For more than a year, public health officials have repeatedly told us that masks save lives. They’ve warned us to keep our distance from our neighbors, who’ve morphed into disease vectors before our eyes. Now they are telling us that if we’re vaccinated, we no longer need to wear masks or physically distance ourselves in […]
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What does ‘close contact’ for COVID-19 really mean? Epidemiologist explains.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has new guidance clarifying what exactly “close contact” means when it comes to transmission of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The previous guidance suggested that a close contact occurred when a person was within six feet of an infectious individual for 15 consecutive minutes. Now, the CDC is acknowledging […]
Temperature-sensitive, longer-lasting eyedrops may mean fewer applications, better therapy
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have created a gel-based eyedrop that responds to the eye’s temperature and allows drugs to remain longer on the eye surface, penetrating tissues more effectively without obscuring vision. Tested in mice, rabbits and pigs, the formulation could reduce the number of times a day that patients need to reach for the […]
Kids as young judge character based on looks alone, study finds
Kids DO judge a book by its cover: Children as young as five decide if people are ‘mean or nice’ based on their faces alone, study finds How we perceive appearances influences everything from personal relationships to jury decisions and elections We start analyzing faces from a young age to make character assessments New Harvard […]
New lead testing recommendations inconclusive, but do not mean screening
An NYU pediatrician and researcher writes in JAMA Pediatrics that new recommendations on testing children for lead are inconclusive, but do not mean that we should abandon screening children for elevated lead levels. The editorial—written by Michael Weitzman, MD, professor of pediatrics and environmental medicine at NYU School of Medicine and NYU College of Global […]
Small-scale poultry farming could mean big problem in developing countries
Small-scale farming in developing countries provides those in rural communities with income and access to protein, but it may have a large impact on antibiotic resistance, according to a new University of Michigan study. Researchers looked at antibiotic-resistant bacteria populations in farmed broiler chickens, free-range backyard chickens and children in remote northwestern Ecuador that until […]
Urine pH: Normal ranges and what they mean
The pH is the measurement of how acidic or alkaline a person’s urine is. Doctors often test the urine pH, and they may perform other diagnostic tests, when a person has symptoms that may be related to a problem in the urinary tract. What is the normal pH of urine? According to the American Association […]
What does ‘gaslighting’ mean?
Shortlisted for the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2018 word of the year, “gaslighting” has well and truly found its way into contemporary thought and vernacular. The term has recently been employed to explain the behaviour of contestants on The Bachelor Australia, Monica Lewinksy’s experiences with the media post-Bill Clinton, and the words of US President Donald […]
A sense of rhythm—why do we have it and what does it mean to us?
Almost everything we do incorporates rhythm. At the University of Oslo 50 researchers from all over the world will provide us with some new answers about the meaning of rhythm for people – and possibly also develop the world’s best dancing robot. “If we can understand more about rhythm, we will understand more about how […]
Just because you’re thin, it doesn’t mean you’re healthy
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 63% of Australian adults are overweight or obese. But it’s much harder to estimate how many are within a healthy weight range but have poor diets or sedentary lifestyles. These can cause significant health problems that will often be missed because the person appears to look […]