Infectious diseases spike when kids return to school − here’s what you can do about it

Ready or not, back-to-school season is here, and kids will be bringing home more than homework. They’ll be carrying germs, too. These viruses and bacteria will be agents that cause…

Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place – the picture is unsettling

Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing economies…

What is metabolism? A biochemist explains how different people convert energy differently − and why that matters for your health

If you’ve spent any time scrolling through the health and wellness corners of social media, you’ve likely come across many products claiming to improve your metabolism. But what exactly is…

CDC says people ages 65 and up should get a shot this spring – a geriatrician explains why it’s vitally important

In my mind, the spring season will always be associated with COVID-19. In spring 2020, the federal government declared a nationwide emergency, and life drastically changed. Schools and businesses closed,…

COVID-19 rapid tests still work against new variants – researchers keep ‘testing the tests,’ and they pass

By September 2020, just six months after COVID-19 triggered shutdowns across the U.S., it was clear that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, had mutated from its original form. The…

Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores

From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19. Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a…

Early COVID-19 research is riddled with poor methods and low-quality results − a problem for science the pandemic worsened but didn’t create

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers flooded journals with studies about the then-novel coronavirus. Many publications streamlined the peer-review process for COVID-19 papers while keeping acceptance rates relatively high. The…

For many who are suffering with prolonged grief, the holidays can be a time to reflect and find meaning in loss

The holiday season is meant to be filled with joy, connection and celebration of rituals. Many people, however, are starkly reminded of their grief this time of year and of…

Alzheimer’s Alters COVID-19 Response in Olfactory Cells

Summary: Researchers uncovered how Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) impacts COVID-19 outcomes through changes in the olfactory mucosal cells. Their study focused on individuals with AD who experienced exacerbated COVID-19 symptoms. Using…

People who experienced childhood adversity had poorer COVID-19 outcomes, new study shows

Adults who faced adversity during childhood were significantly more likely to die from or be hospitalized because of COVID-19. That’s the key finding of my team’s recent study, published in…