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The novel coronavirus appears to be seasonal in nature, with major outbreaks occurring mainly in regions that match a specific set of climate conditions, a new study argues. All areas experiencing significant outbreaks of COVID-19 fall within a northern corridor that has an average temperature of 41 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit and an average humidity of 47% to 79%, according to virology researchers. These affected regions — China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Northern Italy, Seattle and Northern California — all fall within a band between 30 to 50 degrees Northern latitude. There’s been a lack of significant spread of COVID-19 into countries farther South. “To us, this suggests temperature and also low absolute and specific humidity could hold a key role in transmission,” said lead researcher Dr. Mohammad Sajadi, an associate professor of medicine with the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore. “Putting all this together, we think the distribution of significant community outbreaks along restricted latitude, temperature and humidity are consistent with the behavior of a seasonal respiratory virus,” Sajadi continued. This doesn’t mean that COVID-19 infection rates can be expected to fall with the coming of summer, however. Infectious disease experts note that the novel coronavirus has proven particularly infectious, given that humans have no established immunity against it. The coronavirus has an estimated transmission… read on >

A plant-based diet can benefit your heart, but only if you eat certain healthy types of food, researchers say. They tracked the eating behavior and the development of heart disease among more than 2,000 adults in Greece over 10 years, starting in 2002. Compared to those who ate more animal-based foods, men who ate more plant-based foods had a 25% lower risk of heart disease. Though the same trend was seen among women, it was less strong: Those who ate the fewest animal-based foods cut their heart disease risk by 11%. On average, people whose diet was heavier on plant-based foods ate three animal-based foods a day. Others ate five animal-based foods a day, according to the study being presented Wednesday as part of an online meeting of the American College of Cardiology and World Congress of Cardiology. “These findings highlight that even a small reduction in the daily consumption of animal-based products — principally the less healthy foods, such as processed meat products — accompanied by an increase in healthy plant-based foods may contribute to better cardiovascular health,” said lead author Demosthenes Panagiotakos. He’s a professor and vice rector at Harokopio University in Athens. Panagiotakos and his colleagues then focused on people who ate more plant-based foods in order to determine whether their diets were healthy (high amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts,… read on >

Brain inflammation may be more of a factor in dementia than previously believed, a new British study suggests. “We predicted the link between inflammation in the brain and the buildup of damaging proteins, but even we were surprised by how tightly these two problems mapped on to each other,” said co-author Thomas Cope of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. The findings could lead to new treatments for several types of dementia, his team said. Brain inflammation has been linked to depression, psychosis, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, the researchers investigated whether brain inflammation is also associated with other types of dementia. They used brain scans to assess 31 patients with three types of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD is a family of conditions caused by the buildup of abnormal “junk” proteins in the brain. In all three types of FTD, the more inflammation there was in each part of the brain, the greater the buildup of harmful junk proteins, the study found. To confirm that link, researchers analyzed 12 brains donated after death. “There may be a vicious circle where cell damage triggers inflammation, which in turn leads to further cell damage,” study co-author Richard Bevan Jones said in a university news release. James Rowe, a professor of neurosciences at the Cambridge Center for Frontotemporal Dementia who was… read on >

Even in the midst of rising rates of suicide and substance abuse, nearly 117 million Americans live in what is known as “health professional shortage areas.” Put another way, only 27% of mental health needs in those areas are being met, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). More than 6,300 additional providers would be needed to erase the gap. How did things get so bad? The dearth of mental and behavioral health professionals — psychiatrists, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and others — is not a recent development. It has slowly snowballed since the 1980s when state psychiatric hospitals were deinstitutionalized. “This has been a problem that’s been building over decades and decades, and now we’re at a crisis point,” said Angela Beck, director of the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Primary care physicians provide around half of all behavioral health services in the United States, Beck noted. “Unmet need,” the metric that HRSA uses, refers to the more serious or complex issues that require a trained mental health provider. “We’ve got demand going up,” Beck said, “but we don’t have a pipeline or a supply that’s expanding to keep pace.” Help wanted The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a shortage of 3,400 psychiatrists by 2032. “We have an opioid crisis, we… read on >

Staying calm during the coronavirus pandemic isn’t easy, but a few simple steps will help you stay informed yet relaxed. Keep up-to-date with reliable sources. “Given the onslaught of media coverage and information, it’s important to make sure you are getting updates from reputable sources,” said Nathaniel Van Kirk, coordinator of inpatient group therapy at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. Good sources include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. “Using these guidelines as a foundation, while acknowledging that you won’t be able to get 100% certainty in an evolving situation, may help you continue to live your daily life,” he said in a hospital news release. “It can help you keep your entire day from being consumed by anxiety or worry and instead let you focus on what you can control.” Limit your exposure to media, including social media, which has a lot of misinformation, and skip watching the news right before bedtime, experts advise. Try to stay calm. Kathryn Boger, program director of the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program, said being aware of two common thinking traps can help you avoid falling into them. One is catastrophizing, where you imagine the worst-case scenario, and the other is overgeneralizing, where you think the worst is much more likely to happen. “We… read on >

Coronavirus is officially a pandemic, and Americans are adopting “social distancing” to prevent a surge in potential illnesses and death. So, what if you run a fever or experience shortness of breath? Should that send you running to an emergency room? Not necessarily, since most coronavirus cases are mild and there’s no need to panic, experts note. The first thing to do is match your symptoms to those experienced by COVID-19 patients, said Dr. William Jaquis, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Fever, a dry cough and shortness of breath are the three most common symptoms, Jaquis said. Headaches, body aches, sore throat and fatigue sometimes occur but are more often associated with the flu, medical experts say. A runny nose rarely occurs with COVID-19, and sneezing is not a symptom of the virus. Next, assess the severity of your symptoms. Don’t just rush to the hospital. If you can still breathe reasonably well or your fever responds to over-the-counter remedies like acetaminophen (Tylenol), you should call your family doctor to discuss your best options for care, experts say. According to Dr. Aimee Moulin, an emergency medicine physician with the University of California, Davis, “If your symptoms are mild, you can reach out to your primary care physician, and if you feel like you can manage at home, folks are advised to… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Are you scared and confused over the threat of coronavirus? You’re not alone: Every day, every hour, new media reports can have you worrying about worst-case scenarios. Experts say panic is a natural — if unhelpful — response to major crises like COVID-19. But there are ways to stay both informed and calm. It’s not always easy, acknowledged psychologist Roxane Silver. “One of the most stressful aspects of this outbreak is the uncertainty and ambiguity that surrounds transmission,” said Silver, who’s professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine. “Because individuals can apparently spread the virus without exhibiting any symptoms, the threat is invisible, and anyone can be a carrier of disease,” she noted. So the unease folks feel “is normal and appropriate,” she said. But it can also tip over into panic, and media is often key to that, Silver believes. Sources matter “What is likely to be unhealthy is the spreading of rumors and misinformation, which often creep in during uncertain periods,” she said. For many, endless cycling through cable news or reading specious posts on Facebook can prove harmful, not helpful. Instead, people should proactively “seek out information from authoritative sources,” she said, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), or your local department of health. Both the… read on >

Some people love to run no matter the season, even cold weather, and that is OK as long as you take proper precautions, a physical therapist says. “It’s up to the runner. As long as he or she is healthy, wearing appropriate attire and highly visible, the cold doesn’t have to deter you from being outside,” said Grace “Annie” Neurohr. She’s a therapist and running specialist at Sinai Hospital’s Rubin Institute Running Injury Program, in Baltimore. But, if it’s icy, stay inside and use the treadmill, she advised. When you do run outside in the cold, wear the proper clothing and layer it. “A good base layer is crucial,” Neurohr said in a news release from LifeBridge Health. “A wool or wool hybrid base layer will wick away moisture while maintaining warm body temperature.” A warm hat is important for maintaining core temperature “since the majority of our heat is lost through our heads,” Neurohr said. Gloves are also essential. “Since the majority of your blood is getting pumped to your larger muscles, your hands need a little extra help staying warm,” she explained. Before heading out, warm up for five to 10 minutes to reduce the risk of muscle strains or joint pain. “A dynamic warm-up typically will consist of various types of skips, high knees, walking lunges, inchworms and leg swings, so typically… read on >

A test that can detect the genetic “fingerprint” of prostate cancer in blood could improve diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of the disease, researchers say. The test checks for prostate cancer DNA in blood in order to provide the earliest evidence that prostate cancer is active. This could help doctors monitor tumor behavior, determine if cancer has spread (“metastasized”) and choose the most appropriate treatment, according to the team at University College London Cancer Institute in the United Kingdom. The study was published March 9 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The next step is to assess whether this test could be used along with, or replace, the current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, according to the study authors. “Metastatic prostate cancer — the most dangerous late stage of the disease — can vary substantially in its treatment response and clinical progression,” lead author Dr. Anjui Wu said in a college news release. “We urgently need biomarkers that will help us determine how far along each patient’s cancer is, to determine the best course of treatment,” he explained. Corresponding author Gerhardt Attard, a professor at the institute, said researchers are testing the technique in a patient trial. The aim is to see if it can complement or replace the PSA test. “We believe the increased sensitivity and additional information we derive will significantly improve the outcomes of… read on >

If you are feeling the aches and pains of what you think is the flu, a trendy diet may be the culprit instead, a new study confirms. Researchers took a dive into what’s become known as “keto flu” — the fatigue, headache, nausea and mental fog that some people develop soon after starting a ketogenic diet. The keto diet, which is loaded with fat and skimpy on carbs, has become a popular way to lose weight. By depriving the body of carbs — its main source of fuel — the diet pushes it to burn fat instead. The tactic “undeniably works” in spurring quick weight loss, said Ginger Hultin, a Seattle-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. At the same time, though, it can leave people feeling miserable, at least in the first few weeks. That so-called keto flu has been recognized for some time, and it’s thought to be the result of the radical dietary change. Keto plans typically recommend getting 70% to 80% of calories from fat, 10% to 20% from protein, and a mere 5% to 10% from carbs. “You’re asking your body to shift into a completely different metabolic state,” Hultin explained. For the new study, researchers looked to online forums to see what keto dieters had to say about their short-term side effects. First, they… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Study Suggests COVID-19 Might Follow Seasonal Pattern

For Heart Health, Not All Plant-Based Diets Are Equal: Study

Study Ties Brain Inflammation to Several Types of Dementia

The Doctor Gap: Where Are All the Mental Health Care Providers?

Keeping Coronavirus Anxiety at Bay

Think You Have COVID-19 Symptoms? Here’s What to Do

Hit by Coronavirus Panic? Look for Data Not Drama, Experts Say

An Expert’s Guide to a Safe Run in Cold Weather

Prostate Cancer Leaves Detectable ‘Fingerprint’ in Blood: Study

Trying the Keto Diet? Watch Out for the ‘Keto Flu’