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Study Shows Stronger Brain Activity After Writing on Paper Than on Tablet or Smartphone
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Study Shows Stronger Brain Activity After Writing on Paper Than on Tablet or Smartphone

A study of Japanese university students and recent graduates has revealed that writing on physical paper can lead to more brain activity when remembering the information an hour later. Researchers say that the unique, complex, spatial and tactile information associated with writing by hand on physical paper is likely what leads to improved memory. “Actually,...

Novel Coronavirus Circulated Undetected Months Before First COVID-19 Cases in Wuhan, China
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Novel Coronavirus Circulated Undetected Months Before First COVID-19 Cases in Wuhan, China

Using molecular dating tools and epidemiological simulations, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues at the University of Arizona and Illumina, Inc., estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely circulating undetected for at most two months before the first human cases of COVID-19 were described in Wuhan, China in late-December...

Telehealth Growth During Pandemic Occurred Mostly in More Affluent and Metropolitan Areas
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Telehealth Growth During Pandemic Occurred Mostly in More Affluent and Metropolitan Areas

Increases in the use of telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic among people with private insurance has occurred mostly among those who are more affluent and those who live in metropolitan areas, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Researchers say the findings raise concerns that the pandemic may be worsening existing disparities in overall health...

Second-Wave COVID Mortality Dropped Markedly in (Most) Wealthier Zones
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Second-Wave COVID Mortality Dropped Markedly in (Most) Wealthier Zones

Wealthier northeastern U.S. states and Western European countries tended to have significantly lower mortality rates during second-wave COVID-19 infections, new research from the University of Sydney and Tsinghua University has shown. However, the pattern was not as general as expected, with notable exceptions to this trend in Sweden and Germany. Researchers say mortality change could...

Ultrasound Has Potential to Damage Coronaviruses
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Ultrasound Has Potential to Damage Coronaviruses

The coronavirus’ structure is an all-too-familiar image, with its densely packed surface receptors resembling a thorny crown. These spike-like proteins latch onto healthy cells and trigger the invasion of viral RNA. While the virus’ geometry and infection strategy is generally understood, little is known about its physical integrity. A new study by researchers in MIT’s...

Pandemic Has Increased Pregnancy Stress for American Women
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Pandemic Has Increased Pregnancy Stress for American Women

COVID-19 has created new problems for pregnant women in the United States, a group that already faced the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world even before the pandemic. One of their biggest concerns is their baby contracting the disease, according to a Washington State University study published recently in the journal BMC Pregnancy and...

Text Me About Cervical Cancer
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Text Me About Cervical Cancer

An estimated 14,480 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Cases that could be prevented or cured with better education from screening to treatment based on improved provider-patient communication, says a Michigan State University researcher. The issue is particularly acute for...

Fatal Police Violence Nearby Increases Risk of Preterm Birth
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Fatal Police Violence Nearby Increases Risk of Preterm Birth

Black women have 80% higher risk of preterm birth between 32 and 33 weeks of pregnancy if a Black person who lives in their neighborhood is killed by police during the pregnancy, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley. The study by scientists at the UCSF California Preterm Birth...

Financial Strain Predicts Future Risk of Homelessness and Partly Explains the Effect of Mental Illness
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Financial Strain Predicts Future Risk of Homelessness and Partly Explains the Effect of Mental Illness

Financial strains like debt or unemployment are significant risk factors for becoming homeless, and even help to explain increased risk of homelessness associated with severe mental illness, reports a study in a supplement to the April issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. The findings “suggest that adding financial...