The first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 antigen test has been issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Antigen tests are a new category of tests for use in the coronavirus pandemic and quickly detect fragments of proteins from the virus in samples collected by swab from people’s noses. The approval was issued… read on >
Many COVID-19 patients are at risk for acute kidney failure, according to a new study. Acute kidney failure — also called acute kidney injury (AKI) — is a serious complication of COVID-19 that’s underreported and not well understood, the Northwestern University researchers said. The death rate for patients with severe acute kidney failure is about… 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 >
Asking your child to mow the lawn is a risky proposition, a new study suggests. About 9,400 American kids are injured by lawn mowers each year, and mowers cause 12% to 29% of all traumatic amputations among them, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Toe and foot amputations are the most common. “Lawn… read on >
With U.S. coronavirus cases topping 1.2 million and the death toll climbing to more than 75,000 on Friday, the federal government’s monthly jobs report showed a staggering 14.7 percent of Americans are now unemployed. A total of 20.5 million jobs were lost during the April lockdown, and not since the Great Depression has the unemployment… 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 >
You’re sick, perhaps very sick, so you head to the local emergency department fearing the onset of COVID-19. But what symptoms most clearly point to a need for urgent care? Based on a review of more than 1,000 patients who’ve already sought care for respiratory illnesses since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic in March,… read on >
They’re small spiny mammals that look like anteaters with scales. And pangolins — which some credit with playing a role in the emergence of the new coronavirus — might hold clues to fighting COVID-19. Genetic research into the new coronavirus has suggested that it originated in bats, found its way into pangolins sold at Chinese… 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 >
As more evidence emerges that COVID-19 is tied to an increased risk of dangerous blood clots, new research suggests that giving patients blood thinners may improve their odds of survival. “Using anticoagulants should be considered when patients get admitted to the ER and have tested positive for COVID-19, to possibly improve outcomes,” study senior author… read on >
