All Sauce from Weekly Sauce:

Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are severely underrepresented in clinical trials testing cutting-edge treatments for pancreatic cancer, researchers say. “There are a ton of obstacles to get these patients into clinical trials,” said senior author Dr. Jose Trevino, chairman of surgical oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “But this is…  read on >  read on >

Children whose mothers had diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk for severe forms of common eye problems such as far- and near-sightedness and astigmatism, a long-term study suggests. Collectively, they’re known as refractive errors, conditions in which the eye is unable to properly focus images on the retina. “As many [refractive errors] in young…  read on >  read on >

Here’s an unexpected silver lining to the pandemic: New research shows there was a decline in overall drinking and binge drinking among U.S. college freshmen during the early months of the new coronavirus’ spread across America. “We found that social factors, like social distancing and reductions in social support from friends, were associated with decreases…  read on >  read on >

Foods rich in vitamin D may help protect younger adults against colon cancer, researchers report. While colon cancer is decreasing overall, cases among younger adults have been on the rise. The trends dovetail with a decline in vitamin D intake from foods such as fish, mushrooms, eggs and milk. There is growing evidence of a…  read on >  read on >

Lyme disease can exact a significant mental toll as well as a physical one on its sufferers, a new study confirms. Patients hospitalized for Lyme disease had a 28% higher incidence of mental disorders and were twice as likely to attempt suicide than people without Lyme, researchers report. “These findings highlight the need for greater…  read on >  read on >

There’s strong evidence that the steroid drug dexamethasone can significantly lower hospitalized patients’ risk of dying from COVID-19, but many who might benefit from it the most aren’t getting it. “Dexamethasone is a steroid that is used for the treatment of arthritis, inflammation and allergic reactions,” explained Hemalkumar Mehta, who studied its use in treating…  read on >  read on >