225 articles from FRIDAY 16.10.2020

The mental health impact of pandemics for front line health care staff

New research shows the impact that pandemics have on the mental health of front-line health care staff.Researchers investigated how treating patients in past pandemics such as SARS and MERS affected the mental health of front-line staff.They found that over a third experienced anxiety or depression, almost a quarter experienced PTSD.The team hope that their work will help highlight the impact that...

Trees prefer the big city life

A new study examines how trees respond to different urban intensities by comparing tree size and age, foliage nitrogen signature, nutrient and heavy metal content and other factors in forests in Newark, Del., and Philadelphia, Pa. Not only were the trees acclimated to urban conditions in the higher density Philadelphia forests, but the red maples there were actually healthier and more productive...

Two planets around a red dwarf

The 'SAINT-EX' Observatory, led by scientists from the National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR PlanetS of the University of Bern and the University of Geneva, has detected two exoplanets orbiting the star TOI-1266. The Mexico-based telescope thus demonstrates its high precision and takes an important step in the quest of finding potentially habitable worlds.

USC study reveals one-two punch of symptoms that exacerbate Alzheimer's

A new Alzheimer's study found that impaired blood flow in the brain is correlated with the buildup of tau tangles, a hallmark indicator of cognitive decline.The work suggests that treatments targeting vascular health in the brain -- as well as amyloid plaques and tau tangles -- may be more effective in preserving memory

Utilizing telemedicine in the ER can reduce wait times and patient length of stay

Telemedicine has become more common given the current global pandemic. COVID-19 has limited doctor's office and hospital visits to ensure safety for everyone. But rather than diminish the quality of care, new research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research finds that increasing wider use of telemedicine in the emergency room (ER) can yield positive results for patients and providers...

When good governments go bad

When anthropologists examined a broad, global sample of 30 pre-modern societies, they found that when 'good' governments -- ones that provided goods and services for their people and did not starkly concentrate wealth and power -- fell apart, they broke down more intensely than collapsing despotic regimes. And the researchers found a common thread in the collapse of good governments: leaders who...

Zeptoseconds: new world record in short time measurement

In the global race to measure ever shorter time spans, physicists from Goethe University Frankfurt have now taken the lead: together with colleagues at the accelerator facility DESY in Hamburg and the Fritz-Haber-Institute in Berlin, they have measured a process that lies within the realm of zeptoseconds for the first time: the propagation of light within a molecule. A zeptosecond is a trillionth...

Coronavirus live news: France reports record new cases as WHO warns Europe case surge 'of great concern'

France reports more than 30,000 cases in 24 hours, taking total over 800,000; WHO warning comes as Europe records highest ever weekly cases. Europe’s daily Covid deaths ‘could reach five times April peak’Tennis player accused of fleeing Russia by private jet after positive testFrench police search officials’ homes as part of coronavirus inquiryItaly poised to be removed from England’s...

World caught in 'syndemic' of chronic diseases and COVID-19, global study says

The world is caught in a perfect storm of rising rates of chronic disease, persistent infectious diseases and public health failures that have fuelled deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a major global study of human health. The emergence and overlap of the coronavirus pandemic with a continued global rise in chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes - with added environmental...

WHO study says remdesivir did not cut hospital stay or mortality in COVID-19 patients

The antiviral medication, among the first to be used as a treatment for COVID-19, was one of the drugs recently used to treat U.S. President Donald Trump's coronavirus infection. The results are from WHO's "Solidarity" trial, which evaluated the effects of four potential drug regimens, including remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, anti-HIV drug combination lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon, in...

Australians found to be living longer but in poorer health

Latest findings from a global study show high blood pressure, obesity and smoking were associated with the highest number of deaths in Australia Thirty-year failure to tackle preventable disease fuelling global Covid pandemicAustralians are living longer lives but in poorer health, as smoking, obesity and poor diets continue to leave people susceptible to disease and death.The latest findings from...

World caught in "syndemic" of chronic diseases and COVID-19, global study says

The world is caught in a perfect storm of rising rates of chronic disease, persistent infectious diseases and public health failures that have fuelled deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a major global study of human health. The emergence and overlap of the coronavirus pandemic with a continued global rise in chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes - with added environmental...

Thirty-year failure to tackle preventable disease fuelling global Covid pandemic

Study reveals increase in high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and obesity, all risk factors for disease The failure of governments to tackle a three-decade rise in preventable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes has fuelled the Covid-19 pandemic and is stalling life expectancy around the world, a comprehensive study has found.The latest data from the Global Burden of Disease...

WHO study says remdesivir did not cut hospital stay or mortality in COVID-19 patients - FT

The antiviral drug, among the first to be used as a treatment for COVID-19, was one of the drugs recently used to treat U.S. President Donald Trump's coronavirus infection. The FT report cites results from WHO's Solidarity trial that evaluated effects of four potential drug regimens, including remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, anti-HIV combination drug of lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon, in...