by American Academy of Neurology Older women who eat more than one to two servings a week of baked or broiled fish or shellfish may consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to counteract the effects of air pollution on the brain, according to a new study published in the July 15, 2020, online issue of Neurology,...
Medscape Medical News ‘Doc, Can I Get a Mask Exemption?’
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MSDISCLOSURES July 07, 2020 Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. As more jurisdictions mandate facial coverings in public, questions have arisen about whether it’s safe for everyone — including those with lung disease — to wear masks. Stories about people who claim to...
Tobacco smoking and vaping nicotine may exacerbate COVID-19 inflammation
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. Researchers at the University of California San Diego have conducted a study showing that both smoking and the use of e-cigarettes containing nicotine and flavorings may critically exacerbate inflammation in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and significantly worsen clinical outcomes. The use of e-cigs that do not contain nicotine or...
What to know about sleep myoclonus
Sleep myoclonus is involuntary, nonrhythmic muscle twitching that occurs either as a person falls asleep or during sleep. Sleep myoclonus is not a disease but a symptom of several different conditions. Sleep myoclonus can also happen without a known cause. In this article, we discuss what sleep myoclonus is, its causes, and how doctors treat...
How do COVID-19 antibody tests differ from diagnostic tests?
I’ve heard about new antibody testing for COVID-19. What is antibody testing? Is it the same as testing to diagnose COVID-19? Answer: With all the talk about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing in the news, it’s not surprising that there’s confusion about tests and how they differ. Antibody testing determines whether you had COVID-19 in...
New database aims to make Alzheimer’s diagnosis easier and earlier
Volunteers can add data with a five-minute online session. Do you get nervous when you can’t think of a word? Chances are it’s a momentary lapse, but problems with language are one of the symptoms that can indicate a neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, diagnosing these conditions requires scoring below a rather low threshold...
How to fight health ‘cures’ online
Anne Borden King had already battled online health misinformation as a parent of a child with autism. Then, as a patient, she was barraged on Facebook by bogus cancer “cure” advertisements after posting about her diagnosis. Borden, a co-founder of the Campaign Against Phony Autism Cures, talked to me about what we and Facebook can...
COVID-19 could directly affect the heart
A recent stem cell study has shown that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, can infect heart cells via the same receptor present in the lungs. This may be responsible for the cardiac complications associated with COVID-19. New evidence shows how SARS-CoV-2 may affect the heart. Experts initially thought that COVID-19 was a respiratory disease, with symptoms...
Coronavirus research updates: Massive contact-tracing effort finds hundreds of cases linked to nightclubs
Nature wades through the literature on the new coronavirus — and summarizes key papers as they appear. 10 July — Massive contact-tracing effort finds hundreds of cases linked to nightclubs Mobile phone and credit card data helped to identify nearly 250 coronavirus infections linked to a fast-moving outbreak that began in a popular nightclub district...
COVID-19 CAN HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON LUNGS, HEART
For some individuals with COVID-19, recovering from the acute phase of the infection is only the beginning, John Swartzberg warns. Worrying reports now indicate that the coronarvirus may be capable of inflicting long-lasting damage to the lungs, heart, and nervous system, and researchers are closely watching to see if the kidneys, liver, and gastrointestinal tract...