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Researchers develop new algorithm tool to establish risk of COVID-19 infection

Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), belonging to the VRAIN Institute, have developed DeteCCovid, a computer tool based on an algorithm that, by anonymous contact tracing, will help to detect people who have been close to a user infected with COVID-19.

24 Apr 2020

Low-cost, portable detector takes about 30 minutes to identify pathogens

Most viral test kits rely on labor- and time-intensive laboratory preparation and analysis techniques; for example, tests for the novel coronavirus can take days to detect the virus from nasal swabs.

23 Apr 2020

Electronic sensors woven into stretchy fabrics can monitor vital signs

MIT researchers have developed a way to incorporate electronic sensors into stretchy fabrics, allowing them to create shirts or other garments that could be used to monitor vital signs such as temperature, respiration, and heart rate.

23 Apr 2020

Natural mood regulation is impaired in people with depression, research shows

Periods of lockdown during the COVID-19 situation likely to exacerbate problems with mood regulation, say experts at the University of Oxford.

22 Apr 2020

AHA invests almost $17 million to speed up health impacts of e-cigarettes, nicotine on youth

The American Heart Association (AHA) is investing nearly $17 million in scientific research to be led by scientists from Boston University, the Ohio State University and Yale University to study the health impacts of e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery systems on youth and young adults.

22 Apr 2020

Big brother wants to track your location and health data. And that’s not all bad.

A growing mix of health and technology experts are convinced that if the United States is to ever effectively track the coronavirus and slow its spread, then both self-reported and more surreptitiously gathered personal data — a mix of information about location, travel, symptoms and health conditions - must be gathered from millions of Americans.

16 Apr 2020

Smart ring predicts onset of COVID-19 in healthcare workers

As entire countries remain in lockdown due to the sweep of the novel coronavirus across the globe, researchers have found a way to protect those who are perhaps most at risk: healthcare workers.

13 Apr 2020

CRISPR may help in kidney-transplants by detecting viruses

An exciting new study published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering in April 2020 reports excellent results with a new test for two common viruses that infect kidney transplant patients. The levels of these viruses shoot up during the acute phase of rejection.

13 Apr 2020

Bluetooth helps battle COVID-19

As the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, contact tracing has taken the spotlight as epidemiologists scramble to identify and isolate potential vectors for the disease. Limited technology has forced authorities to fall back on manual methods, which are both time-consuming and limited in reliability since they depend on the ability of the infected individual to remember all the places and persons he/she has been in contact with.

9 Apr 2020

New study to accelerate early detection of COVID-19 in healthcare professionals

The West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, WVU Medicine, and smart ring maker Oura Health today (April 8) announced a national study designed to accelerate early detection of the COVID-19 virus symptoms and contagiousness.

8 Apr 2020

Researches implant ultrathin, flexible brain interfaces with long lifetimes

Researchers have demonstrated neural implantation of an ultrathin, flexible neural interface with thousands of electrodes.

8 Apr 2020

Dispatch from a country doctor: Seeing patients differently in the time of coronavirus

Patients would often stop by River Bend Family Medicine just to gab with staff at the front desk or bring baked goods to Dr. Matt Hahn.

7 Apr 2020

App-based mindfulness training may help reduce physician anxiety, burnout

As novel coronavirus cases continue to increase across the nation, health professionals on the front lines face frightening realities, rising anxiety and the very real potential for burnout.

1 Apr 2020

Researchers working on a solution to improve facemasks used by NHS Staff

Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis the subject of personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a key discussion point.

1 Apr 2020

Coronavirus has upended our world. It’s OK to grieve.

On weekday evenings, sisters Lesley Laine and Lisa Ingle stage online happy hours from the Southern California home they share. It’s something they’ve been enjoying with local and faraway friends during this period of social distancing and self-isolation. And on a recent evening, I shared a toast with them.

27 Mar 2020

Smartphone data helps score US states on social distancing

On Tuesday, a data collection company took smartphone location data and used it to publish the world's first Social Distancing Scoreboard. This is the first, admittedly rough, attempt to virtually estimate how well states and counties in the US are complying with the official guidelines to stay at home.

25 Mar 2020

Critical guidance to identify COVID-19 patients at risk of drug-induced sudden cardiac death

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to spread, leading to more than 20,000 deaths worldwide in less than four months. Efforts are progressing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but it's still likely 12 to 18 months away.

25 Mar 2020

Video consultations with GPs could help maintain continuity of care during social distancing

Patients and general practice staff are receptive to greater use of video consultations in general practice, however concerns about accessibility and technical challenges have been an obstacle to the technology being widely adopted, a University of Warwick study has found.

25 Mar 2020

Researchers examine efficiency of non-invasive brain stimulation for memory improvement

A group of scientists from the Research Center of Neurology and Skoltech showed that human working memory can be tweaked using non-invasive magnetic stimulation of the brain. Also, they discovered that the effect of magnetic stimulation weakens as the brain works on a cognitive task under stimulation.

25 Mar 2020

Does everyone over 60 need to take the same coronavirus precautions?

She knew it wasn't a good idea and her daughter would disapprove. Nonetheless, Barbara Figge Fox, 79, recently went to four stores in Princeton, New Jersey, to shop for canned goods, paper towels, fresh fruit, yogurt, and other items.

24 Mar 2020