By coupling machine learning with whole genome sequencing, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Carnegie Mellon University scientists greatly improved the quick detection of infectious disease outbreaks within a hospital setting over traditional methods for tracking outbreaks. The results, published today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, indicate a […]
Study: Importance of harm and abuse education for primary school children
A new national evaluation of the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe (SOSS) program, involving 3,297 primary school children across the UK, has found that both children and school staff benefited from the education it provided on different forms of harm, highlighting the need for continued education in this area. Led […]
Critical care and pulmonary societies encourage flu shots amid COVID spread
The members of the Critical Care Societies Collaborative, which includes the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), strongly urge individuals to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and to receive their influenza (flu) […]
Why a broader and more inclusive definition of infertility is needed
Modern assisted reproductive technologies have helped millions of infertile couples to bypass their reproductive challenges, and these technologies can be regarded as one of the greatest achievements of medicine. Yet, they are far from perfect. Many couples still fail to achieve pregnancy or need several treatment cycles to attain parenthood. […]
How COVID health advice and modelling has been opaque, slow to change and politicised in Australia
In a recent article, The Australian’s health reporter asked: “has any modeling put forward by scientific institutes throughout the pandemic ever proved accurate?” It’s a good question but the answer lies in understanding the truth about modeling—it cannot predict the future. Rather, it’s a process that identifies variables most likely […]
Children and youth at low risk of severe acute COVID-19 during first part of pandemic: Canadian study
New research has found that children and youth may be at low risk of severe acute COVID-19, according to a study conducted during the first half of the pandemic and published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Researchers with the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) looked at hospitalizations of children […]
Insights from our genome and epigenome will help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer
In 2020, an estimated 10 million people lost their lives to cancer. This devastating disease is underpinned by changes to our DNA—the instruction manual for all our cells. It has been 20 years since scientists first unveiled the sequence of the human genome. This momentous achievement was followed by major […]
‘Knot and tuck’ masks for better COVID protection
Experts are calling on the Ministry of Health to improve its mask wearing guidelines to ensure New Zealanders are protected in the wake of highly transmissible variants of COVID-19. They say current mask practices at the border are sub-optimal for reducing the risk of aerosol transmission, and are calling for […]
Here’s What Ibuprofen Can And Can’t Do For You
Roger Brown Photography/Shutterstock By Adam England/Sept. 9, 2021 1:26 pm EDT If you’ve got a headache, period pains, or some other sort of everyday ache, you might be tempted to reach for the ibuprofen. For almost 50 years, we’ve been using it to treat general aches and pains, usually swallowing a […]
New cell phone and smart watch models can interfere with pacemakers and defibrillators
After reports of smart phone and watch interference with implanted medical devices, investigators affiliated with the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) at the US Food and Drug Administration conducted a study that supports the FDA recommendation that patients keep any consumer electronic devices that may create magnetic interference, […]