Wellness

Correcting COVID-19 misconceptions may require speaking to individuals’ moral values

Washington, September 10, 2020–The effectiveness of educational content aimed at correcting misconceptions about the risks, transmission, and prevention of Covid-19 is largely influenced by a person’s prevailing moral values, according to a new study published today in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. Study authors Gregory Trevors and Melissa Duffy,…

Loss of a pet can potentially trigger mental health issues in children

BOSTON – The death of a family pet can trigger a sense of grief in children that is profound and prolonged, and can potentially lead to subsequent mental health issues, according to a new study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In a paper appearing in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the team found…

Antibiotic molecule enables immune system to kill HIV infected cells

Ever since the first cases of a mysterious disease in the early 1980s exploded into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, researchers have been searching for ways to outsmart the deadly virus. Now thanks to anti-retroviral therapy, people living with HIV can live relatively normal lifespans–as long as they take their medications every day. “If they ever stop,…

Portable MRI brings brain imaging to the patient bedside

BOSTON – A portable, low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device can be safely used at bedside in complex clinical care settings to evaluate critically-ill patients for suspected stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other neurological problems, results of a proof-of-concept study show. “How can a portable low-field device that operates on a standard electrical plug…

Live Covid-19 News Updates

Here’s what you need to know: Top U.S. health officials update Congress on vaccine development and distribution plans. Video transcript Back transcript N.I.H. Director Has ‘Cautious Optimism’ for Covid-19 Vaccine by End of 2020 Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, emphasized to senators that coronavirus vaccine development and distribution would…

How the Coronavirus Attacks the Brain

The coronavirus targets the lungs foremost, but also the kidneys, liver and blood vessels. Still, about half of patients report neurological symptoms, including headaches, confusion and delirium, suggesting the virus may also attack the brain. A new study offers the first clear evidence that, in some people, the coronavirus invades brain cells, hijacking them to…

Drugmaker Pauses Covid-19 Vaccine Trial for Safety Review

Here’s what you need to know: ImageLaboratory technicians worked on an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca last month.Credit…Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press AstraZeneca halts a vaccine trial to investigate a participant’s illness. The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca halted global trials of its coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday because of a serious and unexpected adverse reaction…

Meet the New Caregiver: Your Home

When Kobi Karp, a Miami-based architect, designs one of the sleek, ultramodern homes that have become his trademark, he thinks about arcs and angles. He thinks about how to fill the houses with so much sun that they become light boxes; he considers the Art Deco heritage of South Beach and the influence of its…

Coronavirus Tests Are Supposed to Be Free. The Surprise Bills Come Anyway.

The New York Times is investigating the costs associated with testing and treatment for the coronavirus and how the pandemic is changing health care in America. You can read more about the project and submit your medical bills here. Sarah Goldstone got a coronavirus test in Massachusetts after her health insurer said it was “waiving…

Exercise May Make It Easier to Bounce Back From Stress

Exercise makes it easier to bounce back from too much stress, according to a fascinating new study with mice. It finds that regular exercise increases the levels of a chemical in the animals’ brains that helps them remain psychologically resilient and plucky, even when their lives seem suddenly strange, intimidating and filled with threats. The…