The novel Coronavirus from China continues to spread in Europe. In Germany, the Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is affected – there are now more than 60 confirmed infections with the Virus. For several hundred residents in the district of Heinsberg is gone on Sunday, the domestic quarantine due to…
Pilot clinical trial in China to test possible targeted therapy for COVID-19
A University of British Columbia researcher is part of an international team working with a biotechnology company on a pilot clinical trial of a potential new treatment for patients with severe coronavirus infections in China. Dr. Josef Penninger, director of UBC’s Life Sciences Institute and Canada 150 Chair in Functional…
A 'Stranger Things' actor has raised awareness about his one-in-a-million genetic disease
Cleidocranial dysplasia is a disease that affects one in a million people, including Stranger Things actor Gaten Matarazzo. In a JAMA research letter, researchers explored how Matarazzo's presence onscreen raised awareness of the disease. Google Trends showed that Google searches related to the disease spiked after each season. "Usually when…
New Zealand’s needle exchanges helped reduced HIV transmissions
New Zealand has avoided the high HIV rates seen among high-risk groups in other countries, a new study shows. Sustained, extremely low levels of HIV transmission among people who inject drugs, including gay and bisexual men, reflect the success of needle-exchange programs and other harm reduction measures, researchers say. The…
Racial, ethnic, sex, insurance disparities ID’d in acne care
Racial/ethnic, sex, and insurance-based disparities are seen in acne care, according to a study published online Feb. 5 in JAMA Dermatology. John S. Barbieri, M.D., from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to identify potential disparities in…
COVID-19 highly uncertain, global costs could be very high
ANU researchers give the first wide-ranging global economic assessment of the effects of Covid-19 to help policy policymakers prepare a coordinated response to the economic costs of a pandemic and as the virus evolves. The research paper models seven scenarios. Four of the seven scenarios in the paper examine the…
Even After Stroke, Many Smokers Still Light Up
THURSDAY, Feb. 13, 2020 — While fewer Americans are smoking these days, the habit has remained stubbornly persistent among stroke survivors, new research shows. The researchers found that the prevalence of smoking among U.S. stroke survivors has not improved since 1999 and, as of 2016, stood at 26%. That’s in…
Brush your way to heart health
Poor oral health has been debated as a possible cause of heart disease for many years. Some research suggests that heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke might be linked to the inflammation and infections caused by oral bacteria. Dr. Thomas Salinas, a Mayo Clinic dental specialist, says while there appears…
London tower block is disinfected by hazmat suit-clad workers
London luxury tower block that’s home to foreign students is disinfected by hazmat suit-clad workers after Chinese woman becomes the UK’s 9th victim of virus Workers in protective suits were sent to One The Elephant yesterday morning Several Chinese students live in the tower block, according to reports Virus-carrier was…
'Smart diet' app helps slimmers shed a stone in 12 weeks
‘Smart diet’ app that tracks your meals and steps and lets you chat to a nutritionist every day helps slimmers shed a stone in 12 weeks Trial of 10,000 slimmers found they lost a stone in three months using smart diet Users get step tracker and smart scales which are…