Health

Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Dan Andrews announces snap Covid lockdown as WA and Tasmania close borders

New Victorian stage 4 restrictions will take effect from midnight and will be in place until midnight Wednesday; NSW asks 7,000 people to isolate after visiting Melbourne airport Terminal 4. Follow liveTwo new Covid cases linked to Holiday Inn outbreakVictoria’s stage 4 lockdown rules and restrictions; Melbourne hotspots list 4.27am GMT Bridget McKenzie has attempted to exonerate the prime minister’s office for any involvement in the sports rorts affair, but blamed her staff for late changes...
Tags: Health, Australia, Australia news, Sydney, Victoria, Melbourne, Tasmania, Scott Morrison, Sydney FC, WA, McKenzie, Western United, Crown Resorts, Bridget McKenzie, Dan Andrews, Coronavirus

Snap five-day Covid lockdown for Victoria announced in bid to contain UK variant

Daniel Andrews says stage four lockdown is to prevent a third wave in response to ‘hyper-infectivity’ of variant Follow our live blog for all Friday’s developmentsVictoria’s stage 4 lockdown rules and restrictions; Melbourne hotspots listVictoria will enter a “circuit-breaker” five-day lockdown from Saturday in an attempt to “prevent a third wave”, Daniel Andrews has announced.The premier said at a press conference the government would impose a snap lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday because the “h...
Tags: Health, UK, Australia news, Victorian politics, Victoria, Melbourne, Australian Open, Daniel Andrews, Coronavirus, Australian Open 2021

Statins shown to reduce COVID-19 severity and lower mortality

Much attention has been focused on ways to reduce the deadly exaggeration of normal inflammatory reactions to this pathogen. A new research paper posted to the medRxiv* preprint server describes the alleviation of hyper-inflammatory phenomena following the administration of statins, drugs more widely known for their use in reducing blood cholesterol levels, to patients with COVID-19.
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The impact of SARS-CoV-2 on pregnancy in Nordic countries

Population-based studies are essential to gain knowledge of the spread and management of this disease. However, most studies on pregnancy during COVID-19 have not been broadly applicable to Nordic populations, like most current COVID-19 research in general.
Tags: Health

Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria to enter stage 4 Covid lockdown, Dan Andrews announces in press conference about new cases

New Victorian restrictions will take effect from midnight and will be in place until Wednesday; NSW asks 7,000 people to isolate after visiting Melbourne airport Terminal 4. Follow liveTwo new Covid cases linked to Holiday Inn outbreakMelbourne hotspots 2.23am GMT Andrews is continuing to explain the snap lockdown rules - these will be in place until Wednesday:Schools will close but will remain available over those three days - Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday - for vulnerable children or for ...
Tags: Health, Australia, Australia news, Victoria, Melbourne, Andrews, Crown Resorts, Dan Andrews, Coronavirus

Echocardiographic screening for early detection of rheumatic heart disease in schools

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) develops as a long term complication of childhood streptococcal angina. Latent RHD can be detected with echocardiography years before it becomes symptomatic. RHD is curable when treated early with medication.
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Addressing the health impacts of structural racism in racial and ethnic disparities research

Structural racism is a public health crisis in the U.S. and worldwide. The scientific publishing community can improve our understanding and address the significant health impacts of structural racism in racial and ethnic disparities research.
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Fit of face masks is more important than material to provide best protection against COVID-19

A team of researchers studying the effectiveness of different types of face masks has found that in order to provide the best protection against COVID-19, the fit of a mask is as important, or more important, than the material it is made of.
Tags: Health, COVID

Research reveals vital clues for discovery of COVID-19 drugs

Research from the University of Kent, Goethe-University in Frankfurt am Main, and the Philipps-University in Marburg has provided crucial insights into the biological composition of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, revealing vital clues for the discovery of antiviral drugs.
Tags: Health, Frankfurt, Marburg, COVID, University of Kent Goethe University, Philipps University

New SARS-CoV-2 variant found in newborn child with seizures in the United States

Researchers at a hospital in Washington D.C. found a new mutant strain of the virus in a neonatal patient with high viral loads. According to the authors, this strain could be spreading in the United States mid-Atlantic population and needs monitoring.
Tags: Health, Washington, Atlantic, United States

Lifestyle changes in pregnant women linked to epigenetic alterations in babies

A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden showed a connection between lifestyle intervention in pregnant women with obesity and epigenetic alterations in the baby. The study is published in the journal Diabetes.
Tags: Health, Sweden, Lund University

New genetic analysis reveals biological causes of muscle weakness in older people

A new largescale genetic analysis has found biological mechanisms that contribute to making people more susceptible to muscle weakness in later life, finding that diseases such as osteoarthritis and diabetes may play a large role in susceptibility.
Tags: Health

Scent detection dogs can be used to screen and identify COVID-19-infected individuals

In a recent article in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, authors gathered previously published research to summarize current thinking on the feasibility and efficacy of using scent detection dogs to screen for the COVID-19 virus.
Tags: Health, Journal of Osteopathic Medicine

Exercise during pregnancy may help mitigate negative effects of parental obesity in children

New research in mice suggests that exercising during pregnancy may help prevent children- especially boys- from developing health problems related to their parents' obesity. The study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Tags: Health

Self-assessment of face coverings lowers protection against SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating that personal assessment of whether respirators and face masks fit properly cannot be relied on in efforts to protect against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Tags: Health, United States

Australia news live: Victoria cabinet considers Covid lockdown as Morrison urges 'proportionate response'

Victoria considering response to Melbourne hotel outbreak. NSW reports no local Covid cases. Andrew Demetriou resigns from Crown after scathing report. Follow liveTwo new Covid cases linked to Holiday Inn outbreakMelbourne hotspots 1.23am GMT I’m wading my way through a whole bunch of tweets about rumoured Victorian lockdown announcements, (the vast majority aren’t reliable enough to bring to you on the blog), but if you see something that you think I should know about make sure you send it ...
Tags: Health, Australia, Australia news, Queensland, Victoria, Melbourne, Morrison, NSW, Crown Resorts, Coronavirus, Andrew Demetriou

STING activation may be a new approach to reduce graft-versus-host disease

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Yongxia Wu, Ph.D., identified a new target molecule in the fight against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
Tags: Health, Yongxia Wu, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

New algorithm can classify severity of autistic traits using brain activity data

A team of researchers from Russia and Israel applied a new algorithm to classify the severity of autistic personality traits by studying subjects' brain activity.
Tags: Health, Russia, Israel

Use of mobile stroke units linked to improved clinical outcomes

STEMOs (Stroke-Einsatz-Mobile) have been serving Berlin for ten years. The specialized stroke emergency response vehicles allow physicians to start treating stroke patients before they reach hospital.
Tags: Health, Berlin

Duration of delirium in critically ill patients predicts mortality and disability

Delirium, a form of acute brain dysfunction, is widespread in critically ill patients in lower resourced hospitals, and the duration of delirium predicted both mortality and disability at six months after discharge, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
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Judge Carter checks in on North Hollywood tiny homes, latest stop in unusual homelessness case

Judge David O. Carter, who has been putting pressure on local officials to address the homelessness crisis in the Los Angeles area with more urgency, did a check-in on Thursday, Feb. 11, on the progress of one councilman’s work on “tiny homes” villages in the North Hollywood area. Carter presides over a federal civil lawsuit filed in March by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights — a coalition of nonprofits, service providers, business owners and community members — accusing public officials around...
Tags: Health, Business, News, La, Government, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Fema, Community, Homeless, Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council, Carter, Valley, LA County

Low-income middle-aged African-American women with hypertension commonly suffer from depression

Low-income middle-aged African-American women with high blood pressure very commonly suffer from depression and should be better screened for this serious mental health condition, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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UC San Diego and County of San Diego test early alert system to detect SARS-CoV-2 at schools

In an effort to help schools reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks as they resume in-person instruction, University of California San Diego and the County of San Diego are testing the Safer at School Early Alert system, an evidence-informed program to detect SARS-CoV-2 at schools and child care centers.
Tags: Health, San Diego, University Of California San Diego, UC San Diego, Safer at School Early Alert

New urine test could avoid unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies

A urine test based on University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center research could have avoided one third of unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies while failing to detect only a small number of cancers, according to a validation study that included more than 1,500 patients.
Tags: Health, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

Researchers discover previously-unknown function in enzyme critical for cancer growth

Considered the most lethal form of DNA damage, double-strand breaks must be repaired to prevent cell death. In developing therapies for hard-to-treat breast and ovarian cancers in patients with BRCA gene mutations, scientists aim to identify ways to keep cancer cells from using DNA break repair pathways.
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SARS-CoV-2 evolves antibody resistance in immunocompromised patient

Researchers in the United States who tracked the evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an immunocompromised patient found that convalescent plasma therapy was associated with the emergence of viral variants that were less susceptible to neutralizing antibodies.
Tags: Health, United States

Australia news live: Morrison urges 'proportionate response' to Victoria Covid outbreak amid lockdown fears

Victoria considering response to Melbourne hotel outbreak. Andrew Demetriou resigns from Crown after scathing report. Follow liveTwo new Covid cases linked to Holiday Inn outbreakMelbourne hotspots 12.18am GMT In some more cheerful news, NSW has recorded no locally acquired cases for the 26th day in a row. NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Two new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in NSW since the...
Tags: Health, Abc, Australia, Australia news, Victoria, Melbourne, Perth, Morrison, Crown Resorts, Coronavirus, Victoria Covid, Andrew Demetriou, Victorian Cabinet

Genomic test may help guide treatment decisions for patients with recurrent prostate cancer

A commercially available genomic test may help oncologists better determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from hormone therapy, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 15 other medical centers.
Tags: Health, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center

Vaccine equity is ‘North Star,’ feds say, and clinics are key to fair distribution

Mary Barnett is one of about a dozen seniors who got a covid vaccine on a recent morning at Neighborhood Health, a clinic tucked in a sprawling public housing development on the south side of downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
Tags: Health, Mary Barnett

HIV self-testing increases testing uptake and frequency in trans people

HIV self-testing could reduce the time between HIV infection and HIV diagnosis amongst trans people when compared to standard testing services, suggests new research in EClinicalMedicine.
Tags: Health