic disease, or even the ever-present mobile phone? A new study explored the role of cell phones and found men between the ages of 18 and 22 who said they used their phones more than 20 times a day had a 21% higher risk for a low overall sperm count. The men also had a 30% higher risk for a low sperm concentration, a less important measure of sperm count in a milliliter of semen. (LaMotte, 11/1)

From 46% to 61% of adults receiving mpox vaccination at two US public health clinics reported a decrease in sexual behaviors tied to viral transmission, including one-time encounters, sex partners, dating app– or sex venue–based sex, and group sex, according to a study published late last week in Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The study, led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers, involved 711 adults seeking mpox vaccination at two clinics in Washington, DC, who completed questionnaires from August to October 2022. (Van Beusekom, 10/31)

Anger can be a powerful motivator for achieving goals, according to a new study from the American Psychological Association (APA). The research, published this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, examined how both positive and negative emotions factor into the odds of success. "People often believe that a state of happiness is ideal, and the majority of people consider the pursuit of happiness a major life goal," lead author Heather Lench, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University, said in a press release. (Stabile, 10/31)

A review and analysis of data from previously published studies found high levels of resistance to the antibiotics commonly used for empiric treatment of sepsis and meningitis in babies and children in the Asia-Pacific region, researchers reported today in The Lancet Regional Health–Southeast Asia. (Dall, 10/31)

Clinical trials of newly developed drugs often don’t work out. When that happens, it’s common practice for biotech and pharma companies to look for ways to salvage their financial investment, often conducting further data analyses in particular types of patients after the fact, to see if the compound might have been effective in those smaller groups. (Goode, 10/31)