More than five centuries ago, Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci produced a now-famous image of what he considered the perfectly proportioned male body: the “Vitruvian Man.” The drawing was inspired by even earlier pondering on the perfect human form by first-century A.D. Roman architect Vitruvius. Now, work done by American scientists involving high-tech scans of the bodies of almost 64,000 fit young men (and some women), finds that Leonardo got very close to anatomical measurements collected today. “Despite the different samples and methods of calculation, Leonardo da Vinci’s ideal human body and the proportions obtained with contemporary measurements were similar,” reported a team led by Diana Thomas, a mathematician at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. “Vitruvian Man” is an iconic drawing by Leonardo from 1490 in which an adult male stands, legs together and then apart, inside a circle and square whose borders end at his head, outstretched hands and feet. It’s meant to depict the ideal adult male body. But how close did Leonardo get to reality? To find out, Thomas and her colleagues had thousands of highly fit U.S. Air Force training recruits, ages 17 to 21, undergo high-tech 3D body scanning to determine average measurements. For good measure, a separate sample of almost 1,400 female recruits were also scanned — the artist did not produce a “Vitruvian Woman,” however.…  read on >

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) generally fare better when they have a clear routine. Now, a new study suggests that as the coronavirus pandemic turned family schedules upside down, kids’ symptoms often worsened. The researchers surveyed 241 parents in China, found that the majority said their child’s ADHD symptoms had worsened during lockdown and the switch to online schooling. Two-thirds reported an increase in angry outbursts, while 56% said their child’s ability to stick with a daily routine had deteriorated. A similar percentage felt their kids were having difficulty staying focused. The findings came as no surprise to Dr. Joseph Hagan, who was not involved in the study. He coauthored the current American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on ADHD. “We generally respond to situations with what we have,” Hagan said. “So, it’s not surprising that children with ADHD would respond [to lockdown] this way.” For one, he explained, having a predictable schedule is part of what helps children with ADHD manage. When the pandemic upended everyone’s routines — including pushing children into online learning — that predictability was lost. Beyond that, Hagan said, kids with the disorder commonly have anxiety or depression symptoms, which could have been exacerbated by the situation. And since ADHD tends to run in families, he added, many children may be living with parents having their own difficulties. The…  read on >

There’s been a nearly 60% drop in broken bones among U.S. children during the coronavirus pandemic, but the rate of fractures that occur at home has climbed, a new study finds. The researchers analyzed data on 1,735 youngsters treated for acute fractures at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) between March 15 and April 15, and compared that data with the same time period in 2018 and 2019. There was a nearly 2.5-fold decline in the number of daily fracture cases during the coronavirus pandemic, compared with the two previous years, the investigators found. There was a particularly sharp fall in sports-related fractures. They accounted for just 7.2% of all fractures during the during the recent time period, compared with 26% of all fractures in the same time period in 2018 and 2019. However, there was a more than 25% increase in fractures that occurred at home this year, and a 12% increase in fractures caused by high-energy falls, such as fractures from trampoline and bicycle falls. Due to social distancing measures — including the closure of schools and parks and the cancellation of team sports during the coronavirus pandemic — families are spending more time at home. The shift in causes of fractures is due to parents seeking other recreational activities for their children, said the authors of the study published online recently in…  read on >

When you’re searching for a misplaced item, it’s helpful to think about its color, size and shape. But Johns Hopkins researchers say traits you can’t see also come into play. The researchers said that volunteers found everyday items in clutter 20% quicker if they subconsciously factored in traits you can’t see, like hardness or softness. “Simply knowing the latent physical properties of objects is enough to help guide your attention to them,” said senior study author Jason Fischer, a cognitive neuroscientist in the department of psychological and brain sciences. “It’s surprising because nearly all prior research in this area has focused on a host of visual properties that can facilitate search, but we find that what you know about objects can be as important as what you actually see,” he said. For the study, Fischer’s team did experiments in which people tried to find everyday objects amid clutter. Some searches involved hardness of the missing object. Researchers found that people used the perception of hardness to find the object faster, but none of the participants was aware of doing so. “If you are searching for a sweater in a cluttered room, without any awareness of doing so you are able to avoid wasting time searching through the hard objects in the room and instead focus on the soft ones,” Fischer said. The greater the clutter,…  read on >

Headed to the beach or park for a little fresh air? Don’t forget your sun protection, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, affecting one in five Americans, but many don’t protect themselves from harmful UV rays. Sixty percent of respondents to an AAD survey said they had had such a bad sunburn their clothes were uncomfortable, and 43% hurt too much to sleep. “Sunburns are highly preventable, but each year, one in three U.S. adults gets sunburned,” said AAD president Dr. Bruce Thiers. “As dermatologists, we know that unprotected exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays is a major risk factor for skin cancer,” he said in an academy news release. “It only takes a few simple steps to protect yourself from the sun, and it can reduce your risk of getting sunburns, skin cancer and premature skin aging, such as wrinkles and age spots.” To protect yourself, the AAD recommends: Seek shade when the sun’s rays are strongest, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Rule of thumb: If your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade. Wear sun-protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection. Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on areas not covered by clothing.…  read on >

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is devastating, no matter your sex. But the disease strikes far more women than men. Journalist and author Maria Shriver is determined to help researchers figure out why women make up two-thirds of those with Alzheimer’s disease. And why certain races and ethnicities are harder hit, too. “Some of the biggest research challenges in terms of gender disparity reach back to the many years of neglect by researchers to include women in their studies,” said Shriver, 64. “The lack of female representation in scientific research has left critical gaps in knowledge about the gender differences that exist in our unique bodies and responses to treatment. So we’re starting out from behind,” she explained. To address some of these issues, Shriver founded the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM). In partnership with AARP, her group just released a new report called “It’s Time to Act: The Challenges of Alzheimer’s and Dementia for Women.” Seventy-five Alzheimer’s and dementia researchers contributed to the report, which includes a 10-year strategic plan for researchers, policymakers and caregivers. During a virtual meeting to announce the report, Jo Anne Jenkins, CEO of AARP, said, “The lifetime risk for women to develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia after age 45 is estimated to be one in five. For men it’s one in 10.” And the report noted that by the time…  read on >

Four of the earliest U.S. cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome in kids with COVID-19 are described in a study that offers insight into the condition. The four children — aged 5, 10, 12 and 13 — arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with what is known as exaggerated cytokine storm, an abnormal autoimmune response to the new coronavirus. Nasal swab tests for the virus were negative, but antibody testing confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. The previously healthy children were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and were given intravenous immunoglobulin and tocilizumab, an immunosuppressive drug often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Study co-author Dr. Jennifer Sanders said severe reactions to COVID-19 infection in kids remain rare. But even if their initial infection was very mild, some become critically ill several weeks later due to this exaggerated immune response. It’s known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. Sanders is an assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The cases underscore the need for emergency doctors to be on the lookout for the syndrome among kids who have been infected with COVID-19, even if they initially appear to be well, said Dr. Temima Waltuch, a pediatric emergency medicine fellow. “This syndrome appears to be its own entity but patients are presenting with symptoms…  read on >