COVID-19 has directly claimed tens of thousands of U.S. lives, but conditions stemming from the novel coronavirus — rampant unemployment, isolation and an uncertain future — could lead to 75,000 deaths from drug or alcohol abuse and suicide, new research suggests. Deaths from these causes are known as “deaths of despair.” And the COVID-19 pandemic… read on >
Adults who had rough childhoods have higher odds for heart disease. That’s the conclusion from a look at more than 3,600 people who were followed from the mid-1980s through 2018. Researchers found that those who experienced the most trauma, abuse, neglect and family dysfunction in childhood were 50% more likely to have had a heart… read on >
The latest addition to medical haute couture may be a necklace outfitted with a pendant that people can use to screen themselves for signs of an abnormal heart rhythm condition known as atrial fibrillation. Fashioned by a team of Finnish researchers, the pendant houses a portable electrocardiogram (EKG) designed to transmit heart readings to a… read on >
The new coronavirus is disproportionately striking minority populations — particularly urban blacks and Navajo Indians living on their reservation. Experts say social and economic factors that predate the COVID-19 crisis may help explain why. “We found that there were large disparities in the proportion of people at risk of COVID-19 from minority and low-income populations,”… read on >
A new analysis suggests there may be a simple, noninvasive technique that could delay, or even eliminate, the need for ventilation in COVID-19 patients. It’s called “proning.” And it appears to be remarkably effective at boosting “blood oxygen saturation” levels, often called sats, among COVID patients struggling with abnormally low levels (known as hypoxia). “Proning… read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic has done untold economic damage in the United States, with businesses shuttering and people self-isolating at home to try to slow the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. You might think hospitals and health care systems would be immune to this wave of financial ruin, since there’s no industry more crucial to… read on >
Nadia, a tiger at New York City’s Bronx Zoo, tested positive for the coronavirus. A few pet cats in the United States (and maybe one dog) have, too. And since the novel coronavirus causing the current pandemic is thought to have originated at a live animal market in China, some people have wondered if they… read on >
Injuries in the United States take a huge toll on the workplace, new research shows. For the study, researchers analyzed millions of workplace health insurance claims among adults aged 18 to 64 between 2014 and 2015, with a specific focus on non-fatal injuries treated in emergency departments. The injuries examined in the study included burns,… read on >
Love to cuddle up? It might bring a ‘mind meld,’ too, new research shows. People in close physical contact appear to have synchronized brain patterns, a revolutionary new MRI technique has revealed. A functional MRI scan of two people cuddling under a blanket showed that their brains appeared to be falling into similar patterns of… read on >
The coronavirus pandemic has families spending plenty of “quality time” together, but living under the same roof 24 hours a day can tax relationships, an expert in child development says. This is “a completely new and unique situation,” said Murray Krantz, a professor in the College of Human Sciences at Florida State University, in Tallahassee.… read on >
