Are mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic constitutional? Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano weighs in. A new study suggests that homemade face masks with two or three layers may be more effective in preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus compared with a single-layered face covering. Researchers in Australia…
ACEIs/ARBs not linked to severity or mortality of COVID-19
(HealthDay)—For patients with hypertension hospitalized with COVID-19 infections, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are not associated with the severity or mortality of COVID-19, according to a brief report published online April 23 in JAMA Cardiology. Juyi Li, M.D., from The Central Hospital of Wuhan and the Huazhong University…
New coronavirus guidelines discourage gatherings of 10 or more
The Trump Administration on Monday ramped up its coronavirus “social distancing” advisory to now discourage gatherings of 10 or more people. Hours later, about 7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area were ordered to shelter in their homes. Residents were instructed to only leave for “essential” reasons, such…
Gaining or losing weight can raise the risk of brast cancer returning
Women who lose or gain weight around their middle in the year after breast cancer surgery may double the risk of tumours returning A total of 1,317 women with breast cancer were analysed for weight changes Those with oestrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer saw their risk go up Tumours…
Cervical pre-cancer can be detected in self-collected urine or vaginal sample
Queen Mary University of London researchers have developed a non-invasive test to detect cervical pre-cancer by analyzing urine and vaginal samples women collect themselves. In a presentation at the 2019 NCRI Cancer Conference, Dr. Belinda Nedjai said that the self-sampling test had proved popular with women taking part in the…
Crimped or straight? Lung fiber shape influences elasticity
Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Congratulations! You’ve just done something completely ordinary, yet so mysterious that scientists still don’t know everything about it. How oxygen and carbon dioxide enter and leave the bloodstream is well known, but scientists are just beginning to understand what happens to respiratory tissues as…
Which comes first: Smartphone dependency or depression?
Young people who are hooked on their smartphones may be at an increased risk for depression and loneliness, according to a new study from the University of Arizona. A growing body of research has identified a link between smartphone dependency and symptoms of depression and loneliness. However, it’s been unclear…
Mother or baby die in child birth every 11 seconds: UN
Global child and maternal deaths have fallen sharply in recent decades, but new UN statistics released Thursday show unequal progress, with more than five childbirths a minute ending in tragedy. Two reports by several United Nations’ agencies showed clear global progress in reducing the number of pregnant women or new…
News consumers differ widely in their preferences for negative or positive content
Research regularly finds that Americans respond more strongly to negative news content, but a recent study suggests it’s a global occurrence. According to a University of Michigan study across 17 countries on six continents, the average person is more physiologically activated by negative content than by positive content. “In a…
Measure blood pressure with a selfie or your running shoes? Be wary, Penn doctor says
Don’t get Jordana Cohen wrong. A hypertension specialist with Penn Medicine, she is thrilled with any talk of encouraging people to measure their own blood pressure. In too many studies to count, physicians have shown that keeping blood pressure under control is associated with a longer, healthier life. But measuring…
Drinking booze or smoking before bed will ruin your sleep, says study
Good news for coffee fans, bad news for anyone who likes a boozy nightcap. New research says that drinking alcohol or smoking before bed can wreck your sleep – more so than drinking coffee. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University used sensors and daily sleep diaries to track 785 people’s sleep…