Looking for a morale boost or some solid encouragement? If so, socializing the old-fashioned way — live and in-person — will likely do more to lift your spirits than online interactions, new research suggests. It’s the key takeaway from a survey of more than 400 college undergraduate students. “We wanted to see if the social… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
COVID Vaccines May Still Leave Organ Transplant Recipients Unprotected
Organ transplant recipients remain vulnerable to infection with the new coronavirus even after receiving both doses of two-dose vaccines, new research shows. That could mean they should continue following safety measures such as wearing a mask and physical distancing. In a previous study, the research team found that only 17% of transplant recipients produced sufficient… read on > read on >
COVID-19 Appears to Have No Lasting Impact on College Athletes’ Hearts
Heart complications are rare among college athletes who have had COVID-19, according to a small study. “Our findings may offer reassurance to high school athletes, coaches and parents where resources for testing can be limited,” said senior author Dr. Ranjit Philip, assistant professor in pediatric cardiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, in… read on > read on >
Lockdown Loneliness Making Things Even Tougher for Cancer Patients
Fighting cancer can be a lonely battle, and new research shows that the coronavirus pandemic has made the experience even more isolating. Studies conducted before the pandemic found that 32% to 47% of cancer patients were lonely, but in late May of 2020 roughly 53% of 606 cancer patients reported loneliness. Those who were lonely… read on > read on >
Pregnancy Within 1 Year of Weight-Loss Surgery Carries Added Risks
Women who get pregnant within a year of having weight-loss surgery are more likely to have preterm and smaller-than-normal babies, a new study suggests. Dutch researchers said their findings support current recommendations to avoid pregnancy for 12 to 24 months after weight-loss (bariatric) surgery. “We should encourage women who wish to conceive after bariatric surgery… read on > read on >
Asthma Attacks Plummeted During Pandemic
Call it a silver lining of the pandemic: Asthma attacks fell sharply among Black and Hispanic Americans in the months after the coronavirus first surfaced. The study included nearly 1,200 participants who provided information about their asthma through monthly online, phone or mail questionnaires for 15 months between the first half of 2019 and first… read on > read on >
Could Your Child Have a Heart Defect? Know the Warning Signs
Heart defects are often – but not always – detected at birth, so it’s important to pay attention when a child gets dizzy, passes out or says her heart is “beeping.” These and other warning signs, such as an apparent change in fitness, shouldn’t be overlooked, an expert says. Evaluating a child who has these… read on > read on >
Gene Tied to Balding May Also Raise COVID Risks for Men
It’s long been known that COVID-19 is more fatal for men than women, and new research links some of that excess risk to a gene known to cause a form of hair loss in males. A U.S. team of researchers first suspected the link when they noticed that men with a common form of hormone-sensitive… read on > read on >
Poll Finds Many Parents Hesitant to Get Younger Kids Vaccinated
As U.S. health officials prepare to authorize Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in younger children, a new poll shows that less than a third of parents would get their child vaccinated as soon as the shots are approved for kids. Only 29% of parents of children under age 18 said they would get their… read on > read on >
Air Pollution Can Harm Kids’ Hearts for a Lifetime
Air pollution isn’t hard on the hearts of adults only, suggests a new analysis that found it can raise blood pressure in kids as young as 5. Children experienced increases in blood pressure if they had short-term exposure to air polluted with coarser particles or long-term exposure to finer airborne particles, and that also happened… read on > read on >