Latest science news in Health & Medicine
L.A. County coronavirus cases top 25,000, with more than 1,200 deaths
Los Angeles County public health officials have reported 781 new cases of the coronavirus and 21 additional related deaths.
Cancer risk studies raise questions about the safety of long-lasting hair dyes
Long-lasting hair dyes are popular, and their safety has been well researched. But new epidemiology studies show their use correlates with increased risk of breast cancer
New York records 280 new deaths, northeastern states partner to purchase equipment
New York recorded 280 more deaths in the past 24 hours, as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts formed a partnership to purchase equipment...
High blood pressure medications safe for patients with COVID-19 disease, study finds
Despite concerns expressed by some experts, common high blood pressure drugs did not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 -- or of developing severe disease -- in a study of...
Hydroxychloroquine linked to increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias
In a new report, a team of pharmacists and clinicians found evidence suggesting that patients who received hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 were at increased risk of electrical changes to the heart...
Coronavirus patients could be cash cows for nursing homes
Nursing homes could be paid four times more for coronavirus patients than for other residents. Some worry that non-COVID residents will be pushed out.
Timing of immune response to COVID-19 may contribute to disease severity
A new study suggests that temporarily suppressing the body's immune system during the early stages of COVID-19 could help a patient avoid severe symptoms. That's because the research shows that...
Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery, S. Korean official says
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery, a presidential official said Sunday, flatly denying speculation over Kim's health.
Schizophrenia drug combined with radiation shows promise in treating deadly brain tumors
Researchers found adding a drug once commonly used to treat schizophrenia to traditional radiation therapy helped improve overall survival in mice with glioblastoma.
'Child's Play' co-writer John Lafia dead at 63
John Lafia, a musician, screenwriter and filmmaker known for his work on the "Child's Play" horror franchise, has died, his family said. He was 63.
Family history misses identifying individuals with high genetic risk of CVD or cancer
Certain genetic changes, termed 'pathogenic variants,' substantially increase risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer--the leading causes of death -- but testing to identify individual carriers is not part of current...
Understanding the initial immune response after dengue virus infection
This study sheds new light on the body's initial response to dengue virus infection, describing the molecular diversity and specificity of the antibody response. These results identify an unappreciated role...
Parkinson's dyskinesia mechanism explained
The mechanism underlying Parkinson's dyskinesia has been unknown, until now. An international collaboration has found a key cause, and with it, potentially, a new route to providing relief.
Infectious disease modeling study casts doubt on impact of Justinianic plague
Many historians have claimed the Justinianic Plague (c. 541-750 CE) killed half of the population of Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. New historical research and mathematical modeling challenge the death rate...
COVID-19 finally came. Armed with a plan, Mariposa County was waiting to fight back
When this rural California county got its first coronavirus case last week, officials were ready with a plan they had hatched early on in the outbreak.
Neural circuit that drives physical responses to emotional stress found
Researchers have discovered a neural circuit that drives physical responses to emotional stress. Emotional stress signals are processed in the ''emotion'' circuits and integrated in the DP/DTT. The integrated signals...
Making a homemade COVID mask? Study explains best fabric choices
blog posts Editor’s note: Health authorities believe COVID-19 spreads by the transmission of respiratory droplets, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends homemade cloth face coverings for use in...
Timing of immune response to COVID-19 may contribute to disease severity
A new USC study suggests that temporarily suppressing the body’s immune system during the early stages of COVID-19 could help a patient avoid severe symptoms. That’s because the research, just...
A.R.T. and Chan School building a healthy roadmap for theater
Comeback stories always make great drama, and the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is already planning one. In collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the A.R.T. is working on how...
One-third of hospitalized COVID-19 patients show signs of delirium
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may...
Harvard alums on the front lines
One came out of clinical retirement to help. A second works in an emergency room at the center of the U.S. pandemic. A third treats low-income and immigrant communities outside of Boston....
Wyss-designed swabs enter human trials for COVID-19
Researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, in collaboration with health care, research, and industrial partners, have designed a new, fully injection-molded nasopharyngeal swab that can be manufactured quickly and inexpensively at...
New York Times attorney David McCraw details changes since 9/11
The New York Times, which has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other news organization, is not afraid to speak truth to power. But that means it also faces legal scrutiny from...
Third-year resident describes a day in the life of an ER doctor
It’s cold outside as Anita Chary makes the short walk from her apartment to the Longwood Medical Area. Just before her 7 a.m. start time she arrives at one of the designated...
M.P.H. student works with COVID-19 first responders
Meet Katie Klatt — pediatric intensive care unit nurse, M.P.H. student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and recovered COVID-19 patient. And, as of early April, a worker on the...
How We Feel app helps track spread of COVID-19
Efforts to get a handle on the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. have been hampered by the lack of widespread testing. Most public health experts, in fact, say that absent the...
Letters to the Editor: She's 73 and is fine with a younger COVID patient taking a ventilator
It's simply wrong when a much younger person dies. Let younger patients take the ventilator if there's a scarcity -- and let doctors make the decision.
Senate returns to Washington despite city's coronavirus spike and Congress' stalemate
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calls the Senate back as Washington, D.C.'s coronavirus numbers rise.