Opinion | Nursing Homes Have More Than Just a COVID Problem
For more than a year, my colleagues and I have been publishing a monthly COVID-19 Nursing Home Dashboard tracking the impact of COVID-19 on nursing home residents and staff. That’s 14 months assembling data on how many nursing homes are understaffed or don’t have enough personal protective equipment (PPE), 14 months documenting the rates of […]
Managing Agitation in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
For patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who exhibit agitation, suboptimal treatments have been overused while better-tolerated and possibly more-effective interventions have been underused, according to findings reported at Psych Congress, held virtually and in San Antonio. In this first of four exclusive episodes, MedPage Today brought together three expert leaders in the field — […]
For stem cells, bigger doesn’t mean better
MIT biologists have answered an important biological question: Why do cells control their size? Cells of the same type are strikingly uniform in size, while cell size differs between different cell types. This raises the question of whether cell size is important for cellular physiology. The new study suggests that cellular enlargement drives a decline […]
How Many People Have Cluster B Personality Disorders?
Studies have suggested that around 1%-6% of people suffer from cluster B personality disorders. Learn about each of the four types Studies have suggested that around 1%-6% of people suffer from cluster B personality disorders. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), about 9.1% of the population in the United States have a […]
Researchers find repeated link between volcanic eruptions and dynastic collapse in China’s Imperial Era
Volcanic eruptions may have triggered abrupt climate changes contributing to the repeated collapse of Chinese dynasties over the past 2,000 years, according to new research published today [Thursday, 11 November 2021]. The study also illustrates how volcanic eruptions can profoundly impact vulnerable or unstable regions and highlights the need to prepare for future eruptions. The […]
Black hole found hiding in star cluster outside our galaxy
Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), astronomers have discovered a small black hole outside the Milky Way by looking at how it influences the motion of a star in its close vicinity. This is the first time this detection method has been used to reveal the presence of a black hole […]
Are Your Hobbies Connected to Your Specialty?
Throughout my career I have met doctors with some of the most interesting hobbies — car collectors, wine makers, coffee roasters, and many others. I’ve often wondered whether physicians who have utilized their specialized skills in the practice of medicine have parlayed those skills into hobbies. In other words, is there a connection between physicians’ […]
Some Babies Get Bad Start on Obesity Risk From Mom
Babies of mothers who have unhealthy obesity (that is, obesity along with other metabolic comorbidities) appear to have greater levels of adiposity when compared with the offspring of women with metabolically healthy obesity, researchers reported. At the time of birth, children of mothers with unhealthy obesity weighed an average of 0.62 kg (1.4 lb) more […]
Climatic drivers of honey bee disease revealed
Honey bee colonies worldwide have suffered from a range of damaging diseases. A new study has provided clues on how changing weather patterns might be driving disease in UK colonies. Publishing their findings in the journal Scientific Reports, the team led by Newcastle University found that the most severe disease of honey bees, caused by […]
Blood plasma protein fibrinogen interacts directly with nerve cells to cause brain inflammation
Neuroinflammatory diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury, have been linked to deposits of a tough protein known as fibrin, derived from the blood clotting factor fibrinogen. These mesh-like fibrin deposits occur outside blood vessels in the brain, contributing to the death of certain central nervous system cells (neurons) that eventually leads to impaired […]