Alaska Starts Rationing Care; Remdesivir for Outpatients? New GVHD Drug OK’d
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. With Alaska hospitals crippled by the overwhelming number of COVID patients, the state has adopted crisis standards of care, Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) announced on Wednesday. (Reuters) Gilead said a 3-day intravenous course of its antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury) reduced the risk of hospitalization or death […]
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 […]
The Unvaxxed and a History of Cynicism
The vitriol that characterizes discussions about vaccines, masking, and school policies has been deeply disturbing. I am a physician who is concerned about COVID. At first, I thought that everyone would want to be vaccinated. I thought that the pandemic would cause everyone to isolate and socially distance to protect themselves, their families, and their […]
Disinfo Doc’s License Renewed; COVID Up in U.K. Kids; AI OK’d for Prostate Cancer Dx
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. The Ohio Medical Board has renewed the medical license of Sherri Tenpenny, DO, a physician who erroneously claims that the COVID vaccine makes people magnetic. (USA Today) George Holliday, who filmed Rodney King being beaten by Los Angeles police officers during a 1991 traffic stop, has […]
COVID Deaths Surpass 1918 Flu Deaths
U.S. COVID-19 deaths have now surpassed the 675,000 estimated deaths that occurred during the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 1918, but SARS-CoV-2 hasn’t exacted as heavy a toll as that pandemic. With a national population of around 103 million people at that time — about a third of the current total of 330 million Americans — […]
2 J&J Shots Better Than 1; Texas Abortion Doc Sued; Could iPhones Spot Depression?
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Johnson & Johnson said a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine given 2 months after the first dose improved efficacy against symptomatic illness to 94%. In November, the Biden administration will lift restrictions on international travelers from 33 countries who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (New […]
Compact amplifier could revolutionize optical communication
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, present a unique optical amplifier that is expected to revolutionise both space and fiber communication. The new amplifier offers high performance, is compact enough to integrate into a chip just millimeters in size, and — crucially — does not generate excess noise. “This could be compared to switching […]
A new way to solve the ‘hardest of the hard’ computer problems: Scientists develop the next generation of reservoir computing
A relatively new type of computing that mimics the way the human brain works was already transforming how scientists could tackle some of the most difficult information processing problems. Now, researchers have found a way to make what is called reservoir computing work between 33 and a million times faster, with significantly fewer computing resources […]
Elephants benefit from having older siblings, especially sisters
A study of semi-captive Asian elephants in Myanmar has found that calves benefit from having older sisters more than older brothers. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology. Researchers at universities in Finland, the UK and Myanmar have found that Asian elephant siblings influence younger offspring from early through […]
Gene for sex hormone synthesis could play key role in eczema: Potential new treatment target for common skin condition
A study led by UT Southwestern dermatologists suggests that a common inflammatory skin condition may stem from poorly regulated sex hormones. The finding, published this week in PNAS, could offer an unexpected new target to fight this condition. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a form of eczema. AD affects up to 13% of children and 10% […]