03.04.2020

The Lancet Public Health: US modelling study estimates impact of school closures for COVID-19 on US health-care workforce and associated mortality

US policymakers considering physical distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 face a difficult trade-off between closing schools to reduce transmission and new cases, and potential health-care worker absenteeism due to additional childcare needs that could ultimately increase mortality from COVID-19, according to new modelling research published in The Lancet Public Health journal. Using…

COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate childhood obesity

Public health scientists predict that school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic will exacerbate the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. Andrew Rundle, DrPH, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues expect that COVID-19-related school closures will double out?of?school time this year for many children in…

Passport to improved health for military veterans

A healthcare ‘passport’ to access NHS and other wellbeing services has been beneficial for the mental health of veterans and provides them with a sense of identity, according to research published in the BMJ Military Health. The Veterans Universal Passport (VUP) pilot project was developed by Diane Palmer, formerly of the Veterans’ Mental Health Transition,…

Patients with Parkinson’s disease face unique ‘hidden sorrows’ related to the COVID-19

Experts writing in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease discuss potentially grave consequences for Parkinson’s disease patients related to social distancing, but also opportunities like new avenues for research and initiatives that may offer positive help and support Amsterdam, April 3, 2020 – While much attention has focused on the potential for severe respiratory complications and…

Removing the novel coronavirus from the water cycle

Scientists know that coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV-19 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, can remain infectious for days — or even longer — in sewage and drinking water.  Two researchers, Haizhou Liu, an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside; and Professor Vincenzo Naddeo, director of the Sanitary Environmental…

How important is speech in transmitting coronavirus?

Normal speech by individuals who are asymptomatic but infected with coronavirus may produce enough aerosolized particles to transmit the infection, according to aerosol scientists at the University of California, Davis. Although it’s not yet known how important this is to the spread of COVID-19, it underscores the need for strict social distancing measures — and…

Using sponges to wipe out cancer

A sponge found in Manado Bay, Indonesia, makes a molecule called manzamine A, which stops the growth of cervical cancer cells, according to a recent publication in the Journal of Natural Products submitted by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and their collaborators. Collaborators include students and investigators at the University of…

Anterior insula activation restores prosocial behavior in animal model of opioid addiction

A new study in animals suggests that the social and interpersonal problems associated with opioid addiction might be reversible. Researchers in the Arizona State University Department of Psychology previously used an animal model of opioid addiction and empathy to show that animals stopped prosocial behaviors – helping another animal – when heroin was available. The…

Indigenous American ancestry may be associated with HER2-positive breast cancer

PHILADELPHIA – An increased proportion of Indigenous American (IA) ancestry was associated with a greater incidence of HER2-positive breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. “The risk of breast cancer-related mortality varies between different populations, with Latina women having a greater risk of…