Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed

Los Angeles Times: USC Researchers Identify Symptoms Associated With Increased Risk For Long COVID
A new study from researchers at USC offers some insights into the prevalence of long COVID and suggests some early clues for who might be more likely to develop long-term symptoms. ... Patients who reported sore throats, headaches and, intriguingly, hair loss after testing positive were more likely to have lingering symptoms months later. (Purtill, 7/20)

The Washington Post: People Who Haven't Gotten Covid Yet Are In An Exclusive Club
There are no winners in a pandemic. That said, if you’ve made it to the summer of 2022 without yet testing positive for the coronavirus, you might feel entitled to some bragging rights. ... You might suspect that you are special — immunologically superior, a super-dodger. You also might have come up with some bizarre theories about why you’ve lasted longer. (McCarthy, 7/21)

The Atlantic: We’re Testing For Monkeypox The Wrong Way
As the outbreak spreads—with more than 2,000 cases in the U.S., by the latest count—public-health authorities have doubled down on this restriction: Testing for the virus must make use of swabs taken from a lesion, according to a “Safety Communication” issued by the Food and Drug Administration last Friday. “The FDA is not aware of clinical data supporting the use of other sample types, such as blood or saliva, for monkeypox virus testing,” the communication said, and testing of these other types “may lead to false test results.” This alarming messaging, delivered at a crucial moment in the virus’s spread, will have a profound effect on how quickly new monkeypox infections can be identified, isolated, and treated. (Mazer, 7/21)

Fortune: “The End Of The Expert As We Know It:” What Gen Z Wants Their Health Care To Look Like
Even though they're social media natives, the majority of Gen Zers want to see their doctor face to face. Sixty-two percent of survey respondents say they want to communicate with their primary care provider in-person. Half say convenient location is the number-one criteria for selecting a primary care provider, compared to 29% who prioritize telehealth capabilities. Only one-third of those surveyed say they use an app for their health care needs. (Mikhail, 7/18)

The New York Times: Can A ‘Magic’ Protein Slow The Aging Process? 
Several years ago, scientists studying aging at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used a somewhat Frankensteinian technique known as parabiosis — surgically joining a young mouse and an old mouse so that they share blood — to see what would happen to the heart and skeletal muscle tissue. ... The Harvard researchers, Amy Wagers and Dr. Richard Lee, found that the old mouse’s heart tissue had been repaired and rejuvenated, becoming young again. (Zimmerman, 7/19)

The Conversation: Silent, Subtle And Unseen: How Seizures Happen And Why They're Hard To Diagnose
Over the past century, the public’s understanding of seizures has been gleaned mostly from depictions in movies and television, which are often as disturbing as they are inaccurate. While these dramatic representations intensify visual storytelling, they frequently perpetuate stigma and understate the complexity of seizures. The truth is, seizures are far more varied than what you see in popular culture. Instead, they are often subtle, silent and unseen. (Pellinen, 7/21)

On the heat wave —

Houston Chronicle: Houston Doctors Warn Texas Heat Affects Blood Pressure Medicine
As Houston sets heat records and other parts of the world see unusually high temperatures, people taking certain medications — including those that reduce blood pressure — face an increased risk of exhaustion and dehydration. In more serious cases, the combination can lead to fainting, kidney failure or life-threatening heart problems. (Gill, 7/21)

Poynter: How Hot Weather Affects Medications 
Hot weather is flat-out bad for most medications. The heat can degrade the components of a medicine. Now that so many prescriptions are delivered, how will they fare when they sit in a mailbox or delivery truck while high temperatures bake patches of the planet this summer? (Tompkins, 7/21)

Also —

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Golfer Forges Ahead After Losing His Feet: ‘Life Can Move Forward’
Erik Bowen naturally gravitated to golf. He played several sports growing up near San Diego and then Denver — soccer, football, baseball, basketball — but his dad, Jeff, was an avid golfer. So young Erik often hung out in the pro shop as a kid, until he was old enough to join his dad on the course. ... He never imagined he would need to learn how to play golf all over again a year later — after losing both of his feet. (Kroichick, 7/17)

The Washington Post: The Unexpected Star Of NASA’S Webb Images — The Alt Text Descriptions
The alt text feature on social media platforms allows a person to describe through words an image so that someone who is blind or visually impaired can use screen-reader technology to know what is being shown. In other words, it makes an image accessible to everyone. And in the case of the recent photos shared by NASA, it allowed everyone to know they were looking at celestial scenes bursting with colors and shapes. (Vargas, 7/20)