Public Health
Not Just Ventilators: Staff Trained to Run Them Are in Short Supply
Each patient on a breathing machine requires multiple doctors and nurses to care for that person
Stories by Karen Weintraub
Medicine
Coronavirus Vaccines May Not Work for the Elderly—and This Lab Aims to Change That
A team at Boston Children’s Hospital is searching for ways to boost a vaccine’s effectiveness for those who need it most
Behavior
“Fake News” Web Sites May Not Have a Major Effect on Elections
Voters exposed to such untrustworthy sources also see valid news online, a study finds
Neurology
Tau Shows Promise as Achilles’ Heel for Alzheimer’s and Similar Diseases
The protein, once seen as a secondary player, has taken a leading role in combating neurodegenerative illnesses
Public Health
Epidemiologist Veteran of SARS and MERS Shares Coronavirus Insights after China Trip
Columbia University professor W. Ian Lipkin looks for lessons from the new disease COVID-19 to prevent the next disaster
Neuroscience
Is an Antidepressant Right for You? Ask Your Brain Waves
EEGs successfully picked out which depressed individuals got better on the drug Zoloft
Neuroscience
“Mini Brains” Are Not like the Real Thing
Snags hinder efforts to create small cellular models of the human cortex
Neuroscience
New Nerve-Growing Method Could Help Injured Soldiers and Others
Eight years of experiments demonstrate the bridging of large gaps in damaged nerves
Fitness
Are Human Body Temperatures Cooling Down?
A new study finds that they have dropped, on average, over the past century and a half
Neurology
Possible Missing Link in Alzheimer’s Pathology Identified
It may open the door to new treatments and explain why previous ones failed
Medicine
Bacteria “Tolerant” of One Antibiotic Are More Likely to Develop Resistance
Even combination therapies do not prevent such pathogens from becoming resistant
Biotech
Invisible Ink Could Reveal whether Kids Have Been Vaccinated
The technology embeds immunization records into a child’s skin
Neuroscience
Reassessment of Alzheimer’s Drug Raises Hope—and Concerns
Will the benefits of aducanumab be enough to justify FDA approval, given its small benefit and high price?
Medicine
HIV-Positive Babies Fare Better When Treatment Starts at Birth
Although not practical in many areas, the approach reveals clues to how the immune system battles the infection
Public Health
First New HIV Strain in 19 Years Identified
The surveillance of viral changes persists to keep the blood supply safe
Fitness
Measles Infection Could Leave Kids Vulnerable to Other Diseases
The finding that the virus causes “immune amnesia” further highlights the importance of vaccination
Sleep
Why Do Some People Need Less Sleep? It’s in Their DNA
U.C.S.F. researchers find a gene for flourishing with less shut-eye
Medicine
Could Immunotherapy Treat Diseases Besides Cancer?
Approaches for boosting the body’s immune system are being tried for autoimmune and heart conditions, but it is too early to know how well they will work in people
Biotech
Despite Controversy, Human Studies of CRISPR Move Forward in the U.S.
The technology that produced a global scandal in China last year has entered into clinical trials to treat sickle cell anemia and an eye disease
Health
Mind the Staph: London Is Crawling with Antibiotic-Resistant Microbes
The bacteria are not a major threat, but they could transfer their resistance to more dangerous pathogens
