Damian McNamara is a journalist for Medscape Medical News and MDedge. He worked full-time for MDedge as the Miami Bureau covering a dozen medical specialties during 2001-2012, then as a freelancer for Medscape and MDedge, before being hired on staff by Medscape in 2018. Now the two companies are one. He uses what he learned in school – Damian has a BS in chemistry and an MS in science, health and environmental reporting/journalism. He works out of a home office in Miami, with a 100-pound chocolate lab known to snore under his desk during work hours.
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FDA to warn J&J that vaccine can increase Guillain-Barré risk: Media
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
The agency still calculates the benefit of vaccination with the J&J product continues to outweigh the risk.
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‘Long haul’ COVID recovery worse than cancer rehab for some: CDC
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
People experiencing 'Long-COVID-19' symptoms were more likely to report pain.
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Delta variant key to breakthrough infections in vaccinated Israelis
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
“The positive news is that there is 93% prevention against severe disease or mortality.”
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Antimicrobial resistance threat continues during COVID-19
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- Damian McNamara
For some patients, the pandemic and antimicrobial resistance are intertwined.
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Almost all U.S. COVID-19 deaths now in the unvaccinated
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
Of more than 18,000 people who died from COVID-19, only about 150 were fully vaccinated. That’s less than 1%....
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Giving flu and COVID-19 shots at same time appears safe, effective: Study
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
“It’s a small study, but it’s certainly encouraging to know that there didn’t seem to be a big decrease in immunogenicity either way and the...
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VENUS: Ustekinumab appears superior to vedolizumab for refractory Crohn’s disease
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
“This study adds to the literature, aiming to position these newer biologics in the treatment algorithm,” Dr. Farrah Monzur said.
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Prebiotic in development shows promise for reducing GERD symptoms
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
A prebiotic therapy in development significantly reduced the number of days per month that people with gastroesophageal reflux disease experienced...
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‘Smart toilet’ with AI automatically scans stool for blood and consistency
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
"There is such a need for removing the uncertainty of the patient recall about bowel movement frequency and appearance," said Dr. Sonia Grego.
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Surprising percentage of biopsy samples found retained in GI endoscopes
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
While some endoscopists guess the rate is about 10%-15%, it’s actually a lot more common, which exposes a need for diligent processing between...
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GI and liver diseases linked to alcohol spiked during pandemic
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
"At the early phase, people might be asymptomatic. By the time people develop symptoms it might be too late. That's why it's important to ask,"...
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Among asymptomatic, 2% may harbor 90% of community’s viral load: Study
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
“Walking around a college campus can be as dangerous as walking through a COVID ward in the hospital, in that...
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Moderna announces first data showing efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine booster in development
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
The data "reinforce ... confidence that our booster strategy should be protective against these newly detected variants."
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Can we get to ‘COVID zero’? Experts predict the next 8 months
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
“Right now, we are projecting the United States all the way to Aug. 1 [will have] 619,000 deaths from COVID-19,...
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Ten reasons airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 appears airtight
- Author:
- Damian McNamara
Infectious aerosols are the principal means of person-to-person transmission, according to experts.