by Pennsylvania State University Many epidemiologists believe that the initial COVID-19 infection rate was undercounted due to testing issues, asymptomatic and alternatively symptomatic individuals, and a failure to identify early cases. Now, a new study from Penn State estimates that the number of early COVID-19 cases in the U.S. may have been more than 80...
By Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc. In order to develop appropriate treatments and vaccines to combat the novel coronavirus, otherwise known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, researchers around the world have carefully examined every microscopic component of this potent virus. What is protease? The term protease is used to describe a large group...
By Sara Ryding, B.Sc. Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc. Viral load refers to the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood. This is expressed as the number of viral particles in each milliliter of blood. Higher viral load can have different implications for different viruses but typically means the infection is progressing. Viral load...
George D. Lundberg, MD DISCLOSURES June 05, 2020 Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Death is usually fairly easy to diagnose; cause of death, not so much. In fact, death certificates in the United States and around the world are notoriously wrong. How does this happen? Death certificates are...
The risk of a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be significantly lowered by following healthy lifestyle recommendations, according to new research from the University of Alberta and Dalhousie University. Children who met seven to nine of the recommendations had a 58 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with ADHD than children who...
CLAIM Vaccinated children are more likely to have adverse health outcomes like developmental delays, asthma, and ear infections compared to unvaccinated children. VERDICT SOURCE: Brian Hooker, Children’s Health Defense, 28 May 2020 DETAILS Inadequate support: This claim is based on a single study which used highly biased methods. Rigorous and large-scale studies have not found...
Washing your hands with plain soap and water can destroy the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But how does soap work to keep you healthy? “There are so many unknowns about this pandemic that are driving fear and leading to irrational actions, like panic-buying of toilet paper,” says Bill Wuest, an associate professor in the chemistry...
A new research study headed by Aarhus University in Denmark identifies how viruses avoid the body’s immune system and cause infections and diseases. Viruses have an exceptional ability to circumvent the body’s immune system and cause diseases. The majority of people recover from a viral infection such as influenza, although the current COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates...
By JOE PINKSTONE FOR MAILONLINE German hospital assessed the hormone levels of 45 COVID-19 patients in ICU Found that the vast majority of men admitted had low testosterone levels Testosterone may be able to stop the body’s immune system from going haywire Low levels of the sex hormone are unable to regulate the body’s immune...
Matthew R. Francis February 20, 2020 Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here, including travel advice, pregnancy concerns, and the latest findings on the virus itself. Scientists, medical professionals, and governments around the world are working to understand how the new respiratory disease ravaging Hubei province spreads—and how bad it could be for the rest...
