Wearing a surgical mask in an indoor public setting reduces the odds of testing positive for COVID-19 by 66%, and wearing an N95/KN95 type of mask lowers the odds of testing positive by 83%.
What causes stuttering?
What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder
What is the ‘stiff-person’ syndrome affecting Celine Dion?
Celine Dion’s diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome brought a rare neurological diagnosis into the public eye – two neurologists explain the science behind it
Are You an Optimist? Could You Learn to Be? Your Health May Depend on It.
Multiple studies show a strong association between higher levels of optimism and a reduced risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and cognitive impairment. Several studies have also linked optimism with greater longevity.
Most Healthplanfinder enrollees can find a cheaper plan with the same coverage—if they shop around.
Customers can save an average of $1,300 annually ($110 monthly) for the same level of coverage they’re already paying for.
‘Significant investments’: Gov. Inslee previews legislative ask on behavioral health
Specific behavioral health care legislation and the cost of that legislation will be in the governor’s forthcoming budget proposal ahead of next year’s 105-day legislative session that runs from Jan. 9 through April 24.
Local health officials and health system leaders in Washington state urge public to wear masks while in indoor spaces, keep up-to-date on vaccines
In addition to RSV and influenza, new COVID-19 variants are taking hold and immunity from past vaccination is waning for many people who have not yet received an updated booster shot.
As Overdose Deaths Rise, Few Emergency Rooms Offer Addiction Help
Medical professionals and addiction treatment advocates have long argued that buprenorphine, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, should be available in every emergency room in the country — just like drugs for heart attacks, strokes and diabetic emergencies. And they argue that emergency physicians should have basic training in addiction medicine and be licensed to write a take-home prescription for buprenorphine.
The longer you can avoid Covid, the better
The “no point delaying infection” argument falls down in a number of places. First, infections aren’t risk free. Second, better treatments and vaccines are on the horizon.
With Stool Testing, Fewer Americans May Delay Colon Screening
For the U.S. health system broadly, and for uninsured patients in particular, stool tests are significantly less costly than colonoscopies. Stool tests are also less time-consuming and invasive.
China could face a catastrophic COVID surge as it lifts restrictions – here’s how it might play out
Given the low level of immunity in China, a major surge would likely see large numbers of hospitalisations and might lead to a dramatic death toll. If we assume, say, 70% of the Chinese population becomes infected over the coming months, then if 0.1% of those infected die (a conservative estimate ), a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests we’d see around one million deaths.
Strep A: three doctors explain what you need to look out for
Group A streptococcus is a type of bacteria that can live in the back of the throat or on the skin, especially in children. It can spread between people through close contact or coughing and sneezing. In most people, it either causes no illness or only mild throat or skin infections or scarlet fever. Children with scarlet fever have a sandpaper-like rash over their body, often with fever and sore throat and a “strawberry tongue” – where the tongue is red with a white covering.
Pandoravirus: the melting Arctic is releasing ancient germs – how worried should we be?
All the viruses cultured so far are far from viruses that affect mammals, let alone, humans and would be very unlikely to pose a danger to humans. A more relevant area of concern is that as the permafrost thaws it could release the bodies of long-dead people who might have died of an infectious disease and so release that infection back into the world.
More than 4 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable in the US, and mental health is the leading cause
Mental health conditions are the overall most frequent cause of pregnancy-related death. Approximately 23% of deaths are attributed to suicide, substance use disorder or are otherwise associated with a mental health condition.
The ethics of brain-computer interfaces lag behind the science, write a philosopher and a neurosurgeon from UW.
Researchers are exploring nonmedical brain-computer interface applications in many fields, including gaming, virtual reality, artistic performance, warfare and air traffic control.