Feasibility study reports

People could find their IQ levels slashed by 10 points along with their brain ageing by 20 years after having had a severe case of Covid , a new study has found. While many scientific reports have suggested that Covid damages the working of the brain, a new study by the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London has specific findings. It states that the cognitive impact of patients having a severe case of Covid is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points. And the deterioration is similar to 20 years of ageing from 50 to 70 years of age. The study also suggests that these impacts are still noticeable more than six months after having the virus and that what recovery does happen is gradual. Previously studies have also found that cognitive skills have been impacted by Covid ( Image: Getty Images) The investigation saw an in depth study of 46 Brits who had Covid in 2020 and were treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital - with 16 of whom on mechanical … [Read more...] about Catching Covid can age your brain by 20 years and make your IQ drop, study finds

If you feel stressed about work, hugging your partner briefly may be your natural reaction. But now scientists have given their backing to tenderly embracing your spouse — saying it really does help to banish stress. That's because a cuddle — even if it lasts seconds — can buffer the body's natural response to taxing situations. However, only women appear able to reap the benefits. No visible stress-reducing effects were seen in men. German researchers said this could be down to women finding hugs 'significantly more pleasant' than men. They also produce more of oxytocin in response. The love hormone, as it is known, interferes with the production of cortisol, therefore helping to reduce levels of the stress hormone in the body. Experts claimed their findings, based on 76 couples, show 'social touch may buffer against stress'. But now scientists have given their backing to tenderly embracing your spouse — saying it really does help to banish stress. That's because … [Read more...] about Hug it out – it really does beat stress… but only if you’re a woman, study finds

The UK must consider delaying the country's departure from the EU in the event that key issues are not resolved, said the House of Commons' Exiting the European Union Committee in a report published Sunday. "If substantial aspects of the future partnership remain to be agreed in October 2018, the government should seek a limited extension to the Article 50 time," said the committee, which contains lawmakers from all parties represented in parliament. Read more: Remainers launch campaign for second Brexit referendum Key issues Labour lawmaker Hilary Benn, who chairs the committee, said the British government has yet to provide concrete solutions to major issues , including the Irish border. London and Brussels have agreed that Brexit should not undermine the island's peace by erecting a hard border . "The government must now come forward with credible, detailed proposals as to how it can operate a 'frictionless border' between Northern Ireland and the Republic of … [Read more...] about UK lawmakers suggest postponing Brexit in committee report

A new study blames pollution of all types for 9 million deaths a year globally, with the death toll attributed to dirty air from cars, trucks and industry rising 55% since 2000. That increase is offset by fewer pollution deaths from primitive indoor stoves and water contaminated with human and animal waste, so overall pollution deaths in 2019 are about the same as 2015. The United States is the only fully industrialized country in the top 10 nations for total pollution deaths, ranking 7th with 142,883 deaths blamed on pollution in 2019, sandwiched between Bangladesh and Ethiopia , according to a new study in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. Tuesday’s pre-pandemic study is based on calculations derived from the Global Burden of Disease database and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle. India and China lead the world in pollution deaths with nearly 2.4 million and almost 2.2 million deaths a year, but the two nations also have the world's … [Read more...] about Global pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds

A recent medical study of recovered Covid patients' stool samples has discovered that the coronavirus can remain in your gut for seven months - leading scientists to argue that the virus can survive for months in hidden viral "reservoirs". Covid-negative patients with fragments of the virus in their faeces were more likely to report continued nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting - even after their other symptoms had long faded. The study involved 113 participants taking samples over the course of several months. Authors of the study suggest that their results indicate that COVID-19 infects the gut and that this infection continues for people who suffer from Long Covid . While the vast majority of people recover from a Covid infection over the course of a few days or weeks, some people report experiencing continued symptoms or health problems months after testing positive. This has puzzled scientists who have struggled to explain why this is happening. Want the latest … [Read more...] about Long Covid can linger in your gut for 7 months, study finds – see symptoms

For those who have recovered from Covid-19, having long-term effects and symptoms are an unfortunate reality. In fact, an estimated 1.3 million people in the UK are experiencing self-reported Long Covid symptoms, according to the Office for National Statistics. A new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine found evidence showing that a considerable proportion of people who have recovered from Covid-19 showed at least one main lingering symptom, up to two years after they were infected. Researchers found the prevailing symptoms included long-term effects on multiple organs in the body. While most Covid survivors had been back to work since falling ill, half still suffered with fatigue, the follow-up study found. "Regardless of initial disease severity, Covid-19 survivors had longitudinal improvements in physical and mental health, with most returning to their original work within two years; however, the burden of symptomatic sequelae remained fairly high," the … [Read more...] about Half of Covid hospital survivors still have lingering symptom 2 years on, study finds

Long Covid: Dr Sara Kayat discusses impact on children Sign up for FREE health tips to live a long and happy life SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info COVID-19 is a pernicious and multifaceted viral foe with the ability to affect almost every part of the body from how it breathes to how it thinks, and now, to how it hears. Researchers from King’s College London’s ZOE Covid survey have noticed more and more people are developing tinnitus as a result of a Covid infection. Co-founder of the study, Professor Tim Spector, says the symptom should be taken “really seriously” as it indicates the virus has found new ways to attack the body. Tinnitus occurs when a person experiences a noise without an outside source over a prolonged period; … [Read more...] about Covid: The symptom affecting one in five people ‘for weeks or months’ – study finding

Prisoners who are studying should be given laptops to ensure they can complete their education, a new report recommends. They should also have access to online learning resources, it says, although it raises concerns about prisoners having "unfettered" access to the internet. The House of Commons' Education Committee study says as long as security can be assured and access is tightly restricted to educational purposes, it recommends the Ministry of Justice provide in-cell laptops. The committee's report notes that in December 2020, Ofsted rated just nine out of 32 institutions as "good" for their prison education, with none rated "outstanding". It highlights "the cracks in a clunky, chaotic, disjointed system which does not value education as the key to rehabilitation". Advertisement Data shows more than 30% of prisoners have a learning disability or learning challenges - which is likely to be an underestimate, given that prisons rely on inmates … [Read more...] about Prisoners should be given laptops for study, new report recommends

Want a big family? According to a recent study, you'd best be in love with your partner, and pick that partner yourself. According to the study, published Tuesday in Frontiers in Psychology , couples in Tanzania's Hadza tribe—hunter-gatherers who live as people did 10,000 years ago (before farming demanded remaining in one place)—those who reported high levels of commitment had the most children. "Our study may shed new light on the meaning of love in humans' evolutionary past, especially in traditional hunter-gatherer societies in which individuals, not their parents, were responsible for partner choice," the authors wrote. The Hadza's rare lifestyle means the findings could shed light on what makes heterosexual people more likely to reproduce. Beyond commitment, the researchers found other predictors of multiple births, some of which highlighted differences between men and women. Female tribe members who reported high levels of passion had more children; those who reported … [Read more...] about Do you have to be in love to have children? New study says yes.

An estimated 9 million people die from pollution of all types each year, according to a study of global mortality and pollution levels published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal. A spike in toxic lead poisoning and worsening air pollution countered the modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere. This has kept global deaths from environmental contamination at 9 million per year since 2015, according to scientists analyzing 2019 data from the Global Burden of Disease, which is an ongoing study by the University of Washington that assesses overall pollution exposure. Pollution is an "existential threat to human health and planetary health, and jeopardizes the sustainability of modern societies," the study found, adding that its impact on global health remains "much greater than that of war, terrorism, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, drugs and alcohol". "We're sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning," said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of Pure Earth, a … [Read more...] about Pollution kills 9 million people a year, new study finds