The United States on Friday announced it was funding development of rapid diagnostic kits for the novel coronavirus as people across the country reported they were unable to get tested for the illness because of shortages.
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The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. The constant flow of news from all types of media may heighten fears about the disease. People need facts to protect themselves from contacting the infection, but information overload can spur excessive worry. Dr. Sheila Jowsey-Gregoire, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist, says anxiety can build when people feel that a situation is out of their control, and when rumors spread.
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Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function. Some people, including African Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans, are at higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease. March is National Kidney Month, and Dr. LaTonya Hickson, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist, says chronic kidney disease shows no early symptoms, so it’s important to know your risks.
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Countries across the globe went on heightened virus alert on Friday, sealing borders and cancelling top-flight cultural and sporting events in a frenzied bid to slow the ballooning pandemic.
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(HealthDay)—In two guideline updates from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, published in the March issue of Gastroenterology, recommendations are presented for postcolonoscopy management and endoscopic removal of colorectal lesions.
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(HealthDay)—Lay health coaches may improve inhaler technique and adherence for low-income patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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(HealthDay)—The rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment initiation are low at federally qualified health centers (FQHC) in the United States, according to a study published online March 4 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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A protein that normally deposits mineralized calcium in tooth enamel may also be responsible for calcium deposits in the back of the eye in people with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study from researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI). This protein, amelotin, may turn out to be a therapeutic target for the blinding disease. The findings were published in the journal Translational Research. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.
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In the first study of its kind, University of Miami researchers have found a strong behavioral signal to indicate which infants who have an older sibling with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will themselves be diagnosed with ASD as they grow older.
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(HealthDay)—As coronavirus continues to spread, pregnant women may be especially anxious.
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