People who talk with their doctors are more likely to get vaccinated during a pandemic, according to a study of evidence collected during the »swine flu,» the last pandemic to hit the U.S. before COVID-19. Researchers surveyed patients about the vaccine for the H1N1 virus (swine flu). They found that doctor-patient communication helped build trust…

Researchers find that strong state firearm laws are associated with fewer firearm homicides — both within the state where the laws are enacted and across state lines. Conversely, weak firearm laws in one state are linked to higher rates of homicides in neighboring states. Results of the study appear in the journal Epidemiology, and are…

The majority of LGBTQ adults report experiencing discrimination from a health care professional. Compared to cisgender heterosexual adults, LGBTQ populations experience multi-level, psychological and social stressors, including exposure to discrimination and violence, yet data on how these stressors affect their cardiovascular health is limited. Policy changes within health care education and clinical settings are needed…

Social distancing introduced in response to COVID-19 is increasing feelings of loneliness in Scotland’s older population and impacting their wellbeing, according to a new study. The research has identified a link between increases in loneliness in over 60s and the worsening of wellbeing and health. Increasing loneliness due to social distancing was associated with a…

Researchers have developed a world-first flow model that could cut public transport commuter times on busy roads by identifying and removing bottlenecks. Case studies have shown commuters saved close to 2000 hours (between 7am-9am) and about 11,000 hours of passenger travel time during a normal weekday. When this flow model was implemented to improve the…

Researchers say social distancing contributed to a decline in drinking among first-year college students. But the downward trend could change with the return to campus. The study is based on the experiences of 439 Carolina students and reflects how the pandemic affected students’ social lives and stress. Researchers from the Carolina Population Center and the…

An internationally known embryologist and his son make the case for using gene-editing tools to prevent inherited disease, in a new editorial. The authors push back against recent calls for a moratorium on germline gene editing, following the revelation last year of the world’s first gene-edited babies in China. Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Ph.D., director of the…

Researchers recently examined how biological factors impact anxiety disorders. The team studied male and female rodent models to better understand sex differences in biological responses related to anxiety. Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine recently studied the behaviors associated with anxiety — published in Psychopharmacology — examining how biological factors impact anxiety disorders, specifically…

‘Think twice’ campaign could reduce risk of UK opioid epidemic. A pilot campaign that urged GPs (family doctors) to ‘think-twice’ before putting a patient on opioid medicines was effective in reducing opioid prescribing in primary care, according to the findings of a major study. Although the reduction in the number of opioid prescriptions issued by…

A new study looks at how Americans’ attitudes and responses have changed during the time of the pandemic and how to many people, the virus is not a biological agent but instead a malicious actor. Hardy spoke to a man who had polio as a child and had to live in a home with an…