Across Borders, Worse COVID Outcomes Seen in Polluted Areas
During the pandemic, people exposed to more air pollution were at greater risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death, a nationwide study from Denmark showed. Based on the country’s COVID-19 surveillance system covering over 3.7 million residents, there were significant associations between local levels of inhalable particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and incident […]
Catching the Optimal Amount of Z’s May Be Protective Against Long COVID
Healthy sleep behaviors before and during the pandemic may be protective against long COVID, a prospective cohort study suggested. Of nearly 2,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, those with the most healthy prepandemic sleep score had a 30% lower risk of developing long COVID compared with those […]
Addressing Burnout in an Invisible Part of the Health Workforce
Much has been written about the burnout of frontline health workers during the COVID pandemic and what must be done to help them. But what about public health workers — those operating behind the scenes who are also navigating long hours and increased stress? Helping those workers is the idea behind the Public Health-Hope, Equity, […]
A student’s poor eating habits can lead to a lifetime of illness
A UBC Okanagan researcher is cautioning that a person’s poor eating habits established during post-secondary studies can contribute to future health issues including obesity, respiratory illnesses and depression. Dr. Joan Bottorff, a Professor with UBCO’s School of Nursing, is one of several international researchers who published a multi-site study looking at the eating habits of […]
Mother Speaks Out After College Senior Dies Of Brain Tumor Found On Spring Break
Following a University of Georgia student’s death from a brain tumor found during a spring break vacation, her mother is speaking out about the 21-year-old’s final moments. In an emotional interview published Thursday, Laura McKeithen told People that daughter Liza Burke “lived life” to the fullest despite the tumor, which doctors identified in March after […]
E-Cigs in Early Adolescence Tied to Heavier Smoking Later On
Use of electronic cigarettes during early adolescence appeared to increase the odds of any smoking and more frequent tobacco cigarette use in later adolescence, according to longitudinal data from two large-scale cohorts in the U.K. and U.S. Among youths who began smoking before age 15, the odds of later adolescent smoking were significantly higher for […]
Ever Heard Of ‘Period Flu’? Buckle Up.
Carol Yepes via Getty Images Some people experience cold- or flu-like symptoms during their menstrual cycle. People with periods know how terrible that time of the month can be, even without reaching the level of something like endometriosis or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The mood swings, the exhaustion, the cramps — they can wipe anybody out. […]
House Republican Argues Against FDA Budget Increase
During a House hearing on the FDA’s 2024 budget request, a Republican subcommittee chair said he was not too pleased with the idea of a $7.2 billion budget — an 8% increase over the 2023 enacted agency budget. The $522 million increase includes $372 million in new budget authorities coupled with $150 million for new […]
Doc Moms, Mind the Gap — $3M Earning Difference by Sex
During a 40-year career, the average female physician with children made $3 million less than the average male physician with children — nearly double the male-female earnings gap experienced by single physicians, according to a national study of 95,000 physicians. In a cross-sectional analysis of surveys conducted from 2005 to 2019, female physicians earned as […]
Excess calories during development alters the brain and spurs adult overeating
People whose mothers are overweight during pregnancy and nursing may become obese as adults because early overnutrition rewires developing brains to crave unhealthy food, according to a Rutgers study in Molecular Metabolism. Rutgers researchers traced this link from mother to child in mice with an experiment that began by letting some mice get obese on […]