Health

All Health

  • ‘A metabolic tug-of-war’

    Researchers find that obesity allows cancer cells to outcompete tumor-killing immune cells in a battle for fuel in mice.

    T cells.
  • Closing the gap

    Mortality rate after cancer surgery drops during 10-year period, but gap persists between Black and white patients.

    Patient and doctor.
  • Collective action for collective healing

    Thomas Hübl, founder of the Academy of Inner Science, will offer a three-part workshop to Harvard faculty and staff to help them cope with the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Thomas Hubl.
  • Will there be a serious post-Thanksgiving COVID surge?

    Evidence of a post-Thanksgiving surge should be emerging this week, a Harvard epidemiologist said, advising people who gathered together to get tested or assume they’re infected.

    Porch with decorations.
  • Seeing clearly again

    Harvard Medical School scientists reverse age-related vision loss, eye damage from glaucoma in mice.

    Research lab.
  • U.S. failed to control pandemic, but vaccination provides ‘chance to get next phase right’

    Experts said the complex rollout of a coronavirus vaccine gives the U.S. a chance for a win after the virus gained the upper hand in its initial phase.

    Five speakers on Zoom.
  • ‘A terrific first start’

    Barry Bloom from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offers context about the news that two experimental vaccines appear to confer a high level of protection from the coronavirus.

    Vaccine bottles.
  • Have yourself a happy, healthy pandemic Thanksgiving

    Harvard psychiatric epidemiologist Karestan Koenen said acknowledging that this Thanksgiving will be hard is a first step toward a meaningful holiday.

    One person with a cup of coffee.
  • Early details of brain damage in COVID-19 patients

    Massachusetts General Hospital researchers examined six patients using a specialized magnetic resonance technique and found that COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms show some of the same metabolic disturbances in the brain as patients who have suffered oxygen deprivation from other causes.

    Brain scan.
  • Turning the problem of cancer metastasis into an opportunity

    Delivering immune-stimulating nanoparticles to the lungs via red blood cells halts tumor growth in mice.

    Red blood cells.
  • 12-minute exercise bursts offer big benefits

    A new study describes how a 12-minute burst of cardio exercise impacted more than 80 percent of circulating metabolites, including pathways linked key bodily functions such as insulin resistance, oxidative stress, vascular reactivity, inflammation, and longevity.

    Man running steps at Widener Library.
  • Antibody evolution may predict COVID-19 outcomes

    For COVID-19, the difference between surviving and not surviving severe disease may be due to the quality, not the quantity, of the patients’ antibody development and response, suggests a new study.

    Image from first COVID case.
  • AI revolution in medicine

    As part of our series, artificial intelligence is examined through the medical lens. It may lift personalized treatment, fill gaps in access to care, and cut red tape, but risks abound.

    Illustration of person having an X-ray.
  • Keeping safe from pandemic during the holidays

    William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, offers key advice as the holidays approach.

    People at Thanksgiving table.
  • Feeling election stress? Stop hitting ‘refresh’

    Harvard psychologists offer tips to survive political stress and strain

    Woman in mask destressing.
  • Vaccine close, but it likely won’t be a silver bullet

    Medical experts say a vaccine will be a key development in the fight against the coronavirus, but warned against thinking its deployment will mean the fight is over.

    Facui and Farmer in Zoom talk.
  • Nipping COVID in the bud

    A new trial at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is aiming to disrupt COVID-19’s attack early in its course by treating patients immediately after symptoms appear with a widely used antiviral drug that, if it works, could be rapidly repurposed to fight the coronavirus.

    Nathan Shapiro.
  • COVID’s triple whammy for Black students

    College students of color not only face a disproportionate risk of contracting COVID-19, they are particularly vulnerable to its psychological damage — especially when the longtime struggle against inequality and the current financial crisis are factored in, said speakers at a virtual Harvard forum.

    Panel of experts on Zoom screen.
  • Calculating possible fallout of Trump’s dismissal of face masks

    Looking at the public health effects, and perhaps mortality rate, from President Trump’s running dismissal of wearing face masks to minimize the spread of coronavirus.

    President Trump talking to a mask-free crowd.
  • An unhealthy influencer

    Risk factors for heart health, such as smoking, unhealthy diets and minimal physical activity, may seem personal, but for people who are married or in a domestic partnership, the behavior patterns of one person may be strongly linked to the patterns of the other.

    Couple drinking and smoking.
  • Investigational ALS drug slows progression

    An experimental medication that was recently shown to slow the progression of ALS has now demonstrated the potential to also prolong patient survival.

    Neuron
  • Breakthrough blood test developed for brain tumors

    Researchers have developed a liquid biopsy that can more accurately detect the most common type of adult brain tumors.

    A 3-D image of a human skull and brain depicting cancer.
  • Is go-slow schools’ reopening failing kids?

    Harvard Chan School’s Joseph Allen gives America an “F” on school reopening efforts, and says we’re in danger of losing thousands of virtual dropouts and wasting mild late summer/early autumn weather we could use to boost in-person learning.

    Joseph Allen.
  • Heart attack uptick attached to 2016 presidential election

    Two days after the 2016 presidential election, hospitalization rates for heart attacks and strokes were 1.62 times higher than the same two days the week prior, based on information supplied by a large southern California health system.

    Illustration of heart.
  • Protection against reinfection

    A new study shows that people who survive serious COVID-19 infections have long-lasting immune responses against the virus.

    Micrograph showing heavily infect COVID patient.
  • COVID-19 and cancer

    Study represents the most comprehensive scientific survey to date about the interrelationship between COVID-19 and cancer.

    Test tubes.
  • International forum cites strong government response as key in battle against COVID

    The international forum “Global Perspectives on COVID-19,” co-sponsored by Harvard Medical School, cited the importance of strong, coordinated government response as a key to stopping the novel coronavirus’ spread.

    Salim Abdool Karim.
  • At-home COVID testing launches in Boston

    The TestBoston study will facilitate at-home testing on 10,000 people for both the SARS-CoV-2 virus and antibodies against it to increase access to testing and surveillance.

    SARS-CoV-2 virus particles.
  • Sleep test predicts dementia in older adults

    A noninvasive sleep test may help diagnose and predict dementia in older adults by measuring brain activity.

  • Trial run

    Monica Bertagnolli is ensuring that more people in her home state of Wyoming are getting the health care that they need.

    Monica Bertagnolli standing in a mountain