In addition to helping protect players from COVID-19, the NBA ‘bubble’ in Orlando may be a competitive equalizer by eliminating team travel. Researchers analyzing the results of nearly 500 NBA playoff games over six seasons found that a team’s direction of travel and the number of time zones crossed were associated with its predicted win…

Only one in three U.S. adults received the flu vaccine in 2018, a number that has critical implications for the impending flu season, which threatens to overwhelm medical resources and lead to tens of thousands of deaths at a time when Americans are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. A new study led by researchers…

Physicians prescribed opioids more often to their white patients who complained of new-onset low back pain than to their Black, Asian and Hispanic patients during the early days of the national opioid crisis, when prescriptions for these powerful painkillers were surging but their dangers were not fully apparent, a new study has found. The findings…

If the United States ignores COVID-19 in Nigeria, we forgo global genomic surveillance at our own peril, reports a new study. The study found global efforts to track variants grossly underreported a probable variant of concern, eta, circulating in Nigeria in early 2021. This was followed by the circulation of a rare delta sublineage in…

An analysis of the 2018-2019 measles outbreak in New York City identifies factors that made the outbreak so severe: delayed vaccination of young children combined with increased contact among this age group, likely through ‘measles parties’ designed to purposely infect children. The findings are published in the journal Science Advances. «Measles Parties» Accelerated Measles Spread…

A new study finds that trends in colonoscopy rates did not fully align with the increase in colorectal cancer (CRC) in younger adults, adding to evidence that the rise in early onset CRC is not solely a result of more detection. CRC incidence rates are declining rapidly in adults older than 55 years in the…

Evidence-based programs known to reverse the negative effects of poverty are being widely neglected, according to a new report. «America’s children are already less healthy than children in every other industrialized nation, and poverty is one of the most important factors that impact their health and well-being,» says James M. Perrin, MD, investigator at MassGeneral…

A new study has found that socioeconomic status (SES) has the strongest impact on whether secondary school students study the STEM sciences. A research team drew on data from over 4,300 pupils in Australia, and also looked at Indigenous students who are less likely to study all sciences. Lead by Dr Grant Cooper of RMIT…

COVID-19 has left many victims of domestic violence facing difficulties feeding their children and accessing services for safe housing, transportation and childcare once they leave shelters, according to a new study. «Many survivors exiting domestic violence shelters are reporting difficulties in accessing resources within the community. Survivors in our study voiced concerns regarding access to…

The threat of a catastrophic pandemic in 2014 — the West African Ebola outbreak — did little to change the perception of US citizens regarding the importance of preparing for future outbreaks, say experts. That’s because the threat of a catastrophic pandemic in 2014 — the West African Ebola outbreak — did little to change…