SATURDAY, Sept. 26, 2020 — Challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the risk of suicide, so it’s crucial to know the warning signs, a mental health expert says. Suicide is often preventable, because people considering suicide want help, according to Dr. Ahmad Hameed, a psychiatrist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical […]
New study reveals why flu can be devastating for pregnant women
New research helps explain why flu can lead to life-threatening complications during pregnancy, suggesting the virus does not stay in the lungs but spreads throughout the mother’s body. The pre-clinical study has overturned current scientific thinking on the reasons why flu infections affect pregnant women and their babies so severely. The findings could also help […]
This clever Coke can hack will revolutionize your closet
It’s that time of year again; cooler weather means it’s time to drag those cozy sweaters and and knit dresses out of storage again. But if you’re like us, you’re just not sure how to make it all fit into your closet in a way that is remotely organized or accessible. Well, thanks to one […]
Doctors Fear a Possible 'Twindemic'—Here's What That Means, and How You Can Prepare
Every year around this time, public health officials start warning about the approach of flu season. But this year is a little bit different thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, experts are warning about the possibility of a “twindemic,” or the overlap of flu season and an expected surge in COVID-19 cases this fall and […]
A childhood fight left me disabled, in lockdown I re-learned what my body can do
The car stopped at the traffic lights and the girl in the passenger seat looked over. I caught her glance as I pushed my bike with its broken chain slowly up the steep hill in the pouring rain towards the train station, dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt, soaked to the skin. And rather […]
Loss of a pet can potentially trigger mental health issues in children
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 that the […]
Researchers create neurons that can be integrated into human brain tissue
A team of researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) and Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS) of the University of Barcelona has demonstrated that neurons can be generated from skin cells of a human donor using a cellular reprogramming technology. According to the obtained results, these neurons are able to integrate into human brain tissue […]
How chemicals like PFAS can increase your risk of severe COVID-19
Nearly a year before the novel coronavirus emerged, Dr. Leonardo Trasande published “Sicker, Fatter, Poorer,” a book about connections between environmental pollutants and many of the most common chronic illnesses. The book describes decades of scientific research showing how endocrine-disrupting chemicals, present in our daily lives and now found in nearly all people, interfere with […]
People can make better choices when it benefits others
People are better at learning and decision-making when trying to avoid harm to others, according to new research published in JNeurosci. Humans are often motivated by self-interest. Participants in one study, for example, learned a game faster when they earned money for themselves as opposed to another person. However, this pattern changes when physical harm […]
Airborne viruses can spread on dust, non-respiratory particles
Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers and other microscopic particles, according to new research from the University of California, Davis and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. The findings, with obvious implications for coronavirus transmission as well as influenza, are published Aug. 18 in Nature Communications. “It’s really shocking […]