One in three young people say their mental health and wellbeing improved during COVID-19 lockdown measures, with potential contributing factors including feeling less lonely, avoiding bullying and getting more sleep and exercise, according to researchers. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world, many countries imposed strict lockdown measures, with workplaces and businesses closing and people…

Researchers have created lightning-fast computer software that can help nations track and analyze pandemics, like the one caused by COVID-19, before they spread like wildfire around the globe. The group of computer science and mathematics researchers says its new software is several orders of magnitude faster than existing computer programs and can process more than…

While many programs and initiatives have been implemented to address the prevalence of substance abuse among homeless youth in the United States, they don’t always include data-driven insights about environmental and psychological factors that could contribute to an individual’s likelihood of developing a substance use disorder. Now, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm could help predict…

Rates of physical and psychological aggression among couples increased significantly after the implementation of shelter-in-place restrictions at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The findings indicate that stress related to the pandemic was strongly associated with perpetration of intimate partner aggression, even among individuals considered at low risk. The study…

It is commonly assumed that any important scientific knowledge would be available in English, and so scientific knowledge used in international studies is predominantly sourced from English-language documents. But is this assumption correct? According to new research, the answer is no, and science written in languages other than English may hold untapped information crucial to…

The tobacco industry’s court-ordered anti-smoking advertisements reached just 40.6 percent of US adults and 50.5 percent of current smokers in 2018, according to new research. Exposure to the advertisements was even lower among certain ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups historically targeted by tobacco industry marketing. The findings, published today in JAMA Network Open, should be considered…

Starting routine colorectal cancer screening at age 45 rather than 50 would decrease U.S. cancer deaths, but screening a greater number of older and high-risk adults would avert nearly three times as many diagnoses and deaths at a lower cost. The move would also decrease the number of cancer cases nationwide by up to 29,400…

One in five people in England have been harmed in some way by others’ drinking over the past year, suggest the results of the largest survey of its kind in the United Kingdom. Nearly one in 20 of them experienced aggression — physically threatened or hurt, or forced/pressurised into something sexual, the findings indicate. In…

While we wait for our turn to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, we could — and probably should — use the time to make sure we bring our healthiest emotional and physical selves to the treatment, a new review of previous research suggests. Ohio State University researchers reviewed 49 vaccine studies in humans dating back 30…

A new study concludes that opening clinics dedicated specifically to treating influenza can limit the number of people infected and help to ‘flatten the curve,’ or reduce the peak prevalence rate. While the work focused on influenza, the findings are relevant for policymakers seeking ways to reduce impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. «Dedicated clinics…