Health

Austrian study shows robust antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 for over 6 months

In the face of discouraging news about the resurgence of COVID-19, some reports offer hope of protection in the face of a robust and persistent immune response. In an encouraging report, an Austrian preprint appearing on the medRxiv server in November 2020 suggests a high level of durable immunity to SARS-CoV-2 over at least six months.
Tags: Health, COVID

Scientists use demographic data to estimate test-based case fatality rates across California

A team of UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers has developed analyses to identify those most at risk from the pandemic, using demographic data to estimate test-based infection and test-based case fatality rates across California.
Tags: Health, California, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Researchers examine perceptions, experiences of professionalism in health care institutions

Marginalized groups of people value professionalism more -- and are more likely to leave a job at an institution due to issues of professionalism -- compared to their white, male counterparts, according to a Penn Medicine study of staff, faculty, and students who were affiliated with a large, academic health system in 2015 and 2017.
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Researchers assess the unique advantages of bacteria in cancer treatment

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal, the authors Meng Du; Jinsui Yu; Yaozhang Yang; Fei Yan and Zhiyi Chen from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China and Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, China, review the use of microbes in oncology.
Tags: Health, Guangzhou, Guangzhou China, Fei Yan, Medical University, Zhiyi Chen, Jinsui Yu, Yaozhang Yang

A vaccine revolution | podcast

Results from clinical trials have shown that the world has three apparently highly effective vaccines for Covid-19. With the race now on for regulatory approval, production and distribution, is the end of the pandemic within reach?After a gruelling year of successive waves of Covid-19 infections and national lockdowns there has been a burst of good news this month, with three separate vaccine candidates performing extremely well in clinical trials.First, Pfizer and Moderna announced that their v...
Tags: Health, Business, UK, Science, Medical Research, Astrazeneca, Pharmaceuticals industry, Vaccines and immunisation, Pfizer, Moderna, Coronavirus, First Pfizer

BCG vaccination appears to trigger cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response

Recently, researchers from the Monash University and Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, investigated whether peptide sensitization using BCG can produce cross-reactive T cells specific to SARS-CoV-2. Their study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.
Tags: Health, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre Clayton Victoria Australia

A review of Traditional Chinese herbal medicine in management of COVID-19

Now researcher have summarized the experiences with the use of traditional Chinese herbal medicines for the management of COVID-19. Their study titled, “Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis,” was published in the January 2021 issue of the journal Phytomedicine.
Tags: Health, COVID

New therapy for flu may prove effective against many other pathogenic virus infections

A new therapy for influenza virus infections that may also prove effective against many other pathogenic virus infections, including HIV and COVID-19, has been developed by Purdue University scientists.
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Multimodal ion-electronic skin can measure tactile sensation and temperature at the same time

What if we didn't have skin? We would have no sense of touch, no detection of coldness or pain, leaving us inept to respond to any situation.
Tags: Health

Tracking the effect of mitigation measures on COVID-19 spread in hard-hit states

Currently, there are over 10 million confirmed cases and more than 240,000 casualties attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S. Researchers at Louisiana State University have applied computational models to investigate infection rates in relation to social distancing measures.
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Widely used antibiotic shows promise for fighting against Zika infections

In 2015, hundreds of children were born with brain deformities resulting from a global outbreak of Zika virus infections.
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Mefloquine shows potential as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug

A team of scientists from Japan has identified the approved anti-material drug, mefloquine, as a potential candidate to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Specifically, mefloquine has been shown to prevent the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells and reduce the viral load in vitro.
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Researchers receive $1.1 million NSF grant to improve in-home physical therapy

Scientists at the VTC Smart Rehab Lab are developing breakthrough, affordable technology and methods to connect stroke survivors to physical therapy at home through tele-rehabilitation.
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Researchers launch study to determine effects of increased access to rapid COVID-19 testing

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) are launching an investigational study to determine the effects of increased education and access to rapid, FDA-approved COVID-19 testing on community perceptions, access, and use of COVID-19 testing resources.
Tags: Health, Fda, University Of Illinois, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago UIC

New findings support benefits of bariatric surgery in severely obese adolescents

Eighty to 90% of adolescents benefit from lasting weight loss following bariatric surgery, and most experience the remission of obesity-related complications such as elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and musculoskeletal pain, among others.
Tags: Health

Cleveland Clinic team successfully used latest ablation technology to destroy large liver tumors

Cleveland Clinic is the first hospital in the world to use a recently FDA-approved ablation technology that can destroy large liver tumors.
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IU research could lead to improved breast cancer treatments for Black women

An Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher is identifying the unique biology that may make Black women more susceptible to aggressive breast cancer.
Tags: Health, Indiana University, Melvin, IU, Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

Consumption of dried fruit may be connected with better health

Don't be afraid to toss a handful of raisins or dried apples in your Thanksgiving stuffing this year -- a new Penn State study has found that dried fruit may be connected with better health.
Tags: Health, Don, Penn State

New framework proposed for eliminating defects in behavioral health treatment

A new paper from the Department of Psychiatry and the Population Health program at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, proposes a framework for eliminating defects in behavioral health treatment.
Tags: Health, Department of Psychiatry, Population Health, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Parenting in a pandemic: Making the best decisions for your family [PODCAST]

“You have made difficult choices about your family’s health and safety already. Pediatricians help parents make these kinds of decisions all the time. The shared- decision model for practicing medicine encourages doctors like me to help provide information and counseling to empower you to make decisions. You’ve already made decisions essential to your family’s health, […] Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more.
Tags: Health, Podcast, Infectious Disease, Pediatrics, PA NP, CRNA, COVID-19 Coronavirus

Channeling the immune system to combat head and neck cancer

University of Cincinnati researchers have discovered new clues into why some people with head and neck cancer respond to immunotherapy, while others don't.
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Inexpensive molecule shows potential to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing gonorrhea, meningitis

A team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has demonstrated the effectiveness of an inexpensive molecule to fight antibiotic-resistant strains of the bacteria responsible for gonorrhea and meningococcal meningitis.
Tags: Health

Mother's protein found to be involved in genomic imprinting process

Mothers leave their mark on their children in many ways - and Australian researchers have discovered a protein called SMCHD1 is involved in this 'imprinting' process.
Tags: Health

Disproportionate COVID-19 mortality in England linked to non-white ethnicity and poverty

In a paper published on the preprint server medRxiv, researchers from various departments of Imperial College London, UK, discuss how they analyzed mortality data of individuals 40 years and above in local communities in England to determine local variations in increased mortality during the first wave of the pandemic – between 1 March and 31 May 2020 - and to identify the community factors associated with these mortality patterns.
Tags: Health, England, Imperial College London UK

4 tips on looking after an ill or elderly relative at home

If you are looking after a loved one who is either poorly or cannot function to the same degree due to old age, it can take its toll on everyone involved. There are, however, many things you can do to make it easier for everyone and ensure that you or they don’t get overwhelmed. Here are 4 tips on looking after an ill or elderly relative at home. Make sure they have a dedicated space in the home... Source
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UC Santa Cruz teams up to launch a web portal for people at risk of heritable stomach cancers

Coinciding with Stomach Cancer Awareness Month in November, the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute is teaming up with the patient advocacy nonprofit No Stomach For Cancer to release a web portal designed to help researchers identify individuals at risk of heritable stomach cancers.
Tags: Health, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute

Protection of upper respiratory tract will require vaccines that mimic natural infection by SARS-CoV-2

Recently, a team of researchers studied the transmission modes of SARS-CoV-2 and the protection against re-infection in ferret models in work published on the preprint server, bioRxiv.
Tags: Health

Brain imaging technology designed for babies

Scientists demonstrate a scanning device that will make it easier to study the brain.
Tags: Health

Air quality could influence the virulence of COVID-19 disease

The correlation between the high concentration of fine particles and the severity of influenza waves is well known to epidemiologists.
Tags: Health, COVID

Using VR to understand how acoustic perception works in complex environments

Many people find it difficult to hear in classrooms, open-plan offices or near busy streets. In order to understand how acoustic perception works in such complex environments, leading experts of the University of Oldenburg, Germany, count on virtual reality (VR).
Tags: Health, University of Oldenburg Germany