Covid-19 Live Updates

Here’s what you need to know: ImageAn elementary school classroom in Royal City, Wash., last week. Officials around the world are facing the challenges of educating during the pandemic.Credit…Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Around the world, education officials move on with plans despite fears and outbreaks. As teachers and students look ahead to the start…

Are Mammograms Worthwhile for Older Women?

The shutdowns and fears provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic threw a monkey wrench into many aspects of routine medical care, especially for older people justifiably wary about being exposed to the virus in a medical setting. While many facilities have now created “safe spaces” to resume in-person exams, some of the resulting postponements of routine…

Protein produced by the nervous system may help treatments for inflammatory diseases

A Rutgers-led team may have found the key to treating inflammatory diseases like asthma, allergies, chronic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a study published in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers discovered that neuromedin B (NMB), a protein produced by the nervous system, was responsible for preventing overactive immune responses and damaging inflammation.…

Opioid use can trigger deafness

Opioid use, particularly in high doses, can cause deafness, according to Rutgers researchers. The study, published in The Journal of Medical Toxicology, reviewed records from the New Jersey Poison Control Center, based at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, from 1999 to 2018 to determine the association between opioid use and degrees of hearing loss. Researchers…