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Nursing homes have thousands of ventilators that hospitals desperately need

As the number of COVID-19 patients climbs and health officials hunt for ventilators to treat them, nursing homes across the United States have a cache - about 8,200 of the lifesaving machines, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

7 Apr 2020

USC researchers show wider benefits to drug used for hangovers

A well-known hangover drug not only helps soothe pounding headaches but also triggers profound changes that protect the liver.

7 Apr 2020

OGT delivers translocation and partial tandem duplication detection with updates to SureSeq NGS portfolio

Oxford Gene Technology announces the addition of accurate detection capabilities for translocations and difficult-to-sequence partial tandem duplications.

From Oxford Gene Technology 7 Apr 2020

Despite public health challenge, tobacco use continues to be overlooked

The number of tobacco smokers is projected to remain at around 1.1 billion until at least 2025, with 80 per cent of the world's smokers living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

7 Apr 2020

Clemson study provides insight into role of fungi in early childhood dental health

Although mostly preventable, tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases in children worldwide, particularly in developing countries. If left untreated, cavities can be painful and may negatively affect a young child's overall health, development and quality of life.

6 Apr 2020

Autoimmunity-associated heart dilation linked with heart-failure risk in type 1 diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes, particularly those with poor glycemic control, are at markedly increased risk for cardiovascular disease than the general population.

6 Apr 2020

Compound in fruit peels can reduce and reverse neuronal damage in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, characterized by increasing muscle weakness and paralysis, has a number of treatments that help stall progression of the disease when used early on in the disease.

6 Apr 2020

Marijuana vaping usage up among American teenagers

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in April 2020 shows that more and more American teenagers were turning to vaping and ingesting marijuana in various forms over the period 2015 to 2018. This is a disturbing trend given the increasing evidence that chronic marijuana use at this age does cause abnormal development as well as causing social consequences.

6 Apr 2020

Healthy lifestyle, greater disease-free life expectancy

For years, doctors have been advocating a healthy diet, more regular exercise, stress relief, and weight control. However, no study has examined a combination of all these factors with the number of years that one can live free of major chronic disease. This could help communicate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle more convincingly than the commonly reported relative risk of disease with each of these risk factors.

6 Apr 2020

Analysis of causative protein genotype can help predict Alport syndrome severity

A Japanese research team has successfully developed a system to predict the severity of Alport syndrome, a serious hereditary kidney disease that occurs in about 1 out of 5,000 people in the US. Patients with Alport syndrome have abnormalities in the causative protein, type IV collagen, that often lead to chronic renal dysfunction requiring dialysis.

6 Apr 2020

Young people weigh pain of job loss against risks of virus

Emilio Romero, 23, has mixed feelings about losing his job. It's a major financial setback, but with two previous hospitalizations for pneumonia, a restaurant was not the safest place for the recent college graduate as the COVID-19 pandemic mushroomed.

6 Apr 2020

Long-standing racial and income disparities seen creeping into COVID-19 care

The new coronavirus doesn’t discriminate. But physicians in public health and on the front lines said they already can see the emergence of familiar patterns of racial and economic bias in the response to the pandemic.

6 Apr 2020

Experts highlight the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with Parkinson’s disease

While much attention has focused on the potential for severe respiratory complications and unfavorable outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the impact extends beyond these threats.

5 Apr 2020

Researchers identify the most common characteristics of fatal COVID-19 cases

In a new study, researchers identified the most common characteristics of 85 COVID-19 patients who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

3 Apr 2020

As the country disinfects, diabetes patients can’t find rubbing alcohol

While the masses hunt for toilet paper, Caroline Gregory and other people with diabetes are on a different mission: scouring stores for the rubbing alcohol or alcohol swabs needed to manage their disease.

3 Apr 2020

Study shows how Toxoplasma infection causes seizures, psychiatric illness for some

Think about traffic flow in a city - there are stop signs, one-way streets, and traffic lights to organize movement across a widespread network. Now, imagine what would happen if you removed some of the traffic signals.

2 Apr 2020

Magnetic stimulation of rectal nerves could help treat fecal incontinence

An ongoing study by the Medical College of Georgia on the role of magnetic stimulation of the rectal nerves to achieve better bowel control in patients with fecal incontinence is showing early promise. The technique is called translumbosacral neuromodulation therapy, or TNT.

2 Apr 2020

Patients with chronic liver disease need specific care during COVID-19

Currently, there are limited data on the impact of pre-existing liver disease and the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with many open questions.

2 Apr 2020

Light physical activity linked to better daily function for stroke survivors

Researchers used accelerometers to measure daily physical activity in 30 stroke survivors for a week, assessing how much the participants moved and how well they performed routine physical tasks.

2 Apr 2020

Pilates helps control blood pressure in young obese women

A new paper published in the journal American Journal of Hypertension in April 2020 shows that Pilates could work well when it comes to improving cardiovascular health and controlling blood pressure in young obese women. This group of patients is at high risk for high blood pressure and weak blood vessel health.

2 Apr 2020