A new study exploring the impact of repeated sleep loss during a simulated working week has found that consuming caffeinated coffee during the day helps to minimize reductions in attention and cognitive function, compared to decaffeinated coffee1. While this effect occurred in the first three-to-four days of restricted sleep, by the fifth and final day,…
PHILADELPHIA–Patients with inactive cancer and not currently undergoing treatments also face a significantly higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, a new study from Penn Medicine published online today in JNCI Cancer Spectrum shows. Past reports have established an increased risk of severe disease and death for sick or hospitalized cancer patients with COVID-19 compared…
A recent study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica found that questions typically asked to new mothers to screen for depression after giving birth can also help to detect depressive symptoms and other mental disorders during early pregnancy. The questions are part of what’s called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. In the study of…
The US prevalence of the autoimmune disease lupus is 72.8 cases per 100,000 individuals, according to an analysis of population-based registries. The analysis, which is published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, found that the rate is 9 times higher for females than males (128.7 vs. 14.6 per 100,000), and it’s highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives and…
Where people die can affect the quality of their deaths and the end-of-life care that they receive. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that satisfaction with end-of-life care was rated highest when individuals died at home. Analyzing data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study of community-dwelling Medicare…
Pharmacists play an important role in managing medication-based therapies for older community-dwelling patients, according to a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. In the study of patients aged 65 years and older who came to a pharmacist-led outpatient clinic at a general hospital in Beijing, China between 2016 and 2018, pharmacists were…
New research published in the British Journal of Psychology indicates that social influence has a large impact on people’s adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. In the analysis of information from 6,674 people in 114 countries, investigators found that people distanced most when they thought their close social circle did. Such social influence mattered more than whether…
Pathogenic bacteria in humans are developing resistance to antibiotics much faster than expected. Now, computational research at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that one reason could be significant genetic transfer between bacteria in our ecosystems and to humans. This work has also led to new tools for resistance researchers. According to the World Health…
They built back better. From the moment that President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at the reflecting pool beside the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday night to the final note of the virtual concert that capped the inaugural rites and celebrations, it was clear that they, and those around them, were going to…
Could it be that men just need more air than women and children? In scuba diving, the conventional wisdom is that men tend to use more air, partly because of body size. But, experienced divers and instructors tend to use less air, even if they are male. I had a diving partner who was a…