Depression, anxiety and inactive lifestyles are all too common among college students, and a new study finds they may have escalated during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Using a mix of smartphone data and online surveys from more than 200 students, researchers at Dartmouth College determined that the coronavirus pandemic had an immediate impact on…  read on >

A simple blood test may predict which COVID-19 patients are likely to get worse and die, a new study suggests. “When we first started treating COVID-19 patients, we watched them get better or get worse, but we didn’t know why,” said researcher Dr. Juan Reyes. He’s an assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington…  read on >

As the November presidential election approaches in the United States, researchers say that many states still aren’t prepared to deal with the chaos the coronavirus pandemic could cause. “The COVID-19 pandemic presents a severe threat to states’ 2020 election plans, which will have higher turnout and higher stakes since this is a presidential election year,”…  read on >

If you’re working from a home office these days, it’s important to have an environment that won’t injure you, an expert says. It’s good to have a break about every 30 minutes to protect your back, shoulders and arms, said Kermit Davis, an expert in office ergonomics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.…  read on >

Concussion symptoms aren’t always evident, so parents of student-athletes need to know the signs and seek a diagnosis if their teen gets hurt, experts say. Only those closest to a teen may be able to identify the sometimes subtle changes in mood and emotion stemming from a concussion, said Dr. Rory Tucker, a sports medicine…  read on >

Researchers say a new test can tell which patients with gonorrhea will benefit from treatment with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. The low-cost drug has been out of use amid concern that the bacterium that causes gonorrhea was becoming resistant to it. In this study, 106 patients identified as having a gonorrhea strain called wild-type gyrA serine…  read on >

With evidence mounting that COVID-19 can damage the heart, experts urge people to take precautions when doing vigorous exercise. Up to 30% of patients hospitalized with coronavirus infection have signs of cardiac injury, according to Dr. Sunal Makadia, health director of sports cardiology at LifeBridge Health in Baltimore. The prevalence of heart damage in milder…  read on >

The American Association of Poison Control Centers has issued a warning on hand sanitizers that contain methanol (methyl alcohol). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already warned that some hand sanitizers are contaminated with methanol. Methanol is very toxic and can make you “blind drunk” because of its ability to damage the optic nerve,…  read on >