Is Dairy Farming Cruel to Cows?

Stephen Larson, a lawyer for the Dick Van Dam Dairy, described the images as staged or are taken out of context. Earlier this month, a judge dismissed a lawsuit against the farm filed by another animal rights organization, saying it lacked standing. “The accusation that they mistreated their cows is something that cuts the Van…

Will My Popcorn Explode?

What would happen if, while I was popping popcorn, all the kernels popped at once? Should I be worried? — Skye M., Portland, Maine Don’t worry, all of your popcorn kernels won’t pop at once. Popcorn kernels pop because the water inside them heats up and boils. When water boils, it usually expands, but the…

Patient characteristics associated with telemedicine access during COVID-19 pandemic

What The Study Did: This study identified racial/ ethnic, sex, age, language, and socioeconomic differences in accessing telemedicine for primary care and specialty ambulatory care; if not addressed, these differences may compound existing inequities in care among vulnerable populations. Authors: Srinath Adusumalli, M.D., M.Sc., of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, is the corresponding author.…

Assessment of neutrophil extracellular traps in coronary thrombus of case series of patients with COVID-19

What The Study Did: Severe COVID-19 is characterized by the intense formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), leading to the blockage of microvessels, as shown in pulmonary samples. The occurrence of ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a serious cardiac manifestation of COVID-19; the intrinsic mechanism of coronary thrombosis appears to still be unknown. This case series…

An explanation for the lack of blood oxygenation detected in many COVID-19 patients

One of the physiopathological characteristics of COVID-19 that has most baffled the scientific and medical community is what is known as “silent hypoxemia” or “happy hypoxia”. Patients suffering this phenomenon, the causes of which are still unknown, have severe pneumonia with markedly decreased arterial blood oxygen levels (known as hypoxemia). However, they do not report…

Significant disparities in telemedicine use, especially among older and POC patients

After “COVID-19,” the term that most people will remember best from 2020 is likely to be “social distancing.” While it most commonly applied to social gatherings with family and friends, it has impacted the way many receive medical care. Historically, the United States has been relatively slow to broadly adopt telemedicine, largely emphasizing in-person visits.…

Scientists turned toxic pesticide into treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

N-Aryl-C-nitroazoles are an important class of heterocyclic compounds. They are used as pesticides and fungicides. However, these substances could be toxic to humans and cause mutations. As they are not frequently used, there is little data about them in the medicinal chemistry literature. However, it has been suggested recently that the groups of compounds that…

Story tip from Johns Hopkins expert on Covid-19

In a study that looked at suicide deaths during 2020’s first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that, contrary to general predictions of suicides skyrocketing, suicides in the overall population actually dropped, relative to previous years. However, the researchers also discovered that suicide deaths increased dramatically among Black Marylanders…

UCLA scientists develop high-throughput mitochondria transfer device

LOS ANGELES — Scientists from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a simple, high-throughput method for transferring isolated mitochondria and their associated mitochondrial DNA into mammalian cells. This approach enables researchers to tailor a key genetic component of cells, to study and potentially treat debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes and metabolic disorders.…