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
Karen Weintraub is a staff writer at USA Today, where she covers COVID, vaccine development and other health issues.
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
“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
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
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
Is an Antidepressant Right for You? Ask Your Brain Waves
EEGs successfully picked out which depressed individuals got better on the drug Zoloft
“Mini Brains” Are Not like the Real Thing
Snags hinder efforts to create small cellular models of the human cortex
New Nerve-Growing Method Could Help Injured Soldiers and Others
Eight years of experiments demonstrate the bridging of large gaps in damaged nerves
Are Human Body Temperatures Cooling Down?
A new study finds that they have dropped, on average, over the past century and a half
Possible Missing Link in Alzheimer’s Pathology Identified
It may open the door to new treatments and explain why previous ones failed
Bacteria “Tolerant” of One Antibiotic Are More Likely to Develop Resistance
Even combination therapies do not prevent such pathogens from becoming resistant
Invisible Ink Could Reveal whether Kids Have Been Vaccinated
The technology embeds immunization records into a child’s skin
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?
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
First New HIV Strain in 19 Years Identified
The surveillance of viral changes persists to keep the blood supply safe
Measles Infection Could Leave Kids Vulnerable to Other Diseases
The finding that the virus causes “immune amnesia” further highlights the importance of vaccination
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
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
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
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
How to Make a Mouse Hallucinate
A real-time capture of brain-circuit activity shows how simple it is to change what an animal sees
Alzheimer’s Meeting: Lifestyle Factors Are the Best—and Only—Bet Now for Reducing Dementia Risk
Researchers are still optimistic about finding disease-altering medicines—just not anytime soon
Worm Wiring Diagram May Help Us Understand Our Own Nervous System
Genes in the humble C. elegans also turn up in autism, schizophrenia and other human disorders
Going Barefoot Is Good for the Sole
Walking without shoes builds calluses, but that does not limit sensation