Latest science news in Health & Medicine
We need rapid COVID screening if we want to get back to normal
Many hospitals like this one in Alberta, Canada, have set up screening checkpoints for COVID-19. Other facilities can do the same. (Graham Ruttan/Unsplash/)Zoë McLaren is an associate professor of public policy at the...
Dust can spread influenza among guinea pigs, raising coronavirus questions
Spewing virus-laden droplets may not be the only way animals can spread some viruses through the air. Viruses like influenza might also hitch a ride on dust and other microscopic particles, a...
Isolation, confusion: What the COVID-19 pandemic is like for people with dementia
Changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have upended the lives of millions of dementia patients and their caregivers, who rely on long-standing routines.
Black, White COVID-19 patients with access to care die at similar rates, study shows
White Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 are just as likely to die from the disease as Black Americans, according to a study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open.
Isolation, confusion: What the COVID-19 pandemic is like for people with dementia
Changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have upended the lives of millions of dementia patients and their caregivers, who rely on long-standing routines.
Horse skeletons provide clues to preventing racehorse injuries
In an anatomical comparison of the third metacarpal, or cannon bone, among Thoroughbred racehorses, American Quarter Horses and feral Assateague Island ponies, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have found that fostering...
Using a public restroom? Mask up!
Think you don't need to worry about COVID-19 while using a public restroom? A group of researchers from Yangzhou University in China recently reported that flushing public restroom toilets can...
Persistence of ADHD into adulthood is an important predictor of car crash risk
A new study reports that the risk of being involved in car crashes increases for those diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study looked specifically at the rate of car...
Watch: Children dance in Netflix trailer of Doucoure's 'Cuties' to air Sept. 9
Children come-of-age while dancing in French filmmaker Maimouna Doucure's "Cuties" to air on Netflix on Sept. 9.
Gallbladder surgery during pregnancy may be safer than waiting
For pregnant women experiencing painful gallstones, immediate surgery to remove the infected gallbladder may be better than postponing the operation until after childbirth, a new study suggests.
Hydroxychloroquine ineffective as a preventive antiviral against COVID-19, study finds
Researchers have added to the growing body of understanding about how hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is not a possible defense against COVID-19.
Flexible and protected
Coronavirus researchers have focused on the surface structure of SARS-CoV-2 to gain insights they can use for the development of vaccines and effective therapeutics to treat infected patients.
COVID-19 has major impact on psycho-social care of cancer patients
Psychosocial needs of people affected by cancer are not being adequately met due to the disruption in services caused by Covid-19, according to a new report.
New 'nanopores' technique offers proof-of-concept of earlier, safer tumor detection
In recent years, a non-invasive biopsy method called liquid biopsy has shown promise as a potential alternative to tissue biopsy, currently the gold standard in cancer detection and diagnosis. A...
Data omission in key EPA insecticide study shows need for review of industry studies
For nearly 50 years, a statistical omission tantamount to data falsification sat undiscovered in a critical study at the heart of regulating one of the most controversial and widely used...
New gene therapy approach eliminates at least 90% latent herpes simplex virus 1
Infectious disease researchers have used a gene editing approach to remove latent herpes simplex virus 1, or HSV-1, also known as oral herpes. In animal models, the findings show at...
Smartphones can tell when you're drunk by analyzing your walk
Your smartphone can tell when you've had too much to drink by detecting changes in the way you walk, according to a new study.
Why Young and Female Patients Don’t Respond as Well to Cancer Immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy — empowering a patient’s own immune system to clear away tumors on its own — holds great promise for some patients. But for other patients, immunotherapy just doesn’t...
One in 20 American adults are 'heavy drinkers,' CDC says
Just over 5% of American adults engage in "heavy drinking," according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Low-cost home air quality monitors prove useful for wildfire smoke
A new study by air quality scientists tested four models of low-cost air quality monitors during actual wildfire pollution events and found that their readings of PM2.5 - or particulate...
Wide variation across hospitals in nurse staffing is threat to public's health
According to a new study, many hospitals in New York and Illinois were understaffed right before the first surge of critically ill Covid-19 patients. The study documented staffing ratios that...
Low humidity increases COVID-19 risk: Another reason to wear a mask
A new study from Australia confirms a link between COVID-19 cases and lower humidity.
Insect wings inspire new ways to fight superbugs
The wings of cicadas and dragonflies are natural bacteria killers, inspiring scientists who are searching for new ways to defeat drug-resistant superbugs. They've now revealed how bioinspired nanomaterials physically destroy...
Shigella prevents infected cells from sacrificing themselves for the greater good
Enteric pathogens, such as the bacterium Shigella, can cause severe intestinal disease with bloody diarrhea. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered a novel...
Humid air can extend lifetime of virus-laden aerosol droplets
The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread through natural respiratory activities, such as breathing, talking and coughing, but little is known about how the virus is transported...
Sanofi to acquire BTK inhibitor firm Principia for $3.7 billion
Principia is testing its small-molecule compounds in multiple sclerosis and immune system diseases
A new test may better predict ovarian cancer survival
Scientists may have found a better way to estimate survival for women with aggressive ovarian cancer, according to a new study by USC researchers and international colleagues. The findings, which...
1 in 4 Connecticut nursing home residents had COVID-19, survey says
When COVID-19 was raging in the Northeastern United States, more than 25% of Connecticut nursing-home residents were suffering from the coronavirus, a new survey reports.