Since the coronavirus pandemic began, rates of hospital admission and death from COVID-19 have been significantly higher in men than women. Now, new Dutch research suggests a reason why: Compared to women, men have higher concentrations of a blood enzyme that helps the new coronavirus infect human cells. The enzyme is called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2… read on >
Most Americans voluntarily stayed at home during the early days of the COVID-19 tsunami, before states began issuing official “shelter-in-place” orders, new research indicates. Why? Because statewide emergency declarations coupled with news — of first infections, first fatalities and school closures — were motivation enough to get folks to stay home. This was more motivating… read on >
(HealthDay News) — As states across America move through the early phases of reopening their economies, the nation’s top infectious disease expert plans to issue an ominous warning during a Senate hearing on Tuesday: Open too quickly, and “needless suffering and death” will follow. Dr. Anthony Fauci is one of four top health officials who… read on >
Nursing is not a profession for the fainthearted, but new research shows that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can strike nurses, and suggests the new coronavirus may make things even worse for those on the front lines of the pandemic. Though the study was conducted a year ago, the results are particularly timely as nurses around… read on >
Need counseling about the care of bone or joint issues? During the coronavirus pandemic, it may be available on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) website. Its OrthoInfo.org blog includes tips for treating bone and joint pain while sheltering in place, as well as a look the pandemic’s implications for postponed surgery. “To say… read on >
There’s good news for women: Getting a mammogram regularly can cut their odds of advanced and sometimes fatal breast cancers, a new study says. European researchers tracked data from nearly 550,000 women in Sweden who were eligible for mammography screening. The team compared rates of advanced and breast cancers that were fatal within 10 years… read on >
Many COVID-19 patients are at risk for acute kidney failure, according to a new study. Acute kidney failure — also called acute kidney injury (AKI) — is a serious complication of COVID-19 that’s underreported and not well understood, the Northwestern University researchers said. The death rate for patients with severe acute kidney failure is about… read on >
The first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 antigen test has been issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Antigen tests are a new category of tests for use in the coronavirus pandemic and quickly detect fragments of proteins from the virus in samples collected by swab from people’s noses. The approval was issued… read on >
Efforts to create a COVID-19 vaccine are proceeding at an unprecedented pace, with eight different candidates now being tested in humans around the world. But to have a vaccine available for widespread use by early next year could entail bending some rules regarding safety and testing — actions that might put the health, and possibly… read on >
(HealthDay News) — As U.S. coronavirus cases topped 1.3 million and the death toll was set to pass 80,000 on Monday, three of the nation’s top health officials have started to quarantine themselves after being exposed to two White House aides who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The officials include Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of… read on >
