Ultrashort-pulse lasers kill bacterial superbugs, spores: Technique likely safe for human cells; has potential for sterilizing wounds, blood products
Life-threatening bacteria are becoming ever more resistant to antibiotics, making the search for alternatives to antibiotics an increasingly urgent challenge. For certain applications, one alternative may be a special type of laser. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that lasers that emit ultrashort pulses of light can kill multidrug-resistant […]
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 […]
Worse COVID-19 Outcomes for Disabled MS Patients
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who were disabled were more likely to be hospitalized, end up in the intensive care unit (ICU) or on a ventilator, or die if they developed COVID-19, North American registry data showed. Of non-ambulatory MS patients with COVID-19, 14.0% died, 8.3% were in the ICU or on a ventilator, and 24.6% […]
The ‘Healthy’ Pandemic Habit Secretly Messing With Your Mental Health
Spending more time at home ― as we’ve all been doing for over a year and a half ― has certainly had some perks. More time with family, less time commuting and more time wearing pants with an elastic waistband. One shift not on this list? The number of body image issues that have materialized […]
4 Trendy TikTok Dental Hacks That Are Actually Pretty Dangerous
Let’s face it: It’s way easier (and more fun) to get oral health advice from social media rather than your dentist. A dental visit can seem annoying, expensive and potentially painful; combine that with the rise of information on platforms like TikTok and you’ve got a quick fix. “TikTok is not my first place to […]
Simone Biles to Pediatricians: ‘Speak Up’ About Sexual Abuse
Simone Biles holds a combined total of more than 30 Olympic and world championship medals in gymnastics, not to mention several world records. But there’s more to her than that, she said during a plenary session at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) virtual meeting. “I’m a person at the end of the day and […]
Study: Drug Use a Factor in COVID Breakthrough Infections
Fully vaccinated individuals with substance use disorders were more likely to have breakthrough COVID-19 infections than those without such disorders, researchers found. Adjusted analyses found that breakthrough infections were higher in patients with all types of substance use disorder, except tobacco, and were the highest among cocaine users (HR 2.06, 95% CI 1.30-3.25) and cannabis […]
COVID Risk in T1D; Lilly to Drop Some Insulin Prices; New ADA/EASD T1D Guideline
Adults over age 40 with type 1 diabetes (T1D) faced more severe COVID-19 outcomes, including a higher risk of hospitalization and death, compared with children and young adults with the condition. “These findings indicate the need for age-tailored treatments, immunization, and clinical management of individuals affected by type 1 diabetes and COVID-19,” said the study’s […]
‘It’s Like Quicksand’: What We Heard This Week
“It’s like quicksand, as soon as you start answering more questions, you’re never caught up.” — Natalie Azar, MD, of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, speaking on how the deluge of EHR messaging and electronic communications contributes to physician burnout. “We’re thrilled that there is a law now in Texas that does this.” — Anders […]
How a city’s design creates congestion
City planners predict that as more people move into urban areas, traffic jams will get worse. That’s why sustainability expert Neil Debbage, an assistant professor in the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts’ Department of Political Science and Geography, proposes a new way to analyze traffic congestion. Using more precise measures to describe the […]