A City of Hope scientist is one step closer to discovering what weakens a pathogen that appears to cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads. Interestingly, it takes studying “mini brains” to understand why certain unborn babies infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) enter the world with shrunken brains, said…
Why we go stir-crazy in self-isolation and how to combat the feeling
For the safety of all of us, we are stuck in our homes under lockdown and only allowed to go outside to exercise, shop food or medicine or for medical emergencies. So if you’ve been self-isolating for a longer period, you might be feeling a little strange right about now….
How Mayor Ravinder Bhalla Helped Hoboken Become a National Model for Coronavirus Response
Hoboken, NJ—a metro hub across the Hudson River from Manhattan with a population of 55,000—was one of the first cities to institute dramatic self-isolation measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the closure of non-essential businesses and curfews for residents. “I think Hoboken probably is the model we all…
How do you become infected with the coronavirus?
The new coronavirus has traveled unseen paths from Wuhan, China, to virtually all corners of the globe. Evidence of its movements abound, from the proliferation of people wearing face masks to the sudden absence of toilet paper on store shelves. How did a virus that didn’t even exist just a…
Social distancing can make you lonely. Here’s how to stay connected when you’re in lockdown
COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is a challenge for everyone. We know positive social support can improve our capacity to cope with stress. But right now we’re being asked to keep our distance from others to minimise the spread of the virus. Many people are facing periods…
How a time of panic buying could yet bring us together
For every headline about panic buying, fighting and even arrests in supermarkets, we see other stories about communities and individuals rallying in support of each other. These interpersonal connections reveal our true humanity, especially in times of crisis. The popular belief is that such times provoke “frenzied selfishness and brutal…
How to Set up a Schedule That Won’t Burn You Out
The rough outline of your day probably has a lot of blanks like mine does. For example, my schedule outline has things like “shoot video or write” and “deal with logistical stuff.” You might have things like “outline notes before performance review” and “organize household paperwork.” Every day, you need…
SPA DOCTOR: How I warmed to deep-freeze booster
SPA DOCTOR: How a cryotherapy chamber can help you help you battle through a bad bout of jet-lag THE PROBLEM After a two-week holiday hiking in Central America, my poor legs were so weary and heavy that I could barely walk up a flight of stairs. I was also battling…
How will the coronavirus spread? Epidemiologist deciphers ‘messy data’
When it comes to the tipping point for the spread of COVID-19, University of Toronto epidemiologist David Fisman said: “We may have passed it.” Since he made the comment in an interview with CBC’s Quirks & Quarks at the end of last month, more than 100,000 people have been infected…
How the Deadliest Pandemic in Modern History Prepared Us for Coronavirus
As fears surrounding the current coronavirus outbreak continue to spread around the world, historians and public health officials are drawing comparisons to another deadly global health emergency. For the past century, experts have considered the 1918 influenza pandemic, colloquially known as the “Spanish flu,” as the benchmark for pandemics. Control…
Study unravels how our immune system deals with fungal and viral infections
The body’s immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham, The Pirbright Institute and University College…