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Urine tests can predict transplanted kidney rejection

Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied Healthcare

Two new methodologies offer promise in predicting kidney failure using a simple urine test instead of a biopsy. University of California, San Francisco researchers say a urine test they have developed would eliminate the need for an invasive biopsy to determine the chances of organ rejection. What's more, monitoring kidney health with a urine sample makes it much easier to identify a problem before the organ suffers irreparable damage. The findings appeared in the March 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Study: Sweet tooth gene related to lower body fat, with some caveats

Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied Healthcare

FGF21, or fibroblast growth factor 21, is a hormone secreted by the liver. It suppresses sugar and alcohol intake, stimulates the uptake of glucose by fat cells, and acts as an insulin sensitizer. At least one variant of the FGF21 gene, rs838133, is associated with higher consumption of sugar and alcohol and lower consumption of fat and protein. Approximately 20% of Europeans are homozygous for the rs838133 variant, and they consume more sugar and alcohol as a result. But, to what effect? A study published in Cell Reports investigates.

Infographic: Mental health under quarantine

Brian Wallace Mental Healthcare

Quarantine. Staying in place. Full lockdown. All of these ways that we find ourselves social distancing start to take a toll on our mental health and well-being. How can we overcome these effects of social isolation? This infographic outlines the steps we can take to ensure we make it out of the pandemic as mentally healthy as possible, including setting routines and using meditation apps.

Can AI predict which COVID-19 patients are at greatest risk of severe complications?

Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied Healthcare

From news anchors to medical experts put on camera every evening, it seems everyone has an interest in identifying the profile of who will and won't become extremely ill (or worse) if infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. At present, no one knows for sure. But more information is becoming available daily and researchers are working hard to find answers. An international research team has designed a computer program that can predict, with up to 80% accuracy, which COVID-19 patients will develop serious respiratory disease.

During pandemic, US hospitals are firing, furloughing and cutting pay

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

While it may seem counterintuitive during the coronavirus pandemic, there are many hospitals across the United States that are furloughing, firing, or cutting pay for employees despite the coming surge of virus cases. The act of doing so is not, unfortunately, limited to a specific few, and is becoming an issue for more hospitals nationwide. These moves have become a necessity for most hospitals as they have cut elective procedures to limit supplies and make the most of their resources to battle COVID-19.

How to get free PR for your telehealth services

Jarod Carter Medical & Allied Healthcare

Two weeks ago, we converted my cash-based physical therapy practice in Austin to performing all of our patient treatments online via telehealth. I have to say it's gone better than I expected, especially since we are known for being a hands-on manual therapy practice. With that said, we’ve been able to maintain a little over 50% of our current physical therapy patients as telehealth patients. But knowing we'd lose plenty of patients no matter what, I've also been developing and implementing a direct-to-consumer marketing plan for our new "tele-physio" services.

Does COVID-19 affect the cardiovascular system?

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

COVID-19 is an illness that can affect a person's lungs and airways with fatal consequences for those with underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD), evidenced by the large proportion of COVID-19 patients who have CVD. Although researchers have known that viral illnesses such as COVID-19 cause respiratory infections that lead to lung damage and sometimes death, their knowledge about the effects on the cardiovascular system is still evolving. A recent review, however, shows that COVID-19 can cause cardiac injury even in patients without underlying heart conditions.

The coronavirus is devastating rural hospitals

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

While urban hospitals and health systems are getting racked by an overflow of patients and the need to respond to an overwhelming number of patients currently infected with COVID-19, their rural counterparts are equally or more so overwhelmed, too. In some cases, the impacts on rural hospitals are dramatic. Many of these community-based hospitals will close because the pandemic is preventing them from performing profitable elective surgeries, physical therapy, and lab tests.

‘Corona change’ is an economic force with environmental consequences

Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

Climate change issues are intimately tied to the coronavirus pandemic, but how? The recent announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended regulations requires reflection on the pandemic’s climate change politics. There are countless speculations as to the virus’ origins, and all are anthropogenic. This means human practices disrupt ecological balance, resulting in huge social impacts, like pandemics. Plain and simple, right?

Grieving little heartbreaks is OK, even during a pandemic

Sheilamary Koch Mental Healthcare

In a recent article in The Verge, writer Monica Chin skillfully addresses what many of us are secretly grappling with — guilt that here in the middle of a pandemic we're grieving silly things like canceled basketball games. Chin cites backlash she's seen on social media when people have expressed sadness about the cancellation of events like Coachella, but concludes, "While it’s important to cancel these events to slow the spread of COVID-19 to keep hospitals and health systems from being overrun, I think it’s also important to allow ourselves (and each other) to mourn them." It may be hard not to think that sadness is a bit self-indulgent these days. Still, experts agree that denying our feelings isn't the way to go.

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