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A battle-weary Seattle hospital fights the latest COVID surge

As hospitals across the country weather a surge of COVID-19 patients, in Seattle — an early epicenter of the outbreak — nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians are staring down a startling resurgence of the coronavirus that’s expected to test even one of the best-prepared hospitals on the pandemic’s front lines.

10 Dec 2020

Trump plan may set clock ticking on many health rules — setting off alarms

The Trump administration wants to require the Department of Health and Human Services to review most of its regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those not assessed in time.

10 Dec 2020

Dialysis industry spends millions, emerges as power player in California politics

The nation's dialysis industry has poured $233 million into California campaigns over the past four years, establishing its leading companies as a formidable political force eager to protect their bottom line and influence state policy.

10 Dec 2020

Researchers pinpoint key factors to ensure successful fecal microbiota transplants

Could number two be number one when it comes to combating recurrent Clostridium difficile (CDI) infections?Using genetic material analysis and machine learning, UBC researchers have pinpointed several key factors to ensure successful fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), which have proven successful in treating bacterial infections in the gut including illnesses like C. difficile, Crohn's Disease, Colitis and even obesity, explains lead author Negin Kazemian.

10 Dec 2020

Study shows how blood biomarkers and income can predict future disability

Blood tests for ‘biomarkers’ such as cholesterol and inflammation could predict whether you will be disabled in five years – according to research from the University of East Anglia.

10 Dec 2020

Risk of COVID infection in health care workers is driven by community exposure

Nurses only group with higher risk once community exposure considered. Largest cohort of health care worker risk for SARS CoV-2. Only high-flow oxygen therapy and hemodialysis linked to more antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

10 Dec 2020

FDA approves first COVID-19 direct-to-consumer test

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized LabCorp's Pixel COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit for use by any individual 18 years and older without a prescription.

9 Dec 2020

Covid-19's impact on cancer services and research

The National Cancer Research Institute, Cancer Research UK and Public Health England's National Disease Registration Service hosted a Cancer/Covid-19 Research Summit with researchers from different disciplines discussing the impact that Covid-19 is having on cancer services and research.

9 Dec 2020

New guidelines improved the ability to predict C. diff infection mortality

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common health care-associated infection in the United States, causing an estimated 12,800 deaths each year.

9 Dec 2020

Symptom under-recognition may be common in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy

Among patients with breast cancer treated with radiotherapy, under-recognition of symptoms was common in reports of pain, pruritus, edema, and fatigue, with younger patients and Black patients having significantly increased odds of symptom under-recognition, according to data presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-11.

9 Dec 2020

Mastectomy and reconstructive surgery may increase risk of becoming persistent drug users

Women who receive mastectomy and reconstructive surgery as part of breast cancer treatment may face the risk of developing persistent use of opioids and sedative-hypnotic drugs, according to data presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-11.

9 Dec 2020

The impact of COVID-19 on emergency medical services: a case study

A team of researchers based in Turkey has now studied the pandemic's effect on emergency medical services (EMS). Their study, titled "Effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on emergency medical services," was published in the latest issue of The International Journal of Clinical Practice.

9 Dec 2020

UofL receives DoD funding to develop a nasal spray for preventing COVID-19

The University of Louisville has received funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop a nasal spray to prevent serious viral respiratory infections such as COVID-19 using Q-Griffithsin, a drug compound developed and co-owned by UofL.

9 Dec 2020

WHO highlights leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide from 2000 to 2019

Noncommunicable diseases now make up 7 of the world's top 10 causes of death, according to WHO's 2019 Global Health Estimates, published today.

9 Dec 2020

As more red states legalize marijuana, some officials try to nip it in the bud

With his state reeling amid one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation, the last thing South Dakota Speaker of the House Steven Haugaard wants to be dealing with during the upcoming legislative session is marijuana. But the state's voters haven't left the Republican much choice.

9 Dec 2020

It’s time to scare people about COVID

I still remember exactly where I was sitting decades ago, during the short film shown in class: For a few painful minutes, we watched a woman talking mechanically, raspily through a hole in her throat, pausing occasionally to gasp for air.

9 Dec 2020

Head injuries and long sleep deprivation can affect neurogenerative processes

Scientists from the School of Biomedicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with colleagues from Italy, Spain, Romania, and Sweden suggest a way to protect the brain and minimize neurodegenerative processes after concussion head injuries in the presence of extensive previous sleep deprivation.

9 Dec 2020

New report underscores the need to implement home care in all pandemic planning

Tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents depend on home care to support their health as they age or cope with physical challenges. That care often requires close personal contact, increasing the risk of contracting COVID-19 among both home-care clients and the aides who provide their care.

8 Dec 2020

Study highlights rising infant health inequality in the U.S.

After several decades of improvement, inequality in infant health is once again on the rise in the United States, a pair of Brown University researchers has found.

8 Dec 2020

In Becerra, an HHS nominee with political skill but no front-line health experience

Xavier Becerra, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is set to be a pandemic-era secretary with no public health experience. Whether that matters depends on whom you ask.

8 Dec 2020