ISLAMABAD, JUNE 05  (ABC): A study suggests confiding in others is one of the best ways to stave off depression, while daytime napping and spending lots of time watching television appear to increase the risk of developing the condition. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) say depression is a leading cause of disability, and estimate more than 264 million people …

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 05  (ABC): A new study has found that electric cookers in the home can effectively sanitize N95 respirators, which are key pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the current COVID-19 pandemic. A key part of the world’s effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is the use of PPE. COVID-19 typically spreads when a person expels droplets …

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 05  (ABC): A team from the University of Michigan have developed an algorithm to help treat COVID-19 patients with diabetes. The tool could reduce the risk of complications, such as kidney failure and respiratory distress, in these people. People with diabetes are one of the groups at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Although people with diabetes …

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 02 (ABC): Researchers have found a seemingly safe way to administer drugs directly into the brain: through a previously unknown type of neurotransmitters. They tested this approach in mice. The blood-brain barrier poses a crucial challenge for doctors hoping to deliver drugs and other therapeutic substances directly to the brain. A new study from researchers describes a way of …

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 02 (ABC): Countries that had compulsory bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination at least until 2000 appear to have built up a degree of “herd immunity” against COVID-19, a new study suggests. There would have been approximately 80% fewer COVID-19 deaths in the United States by March 29, 2020, if the country had employed mandatory BCG vaccination since at least …

ISLAMABAD, June 01 (ABC): New research suggests that air pollution may have an effect on the number of people who die from COVID-19. The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has meant that there has been little time for scientists to determine what affects its speed of transmission and how lethal it can be. Scientists have, however, already identified some …

NEW YORK, May 29(ABC): Some prominent infectious disease experts are pushing for faster action from global health authorities to contain a growing monkeypox outbreak that has spread to at least 20 countries. They are arguing that governments and the World Health Organization should not repeat the early missteps of the COVID-19 pandemic that delayed the detection of cases, helping the …

ISLAMABAD, May 29ABC): Daily vitamin D supplements do not seem to prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes in people already at high risk of the condition, finds a study. Type 2 diabetes affects around 480 million people worldwide, and is predicted to increase to 700 million by 2045. Another half a billion people have impaired glucose tolerance or pre-diabetes, …

BRUSSELS, May 27 (ABC): The monkeypox disease does not spread easily between people, the EU health agency said on Monday. “Human-to-human transmission occurs through close contact with infectious material from skin lesions of an infected person, through respiratory droplets in prolonged face-to-face contact, and through fomites,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) stated in a risk assessment …

ISLAMABAD, MAY 27(ABC): Researchers in Italy have identified structural and functional differences in the brains of people with temporary and chronic anxiety. These differences may serve to improve the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety. The feeling of anxiety is a common one. Most of us have, at one time or another, felt worried about future outcomes, be they test results, …