A young woman working at a Massachusetts cannabis-processing facility who developed new-onset asthma and later died of a fatal asthma attack is the first such fatality in the burgeoning industry, a new report finds. Researchers believe large amounts of allergen-laden dust created at these facilities could pose real respiratory dangers to workers. When it comes…  read on >  read on >

Here’s another casualty of the pandemic: Gains made against another scourge, HIV. Progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS across all segments of society was eroded during the crisis, according to a report led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). “Equity in HIV outcomes likely worsened during the pandemic, with decreased access to…  read on >  read on >

Have a hard time looking others in the eye? You aren’t alone, Canadian researchers report. Eye-to-eye contact rarely occurs when two people are talking, they found. “We discovered that participants spent only about 12% of conversation time in interactive looking, meaning that they gazed at each other’s faces simultaneously for just 12% of the interaction…  read on >  read on >

Good news is fun to share, but you get more of a charge from it if you keep it under your hat for a while, a new study says. Keeping good news a secret for a bit before telling someone else appears to make people feel more energized and alive, according to findings published Nov.…  read on >  read on >

Shrinkage of one of the brain’s key memory centers appears to herald thinking declines, a new study finds. The region in question is the hippocampus, a two-sided structure located roughly above each ear and embedded deep within the brain’s temporal lobe. It’s long been known to play a crucial role in the storage and transference…  read on >  read on >

New mothers living in states with generous mandated paid family and medical leave are less likely to experience postpartum depression, a new study indicates. They also are more likely to breastfeed their newborns. “By increasing mothers’ ability to breastfeed and reducing postpartum-depressive symptoms, strong state paid family and medical leave laws provide a major boost…  read on >  read on >

Social media platforms are spouting a steady stream of unsafe skin care trends, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. This is National Healthy Skin Month, and board-certified dermatologists are putting a spotlight on five unsafe practices you might come across while perusing social media. Performing cosmetic treatments at home People are microneedling, injecting fillers…  read on >  read on >