New cyberattack can trick scientists into making toxins or viruses — Ben-Gurion University researchers

BEER-SHEVA, Israel…November 30, 2020 – An end-to-end cyber-biological attack, in which unwitting biologists may be tricked into generating dangerous toxins in their labs, has been discovered by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev cyber-researchers. According to a new paper just published…

IDSA, AAN, AND ACR RELEASE GUIDELINES FOR PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF LYME DISEASE

New evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease have been developed by a multidisciplinary panel led by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American College of Rheumatology. Representatives from an additional 12 medical specialties and patients also served on the panel.

Bridging the Gap: Phone-Based Continuing Care Reduces Relapse Following Residential Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

High-frequency telephone support from a familiar psychotherapist reduces the risk of relapse after inpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a study reported in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Many patients resume drinking within the first few months after residential treatment, so continuous care in this high-risk period is crucial. Typically, this involves face-to-face counselling, but compliance is often low and there is a need for alternative options to improve outcomes during the vulnerable phase. Individualized phone-based support from staff or volunteers, and automated text message-based support, are two lower-cost and user-friendly approaches. In pilot studies these appear to be well accepted and feasible, but data on efficacy have varied, probably because of differences in program delivery and patient populations. The latest study compared the effectiveness of phone and text-based continuing care programs following a 12-week residential A

People who Use Alcohol and Cannabis Together May Reduce Risks by Choosing Certain Products and Combinations

Young adults who combine alcohol and cannabis use experience fewer negative consequences when they stick with a single type of drink versus consuming multiple types of alcohol, according to a new study. In addition, by avoiding cannabis concentrate they may steady or lower their overall consumption. The findings suggest that for those who choose to sustain their levels of alcohol and cannabis use, judicious choice of products may reduce the risks.

Multiple Sclerosis May Not Put You at Risk for Breast, Colorectal Cancers

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be at higher risk of developing two of the three cancers that occur most commonly in people with MS, breast and colorectal cancer, than people who don’t have the disease, according to a new study published in the November 25, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the study did find that people with MS had a higher incidence of bladder cancer.

Mount Sinai Health System Receives Waiver From Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to Scale Up Hospitalization at Home

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that the agency had approved a waiver allowing Mount Sinai Health System to enroll a broader group of Medicare patients into its Hospitalization at Home (HaH) program. The move is a game changer as hospitals in New York City brace for a continued increase in COVID-19 cases.

JSA Announces 10 New Graduate Fellows

Jefferson Science Associates has announced the award of ten graduate fellowships to doctoral students for the 2020-2021 academic year. The fellowships will support students’ advanced studies at their universities and research at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, a U.S. Department of Energy nuclear physics research laboratory managed and operated by JSA.

When consumers trust AI recommendations–or resist them

Researchers from Boston University and University of Virginia published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines how consumers respond to AI recommenders when focused on the functional and practical aspects of a product (its utilitarian value) versus the experiential and sensory aspects of a product (its hedonic value).

3D Electrocardiogram Might Detect Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Rockville, Md. (November 25, 2020)—Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent arrhythmia in both equine and human athletes. In this study, researchers investigated whether the arrhythmogenic substrate—the preexisting condition that causes arrhythmia—present between the episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) can…

More Health Systems Join National #MaskUp Campaign

Many more health systems are joining the national #MaskUp campaign encouraging Americans to stop the spread of COVID-19 by following safety guidelines. Over just a few days, another 19 health systems with hundreds of hospitals united with 100 health systems nationwide with hospitals numbering in the thousands.

The public service campaign is critical to the health and well-being of all Americans. It is a plea from healthcare professionals everywhere: wear a mask and follow other precautions to save lives and help get our country back on its feet.

In fire-prone West, plants need their pollinators — and vice versa

2020 is the worst fire year on record in the United States. In the face of heartbreaking losses, effort and expense, scientists are still grappling with some of the most basic questions about how fire influences interactions between plants and animals in the natural world. A new study grounded in the northern Rockies explores the role of fire in the finely tuned dance between plants and their pollinators.

Research finds new link between cell damage in astronauts and geriatric-type health problems observed during space missions

Damage caused to human cells during spaceflight appears to be the underlying cause of many health issues observed in astronauts, it has been discovered by researchers from the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.

Working in partnership with an international team, their findings have been published today (25 November) in Cell.

Cleveland Clinic Research Shows Bariatric Surgery May Reduce Severity of COVID-19 in Patients with Obesity

CLEVELAND: A Cleveland Clinic study shows that among patients who have obesity and who tested positive for COVID-19, a past history of bariatric surgery was significantly associated with a lower risk of hospital and intensive care unit admission. The results were published in the journal of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.

Closing the Racial Disparity Gap in Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

In-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA) represent catastrophic and often terminal events. Despite investments to improve the quality of resuscitation efforts, fewer than 25% of all patients that experience cardiac arrests in hospitals survive to discharge, and survival varies significantly across hospitals and by race. Until now, few have been able to specify reasons for the between-hospital differences.

‘Crisis decision making at the speed of COVID-19’ – Bay Area public health officials share their experience with shelter-in-place order

In mid-March, public health officials across the San Francisco area issued the first U.S. regional shelter-in-place order in response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. A “field report” on the crisis decision-making approach followed in that effective early response is featured in a special COVID-19 supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.