A new study of twins finds that genetics play a significant role in how affectionate women are, but the same can’t be said for men. Researchers examined differences in the level of affection people express in an effort to determine how much affectionate behavior is influenced by genetics versus a person’s environment. They found that,...
Health
Adolescents from Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Show Gene Regulation Differences
The neighborhood a child grows up in may influence their health for years to come in previously invisible ways. A long-term study of 2,000 children born in England and Wales and followed to age 18 found that young adults raised in communities marked by more economic deprivation, physical dilapidation, social disconnection and danger display differences...
Survey Finds U.S. Adults Largely Supported Measures to Limit Spread of COVID-19 in May
No mass gatherings. Stay-at-home orders. Nonessential business closures. Use of cloth face coverings. In April, these and other measures were adopted by states to try to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. and across the globe. A new study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report...
Higher Rates of Severe COVID-19 in BAME Populations Remain Unexplained
Higher rates of severe COVID-19 infections in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations are not explained by socioeconomic or behavioral factors, cardiovascular disease risk, or by vitamin D status, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London. The findings, published in the Journal of Public Health, suggest that the relationship between COVID-19...
Babies with COVID-19 Tend to Have Mild Illness, Mostly with Fever
found to be the primary or only symptom. Findings were published in The Journal of Pediatrics. “While there is limited data on infants with COVID-19 from the United States, our findings suggest that these babies mostly have mild illness and may not be at higher risk of severe disease as initially reported from China.” says lead...
Rural America Is More Vulnerable to COVID-19 Than Cities Are, and It’s Starting to Show
Rural areas seemed immune as the coronavirus spread through cities earlier this year. Few rural cases were reported, and attention focused on the surge of illnesses and deaths in the big metro areas. But that false sense of safety is now falling apart as infection rates explode in rural areas across the country. Of the...
The Right Way to Breathe During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. It’s not just something you do in yoga class – breathing this way actually provides a powerful medical benefit that can help the body fight viral infections. The reason is that your nasal cavities produce the molecule nitric oxide, which chemists abbreviate NO, that increases blood...
As Food Insecurity Continues to Plague New Yorkers, Impact on Children Is Worrisome
One in four households with children have reported a child experiencing hunger as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, according to the latest CUNY SPH COVID-19 tracking survey. Many New Yorkers continued to report difficulties in getting the food they needed, but of particular concern is the impact on households with children under the...
In Vermont, Pandemic’s Impact Falling Disproportionately on Lower Income Groups
High percentages of Vermonters agree with the social distancing measures put in place by the state in response to the coronavirus pandemic and have complied with them, according to a new survey. But their attitudes and actions, while protecting their health, have come at a significant economic cost, especially for low income Vermonters, one of...
Long Term Care Facilities Are Where Most COVID-19 Deaths Occur
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are a major driver of total COVID-19 deaths. Reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) geriatricians Rossana Lau-Ng, Lisa Caruso and Thomas Perls studied the past month’s case and death data reported by the Massachusetts Department of Health’s...