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 […]
Covid-19 pandemic: Single-use N95 respirators can be used again after decontamination
N95 respirators, which are widely worn by health care workers treating COVID-19 patients, and are designed to be used only once, can be decontaminated effectively and worn up to three times, according to a new study that could help reuse these scarce resources amidst the pandemic. Researchers, including those from The University of California Los […]
COVID-19 infection may initially present as acute pancreatitis
(HealthDay)—Acute pancreatitis may be a gastrointestinal manifestation of COVID-19, according to research published online Aug. 26 in Gastroenterology. Sumant Inamdar, M.B.B.S., from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, and colleagues assessed the point prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 presenting with acute pancreatitis in a large New […]
Researchers unravel two mysteries of COVID-19
A team from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University has made significant steps forward in understanding COVID-19 through two back-to-back studies published this week in Critical Care Explorations. In one study, the team has identified six molecules that can be used as biomarkers to predict how severely ill a patient will become. In the […]
Colombia turns to emergency ventilators to treat COVID-19
The machine called the Heron looks like many other ventilators used to treat COVID-19 patients. There’s a screen atop a metallic box that displays the amount of oxygen being pumped into a person’s lungs and a plastic tube that delivers it to the patient. But this device costs about $4,000—a fifth of the price of […]
Blood clots and lung injuries found in patients who have died of COVID-19
Ten post-mortem examinations performed on patients with confirmed COVID-19 found that all patients had lung injuries and early scarring of the lungs as a result of the virus, as well as injury to their kidneys. Nine patients also had thrombosis—a blood clot- in at least one major organ (heart, lung or kidney). The team were […]
Fewer serious asthma events in Philadelphia area following COVID-19 stay-at-home orders
Philadelphia and its surrounding counties issued a series of ‘stay-at-home’ orders on March 17, 2020 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. In the months that followed, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) saw a marked decrease in healthcare visits for both outpatient and hospitalized asthma patients. New research from CHOP and the Hospital […]
Childhood syndrome linked to COVID-19 causes profound immune changes
Researchers have uncovered how the immune system is altered in a rare COVID-19 related illness in children referred to as paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS). PIMS-TS is a rare syndrome which has emerged in a small number of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The condition causes severe inflammation in blood vessels and can lead to […]
Art therapy: Crayons, paintbrushes and blank paper are all you need to heal this quarantine
The trend started with Dalgona coffee and flaunting the saree challenge but soon enough, the Covid-19 lockdown made people accept there own company and go back to entertaining themselves in old school manner before the cellphones became our sole medium of escapism. With more and more people getting anxious about staying indoor for weeks and […]
How setting aside some ‘worry time’ can help reduce anxiety over COVID-19 lockdowns
Many New Zealanders will be feeling anxious, disappointed and even angry about the return of COVID-19 in the community. Many of us prefer to suppress these emotions because they are unpleasant or we may feel under-equipped to manage them. But if left unrecognized and unchecked, they will drive our behavior. We may act without thinking […]