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Social distancing: Is 6 feet enough?
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) define social distancing as avoiding crowded places and mass gatherings and staying at least six feet, which is about two meters, from others in order to minimize the risk of contagion. However, recently published studies support the hypothesis that virus transmission may occur more than two meters from an infected person.
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Study shows men receive preference for liver transplants
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareWomen in the U.S. are significantly more likely to die while waiting on a liver transplant. The results come from a large cohort study that looked at sex-based disparities among women and men who received liver donation from living and deceased donors. "Our findings suggest that the MELD [model for end-stage liver disease] score does not accurately estimate disease severity in women and that the lack of consideration of candidate anthropomorphic and liver measurements in the current allocation system may have a greater association with the sex disparity in liver allocation than geographic factors," the researchers wrote in their study in JAMA Surgery.
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Infographic: The power of sleep
Brian Wallace Medical & Allied HealthcareSleep is crucial to our health and well-being, but 77% of American adults haven’t been sleeping as well since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This infographic outlines why sleep is so important and provides tips to get better rest.
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COVID-19 and national responses, part 1 of 2: Asia and Europe
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareWhen COVID-19 first emerged and the world began to take notice, each country naturally responded in its own way. These responses were based on many factors, including available public health resources, political will, governmental structure, scientific interest and rigor, as well as the expertise of virologists, epidemiologists, and other experts. How have some countries handled the outbreak, and what lessons can we learn from our relative failures, oversights, and successes?
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Could cannabis help treat COVID-19?
Bambi Majumdar PharmaceuticalThere is a massive global effort underway to develop a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. But in the meantime, new prevention strategies and therapies are sorely needed. One promising Canadian study indicates that certain enzymes in cannabis could help treat the disease. It highlights cannabis’ benefits as an aid in blocking the cells that enter the body from the novel coronavirus.
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Heart attack, stroke patients are avoiding the ER due to COVID-19 concerns
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareThe number of heart attack patients treated at U.S. hospital emergency rooms decreased by nearly half during the pandemic. That statistic has health officials worried that people are avoiding care because they are afraid of contracting COVID-19 at a hospital. Kaiser Permanente researchers reviewed heart attack treatments at its Northern California hospitals before and after the first COVID-19 death was reported on March 4. The 4.4 million records showed the number of ER treatments dropped by 48% once pandemic-related deaths started occurring.
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Medical practices are up against it as they struggle to retain patients,…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareFor some more than others, the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Still, medical practices remain at the center of battling the virus as they treat patients. They also face personal financial pressures like many of their American counterparts. More than half of clinicians (55%) fear another wave of the virus. They are stressed because of potentially limited access to testing and personal protective equipment, according to a survey of 730 primary care clinicians in 49 states and Washington, D.C.
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Newly discovered immune pathway could help prevent long-term organ rejection
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareUniversity of Pittsburgh and Houston Methodist Hospital researchers have discovered an immune pathway that could cause rejection of transplanted organs. The study, published in the journal Science, says contrary to previous data, the body's "innate" immune system may impact organ transplants over the long term. "The rate of acute rejection within one year after a transplant has decreased significantly, but many people who get an organ transplant are likely to need a second one in their lifetime due to chronic rejection," said Dr. Fadi Lakkis, the study’s senior author.
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Some hospitals, surgery centers still aren’t performing cosmetic…
Dr. Jonathan Kaplan Medical & Allied HealthcareHere in San Francisco, the city and health department issued a directive on May 15 allowing elective surgery. In the directive, it was very clear elective surgery, including cosmetic surgery and dental procedures, could move forward. For this reason, we began performing cosmetic surgery in our in-office AAAASF-accredited operating room the following Monday, May 18. Based on previously scheduled cases and newly booked procedures, we'll be operating at full capacity for the foreseeable future. While we have the luxury of performing cosmetic surgery in our own facility, not all facilities are proceeding with cosmetic surgery. Why not?
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As telehealth grows, returning Medicare programs to their original form…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareIn another spot of telehealth news, it appears that even seniors are taking a shine to the technology. As many as half of them say they are comfortable using telehealth to get the care they desire. According to a new poll by Morning Consult, those who are using it say it’s been a pleasing experience. The survey of more than 1,000 seniors shows that a majority (52%) are enjoying the services provided through the remote-based technology. Only 30% said they're uncomfortable with the technology.
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