Social restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic can be especially hard for people who can’t visit loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease who are in nursing homes. Despite an easing of restrictions, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says nursing homes shouldn’t allow outside visitors until the last phase of its reopening guidelines. “One of… read on >
Smoking carries a host of health risks, and now a new study shows the habit significantly increases black Americans’ risk of stroke. The research included more than 5,300 participants, aged 21 to 84, from the tri-county area around Jackson, Miss. In the final analysis, 546 were current smokers, 781 were past smokers, and 3,083 never… read on >
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, many doctors’ offices and clinics have made changes to protect patients, care providers and staff. As an example, here’s what’s being done at Penn State Health. “When our patients first call to schedule an appointment at any of our offices, outpatient clinics or centers, they’ll be screened for COVID-19,”… read on >
In another troubling sign that the spread of coronavirus might be accelerating, new U.S. data shows hospitalizations in at least nine states have been on the rise since Memorial Day. In Texas, North and South Carolina, California, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah and Arizona, increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients are showing up at hospitals, the Washington… read on >
Streaks of color swirl through a pulsing, black-and-white image of a patient’s heart. They represent blood, and they’re color-coded based on speed: turquoise and green for the fastest flow, yellow and red for the slowest. This real-time video, which can be rotated and viewed from any angle, allows doctors to spot problems like a leaky… read on >
More than five centuries ago, Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci produced a now-famous image of what he considered the perfectly proportioned male body: the “Vitruvian Man.” The drawing was inspired by even earlier pondering on the perfect human form by first-century A.D. Roman architect Vitruvius. Now, work done by American scientists involving high-tech scans of… read on >
A new analysis shows that parts of the country that had been spared the worst of the coronavirus pandemic are now tallying record-high cases of new infections. Since the start of June, 14 states and Puerto Rico have recorded their highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, data tracked by the… read on >
Bright yellow and looking like a headless deer, Spot can travel across ground too risky for humans. “Built for dirt and danger,” in the words of its maker Boston Dynamics, this robot is now helping humans battle a different threat: the spread of coronavirus. Equipped with an iPad and two-way radio, Spot has been making… read on >
Scientists studying the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus — which causes COVID-19 — believe they’ve discovered why face masks might help limit transmission of the virus. The virus tends to first infect the nasal cavity, replicating less well in the lower respiratory tract, University of North Carolina (UNC) researchers found. However, sometimes it’s sucked into the lungs, where… read on >
The U.S. center hardest hit by COVID-19 isn’t headline-grabbing New York City; it’s the Navajo Nation in the American southwest. About the size of West Virginia and situated on 27,000 square miles of land spread across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, Navajo Nation is home to approximately 175,000 people. It’s also home to a coronavirus… read on >
