During the current coronavirus pandemic, U.S. hospitals are seeing fewer people for signs of stroke, a new study finds. Evaluations for stroke have dropped nearly 40%, said researchers who looked at data from more than 850 hospitals across the country. “Our stroke team has maintained full capacity to provide emergency stroke treatment at all times,… read on >
More than one-quarter of popular English-language COVID-19 information videos posted to YouTube are misleading, researchers warn. There are posts, for example, falsely claiming that drug companies already have a cure for COVID-19, but won’t sell it, and that different countries have stronger strains of coronavirus, a new study finds. YouTube viewers “should be skeptical, use… read on >
Women who drink a lot of sodas, sweetened juices and other sugary drinks are at greater risk of developing heart disease, a new study finds. Those who drink one or more a day have nearly a 20% higher risk than women who never do. And it’s not just soda that’s problematic: Fruit drinks with added… read on >
Most Americans voluntarily stayed at home during the early days of the COVID-19 tsunami, before states began issuing official “shelter-in-place” orders, new research indicates. Why? Because statewide emergency declarations coupled with news — of first infections, first fatalities and school closures — were motivation enough to get folks to stay home. This was more motivating… read on >
Nursing is not a profession for the fainthearted, but new research shows that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can strike nurses, and suggests the new coronavirus may make things even worse for those on the front lines of the pandemic. Though the study was conducted a year ago, the results are particularly timely as nurses around… read on >
Efforts to create a COVID-19 vaccine are proceeding at an unprecedented pace, with eight different candidates now being tested in humans around the world. But to have a vaccine available for widespread use by early next year could entail bending some rules regarding safety and testing — actions that might put the health, and possibly… read on >
There’s good news for women: Getting a mammogram regularly can cut their odds of advanced and sometimes fatal breast cancers, a new study says. European researchers tracked data from nearly 550,000 women in Sweden who were eligible for mammography screening. The team compared rates of advanced and breast cancers that were fatal within 10 years… read on >
As pandemic-related restrictions ease and people return to parks and other outdoor spaces, remember to protect yourself against another threat — ticks. “With our latest mild winter, ticks have been active in much of the region on warmer days all winter long,” said Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, an entomologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., who said… read on >
It’s happened before: Couples stuck at home during blizzards, hurricanes or other natural disasters enjoy some “alone time” — and a baby boom follows. But a new survey from researchers at the University of Florence in Italy suggests the same probably won’t unfold during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why? “What we found the main reasons that… read on >
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 >
