Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health have discovered bacteria linked to post-infectious hydrocephalus (PIH), the most common cause of pediatric hydrocephalus worldwide. Results of the study led by Pennsylvania State University with CII scientists and clinical colleagues in Uganda are published in the journal…
Click HERE to register for NCCN 2020 Virtual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™ and NCCN Virtual Nursing Forum: Advancing Oncology Nursing in Hematologic Malignancies™ What: Annual gathering providing instruction from world-renowned experts for determining the best emerging techniques and practices for various blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. The virtual event will provide numerous opportunities…
A new scientific report confirms that cats and dogs can be infected by the novel coronavirus, and that neither animal is likely to get sick. Cats, however, do develop a strong, protective immune response, which may make them worth studying when it comes to human vaccines. There is still no evidence to suggest that pets…
A wariness of spam calls and phishing scams has stymied coronavirus contact-tracing efforts around the country to the extent that elected leaders are pleading with their constituents to pick up their phones. The mayor of the District of Columbia even channeled Lionel Richie in an attempt to get people to listen. “Hello? Yes, it’s you…
After months of enduring a dearth of protective medical gear and staggering death tolls from the coronavirus pandemic, nursing home operators and employees across the United States experienced something close to elation as rapid-result test machines paid for by the federal government began arriving last month at 14,000 residential facilities that serve the elderly. The…
People whose mothers had diabetes before or during pregnancy have an increased risk for heart disease as young adults, new research suggests. The risk was apparent both for children of mothers with pre-existing Type 2 diabetes and for children whose mothers developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy. The study, in the journal CMAJ, included 293,546 people…
Following my most recent column offering adults a 2020 back-to-school list for teens’ emotional well-being, several teenage commenters asked that I address them in the same way that I address their parents: “as intelligent people who have the tools to support themselves and their loved ones through this trying time.” Dear teenagers, you are right.…
In the last week, leading epidemiologists from respected institutions have, through different methods, reached the same conclusion: About 85 to 90 percent of the American population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current pandemic. The number is important because it means that “herd immunity” — the point at which a disease stops…
Over the past few years, my sister-in-law has experienced unusual problems with her eyesight for which she has seen several ophthalmologists and neurologists, some at private practices and others at major medical centers. There has been no consistency in the diagnoses and even less clarity in recommended treatments or medications. The condition seems to be…
In early April, Edna McCloud woke up to find her hands tied to her hospital bed. She had spent the past four days on a ventilator in a hospital in St. Louis County, Mo., thrashing and kicking under sedation as she battled a severe case of Covid-19. “They told me, ‘You were a real fighter…