Arthritis and Long COVID: A Double Whammy
“Long COVID” lays a particularly heavy burden on people with pre-existing arthritis, a Canadian survey study indicated. Worsened pain and greater functional limitations relative to their status prior to COVID-19 infection were reported by most individuals in Laval, Quebec, who had some type of arthritis and developed post-acute COVID symptoms following initial infection, according to […]
New Evidence Links Calcium Channel Blockers to Increased Risk of Glaucoma
Use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs), particularly cardioselective agents, had a modest but statistically significant association with glaucoma, a large meta-analysis showed. Overall, patients with a history of CCB treatment had a 23% higher likelihood of developing glaucoma as compared with individuals who never used the antihypertensives. The likelihood almost doubled among patients who received […]
Higher vitamin K intake linked to lower bone fracture risk late in life
Breaking bones can be life-changing events — especially as we age, when hip fractures can become particularly damaging and result in disability, compromised independence and a higher mortality risk. But research from Edith Cowan University’s Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute has revealed there may be something you can do to help reduce your risk […]
Could Hot Flashes and Night Sweats Serve as Early Signs of Poor Brain Health?
ATLANTA — Hot flashes and night sweats, particularly those that happen during sleep, may be an an early marker for cognitive illness, a study found. Frequent vasomotor symptoms that occurred during sleep were associated with increased white matter hyperintensity volumes (B[SE]=0.17 [0.06], P<0.05), brain lesions that have been linked with cognitive impairment, reported Rebecca Thurston, […]
Opinion | COVID Isn’t Just a ‘Me’ Problem
This piece started out focusing on the impact of colds on our lives, particularly if COVID is now “just a cold.” But now it’s personal. My husband and I escaped COVID until now by being very careful until we got vaccinated. Once vaccinated, we focused on living our lives safely — no eating at indoor […]
If Your Dog Or Cat Smells Like This, It’s Time To See A Vet
Pets don’t always smell particularly fragrant. Curious dogs and cats certainly can get into some stinky situations. But at times a bad odor is a sign of something more serious. If you can rule out external factors — like rolling around in something foul-smelling — and a bad scent persists, it might be time to […]
Experts Warn of Physical, Mental Health Effects of Extreme Heat
Physicians warned of both the physical and mental health impacts of extreme heat, particularly for vulnerable populations, during an online briefing hosted by SciLine last week. “We know that about 30 deaths per year occur [among] … children left in cars,” said Perry Sheffield, MD, MPH, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai […]
‘I Wish Everyone Would Just Pay’: When Med Students Flock to Pirated Study Tools
During one particularly grueling year of medical school, cartoons marked the start of every day for Anna Moshkovich. But she wasn’t watching “Tom and Jerry” or “Scooby-Doo.” Instead, she was watching animated videos about medicine on the subscription-based test-prep website Sketchy. At least tens of thousands of other medical students learn the same way, thanks […]
The consequences of climate change in the Alps are visible from space
Global warming has a particularly pronounced impact on the Alpine region. Like the Arctic, this European mountain range is becoming greener. Writing in the journal Science, researchers from the University of Lausanne and the University of Basel have now used satellite data to show that vegetation above the tree line has increased in nearly 80% […]
Microbes can degrade the toughest PFAS: Under anaerobic conditions, common microbial communities can break the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond
Engineers at UC Riverside are the first to report selective breakdown of a particularly stubborn class of PFAS called fluorinated carboxylic acids (FCAs) by common microorganisms. Under anaerobic conditions, a carbon-carbon double bond is crucial for the shattering the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond by microbial communities. While breaking the carbon-carbon bond does not completely degrade the […]