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Health disparities in cancer and COVID-19 are caused by similar factors

Income level, employment, housing location, medical insurance, education, tobacco and alcohol use, diet and obesity, access to medical care. These are some of the factors causing worse cancer outcomes in people who are Black.

23 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection shown to reduce the expression of vitamin D pathway components

A recent computational study from India implicated a dysregulated vitamin D pathway in the pathobiology of the infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – and opened the door for experimental validation of these observations.

23 Dec 2020

As the terror of COVID struck, health care workers struggled to survive. Thousands lost the fight.

Workers at Garfield Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles were on edge as the pandemic ramped up in March and April. Staffers in a 30-patient unit were rationing a single tub of sanitizing wipes all day. A May memo from the CEO said N95 masks could be cleaned up to 20 times before replacement.

23 Dec 2020

More than 2,900 health care workers died this year — and the government barely kept track

More than 2,900 U.S. health care workers have died in the COVID-19 pandemic since March, a far higher number than that reported by the government, according to a new analysis by KHN and The Guardian.

23 Dec 2020

Public adherence to COVID-19 guidelines in Norway: a case study

To evaluate and understand the adherence to public health actions recommended by the government, a team in Norway undertook a study funded in part by the Norwegian Research Council’s Centres of Excellence Funding Scheme and by the project: A realtime analytical pipeline for preparedness, planning, and response during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway.

23 Dec 2020

E-cigarettes, as consumer products, are not associated with smoking cessation

E-cigarette use has risen steeply and mostly without regulation over the past decade. The devices have diversified into a dizzying array of vape pens, tank systems, "mods," and more, mass-marketed and sold to the public.

23 Dec 2020

COVID vaccines appear safe and effective, but key questions remain

The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic's darkest hour.

23 Dec 2020

At risk of extinction, black-footed ferrets get experimental COVID vaccine

In late summer, as researchers accelerated the first clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines for humans, a group of scientists in Colorado worked to inoculate a far more fragile species.

23 Dec 2020

Giving antimalarial medicines to children during the rainy season reduces malaria deaths

Giving antimalarial medicines to children monthly during the rainy season cut malaria deaths in children by 42 per cent, making a case for wide implementation in malaria-endemic African regions, a study found.

23 Dec 2020

Air pollution in India caused 1.67 million deaths in 2019

Air pollution in India resulted 1.67 million deaths in 2019 - the largest pollution-related death toll in any country in the world - and also accounted for $36.8 billion (US) in economic losses, according to a new study led by researchers from the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College, the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Public Health Foundation of India.

23 Dec 2020

Novel color changing 'smart labels' will alert users to replace their face masks

Technology that will alert users to the need to replace their face mask has been unveiled by smart packaging company, Insignia Technologies.

23 Dec 2020

Researchers evaluate self-administered 'scratch-and-sniff' tests for COVID-19

A self-administered 'scratch-and-sniff' test for COVID-19 may be around the corner, according to researchers at Penn State, the University of Florida and Arizona State University.

22 Dec 2020

Truncating mutation locations tied to diversity, severity of autism symptoms

One of the most recognizable characteristics of autism is an amazing diversity of associated behavioral symptoms. Clinicians view autism as a broad spectrum of related disorders, and the origin of the disease's heterogeneity has puzzled scientists, doctors, and affected families for decades.

22 Dec 2020

Women suffered more than men from COVID-19 isolation

A study by University of Calgary researchers with the Hotchkiss Brain Institute examining sex and gender differences on sleep, empathy and mood during months of isolation due to COVID-19 has found that women are suffering more than men with poorer sleep and more anxiety, depression and trauma, while also feeling more empathetic than men.

22 Dec 2020

The power of public health screening in mitigating the spread of COVID-19

Testing for COVID-19 has been central in the fight against SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19. While most efforts, including regulations, have focused on testing as a clinical medical diagnostic tool, the most powerful forms of testing to help control the pandemic have rarely been used or recognized, according to Michael Mina, MD, PhD.

22 Dec 2020

Higher consumption of meat linked with increased wheezing in children

Substances present in cooked meats are associated with increased wheezing in children, Mount Sinai researchers report.

22 Dec 2020

Research finds persistent disparities in childhood vaccination

There has been continual progress in expanding immunization programs over time, but even before the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of millions of children worldwide were not receiving basic doses of vaccines.

22 Dec 2020

FDA issues warning letters to companies illegally selling unapproved CBD products

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued five warning letters to companies for selling products containing cannabidiol (CBD) in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

22 Dec 2020

California’s COVID enforcement strategy: Education over citations

Nearly six months since Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to target businesses that are flagrantly violating public health orders to control the spread of COVID-19, California regulators have issued just 424 citations and suspended two business licenses as of Monday, according to data from 10 state regulatory and law enforcement agencies.

22 Dec 2020