The COVID-19 pandemic has America’s hospitals on the fiscal ropes, with many facing financial ruin without continued aid from the federal government, a new report predicts. Average hospital margins across the nation could sink to −7% in the second half of 2020 without further help, with half of all hospitals potentially operating in the red,… read on >
Hopes for robust, long-term antibody protection after a bout of COVID-19 have been dampened by a new study that finds the protection may only last a few months. Still, experts noted that the body’s immune system has more than one way to defend against viruses it has already encountered, so the findings don’t dash hopes… read on >
A genetic variant that acts as a natural pain reliever may explain why some women don’t require pain relief during childbirth, researchers say. The level of pain and discomfort experienced during childbirth varies widely, so researchers at the University of Cambridge in England decided to investigate why some women have less pain during labor and… read on >
Scientists who have identified the early smallpox strains used to create vaccines against the disease say this type of genetic research could help efforts to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus. Smallpox was among the most dangerous viral diseases in human history, killing about three of every 10 people who were infected. Many of… read on >
Is male bisexuality real? According to a new review, the answer is a definitive “yes.” “The current study found very strong and consistent evidence that bisexual men do in fact tend to have bisexual arousal patterns,” noted study author J. Michael Bailey. “There is no longer reasonable doubt.” Bailey is a psychology professor at Northwestern… read on >
Nurse case manager Sharon Tapp recalls laying in a Bethesda, Md., hospital bed, feverishly ill from COVID-19, asking for a bedpan. Then, in what seemed to be the very next moment, she found herself in another bed in an unfamiliar room at what seemed to be a different hospital, surrounded by people she didn’t know.… read on >
When healthy kids have surgery, serious complications are uncommon. But even in that low-risk scenario, Black children fare worse, a new study finds. Looking at more than 172,000 U.S. children who had inpatient surgery, researchers found that Black kids faced higher post-operative risks. That included more than three times the risk of dying within 30… read on >
U.S. air quality improved after businesses closed to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus, researchers say. For their new study, they compared air pollution data for 122 U.S. counties between March 13 and April 21, to the same dates and locations going back to 2017. “It has been shown that high air pollution may… read on >
Parents can ease conflict with their teens by showing them warmth, researchers say. In their new study, they analyzed daily diary entries from parents and teens in 151 families. The teens were 13 to 16 years old, and 95% of the parents were women. “By using 21 consecutive days of daily diaries, we were able… read on >
Grilling. Campfires. Fireworks. All are part of summer’s pleasures — but they also pose burn risks. A new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that 53% mistakenly think their burn risk is lower than it actually is. Only 11% knew that injuries from the flames of a fire pit or grill are the most common… read on >
