New Treatment, Mask Guidance; Exposing Family Secrets; FDA OKs AI to Spot Aneurysms

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New COVID-19 treatment guidelines from NIH include a recommendation for treatment of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children with immunomodulators and antithrombotics.

The CDC could issue less stringent masking guidance — based on new criteria that relies more on hospitalizations and hospital capacity — as soon as today. (AP)

As of Friday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial COVID toll in the U.S. reached 78,799,264 cases and 944,831 deaths, increases of 68,024 and 2,922, respectively, since the same time a day ago.

Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s three largest drug distributors have tentatively agreed to finalize a $26 billion settlement to resolve lawsuits stemming from the opioid epidemic. (Reuters)

More than half of women older than 50 have hair loss. (NBC News)

Department store chain Target has lifted its mask requirement for employees and shoppers in areas that no longer have mask mandates. (NBC News)

A Midland, Texas man admitted that he tried to kill an Asian father and the father’s children because of COVID-19. (Houston Chronicle)

Increasing use of direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy services commonly produces information about relatives, some of which can be unexpected and have far-reaching consequences. (Baylor College of Medicine, American Journal of Human Genetics)

Hong Kong’s strict “dynamic zero” COVID policy has sparked fears that children could be separated from their parents in some situations. (Reuters)

Canada approved Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine for adults, the first-ever plant-based vaccine for the illness. (Reuters)

Starting in March, Japan will allow foreign travelers to enter the country and have a shortened quarantine period if they have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Reuters)

“My life flashed before me” might be more than just a cliche. (New York Post)

Pandemic-themed books, both fiction and nonfiction, have quietly proliferated and attracted a growing readership over the past year. (NPR)

A Massachusetts college student learned a hard lesson about the hazards of eating improperly stored leftovers. (Eat This, Not That)

Citing “remorseless behavior,” a federal judge permanently barred ex-pharma executive Martin Shkreli from holding an officer or director position at a public company. (Endpoints)

An Israeli study showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. (Times of Israel)

The age-old practice of treating minor cuts and scrapes with hydrogen peroxide might not be such a good idea, after all. (USA Today)

Laboratory studies to identify drugs that prevent cancer spread, or metastasis, identified some existing cancer drugs but also some drugs used to treat other conditions, including depression, heart disease, and parasitic infections. (University of Edinburgh, ACS Chemical Biology)

More than half of all abortions in the U.S. now occur with medication, not surgery, another impact of the COVID lockdown and increased reliance on telemedicine. (AP)

The FDA cleared Viz ANEURYSM, an artificial intelligence-powered algorithm to detect suspected cerebral aneurysms on CT scans and help standardize patients’ care, manufacturer Viz.ai announced.

And the agency announced that Arrow International has recalled the Arrow-Trerotola Percutaneous Thrombolytic Device because of a risk of tip damage during use.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit to block UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change Healthcare, alleging the merger would harm competition.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has launched an initiative to pay for second autopsies for families of people whose deaths were “police related.” (NPR)