The human heart is like a sponge, able to expand and grow, increasing its capacity to take up blood. In theory, an enlarged heart can also squeeze out more blood, with more power, than an average-sized heart. But in reality, for most people, this growth—known as cardiac hypertrophy—is abnormal and signals trouble. Cardiac hypertrophy is brought on by various factors, […]
» Read more
President Donald Trump insists that schools reopen this fall. Many parents, educators, doctors and economists want the same thing. But getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed. A growing chorus of public health experts is urging federal, state and local officials to reconsider how they are reopening the broader economy, and […]
» Read more
We are only halfway into the year 2020, but it seems like it has been going on forever. Most people have always found it difficult to strike a work-life balance, which often tends to take its toll on one’s mental health, and it often goes unnoticed. The events of this year have even more so been a source of unrest, […]
» Read more
Extending the United States cigarette flavour ban to include menthol products could encourage existing smokers to quit and lower the rates of people starting to smoke, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. Under the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned flavours in […]
» Read more
Authorities in northeast Spain will start fining individuals who do not wear face masks 100 euros ($113) starting Thursday when the use of masks becomes mandatory in Barcelona and the surrounding Catalonia region following a resurgence of the coronavirus. Spain ended a nationwide lockdown in mid-June after restrictions on movement and public activity succeeded in reining in the country’s virus […]
» Read more
Months of self-isolation and social distancing have taken their toll. Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, has produced a body of research that suggests that interpersonal stressors many are experiencing during quarantine are associated with an increased vulnerability to upper respiratory viruses and perhaps coronavirus. A summary of his work is available online […]
» Read more
Editor’s note: Video footage available. A second proton therapy system has been installed at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine and is now available to treat patients. The pencil-beam scanning technology – the most advanced form of radiation therapy available – delivers extremely precise treatments of proton therapy, a type of radiation therapy used […]
» Read more
Women experiencing violence from intimate partners now have access to a unique, interactive safety app that can help them assess their risks, set priorities and plan next steps. The myPlan Canada app was co-developed at Western, with Nursing professor Marilyn Ford-Gilboe as the Canadian project lead. The app allows users to input their specific circumstances—such as whether they are in […]
» Read more
Money can’t buy happiness, the saying goes, but it seems to be more closely connected than before. A new study at San Diego State University found a correlation between happiness and the top indicators of socioeconomic status—including income and education—has been growing steadily stronger. Using data from the General Social Survey, one of the longest running surveys of adults in […]
» Read more
The number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has jumped to around 50,000 a day, and the virus has killed more than 130,000 Americans. Yet, I still hear myths about the infection that has created the worst public health crisis in America in a century. The purveyors of these myths, including politicians who have been soft peddling the impact […]
» Read more