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THURSDAY, July 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Many more American workers caring for children, the sick or aged, as well as bus drivers, subway workers and those involved in food production took time off work in April -- probably due to fears of contracting COVID-19, a new government report finds. In an analysis of federal employment data on work absenteeism from October 2019 until the end of April 2020, researchers found that absenteeism for American workers overall didn't change as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. But that was not the case for certain essential service workers who did not have the option of working from home, the study found. "Absenteeism among workers in several [occupation-specific] groups that define or contain essential critical infrastructure workforce...

THURSDAY, July 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A simple blood test may predict the severity of a concussion as accurately as an invasive spinal tap, researchers report. They focused on a biomarker called neurofilament light chain. This nerve protein can be detected in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid when nerve cells are injured or die, according to the study. "When your brain is injured, neurofilament light chain levels are higher in both your blood and your spinal fluid," said study author Dr. Pashtun Shahim, of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. "Measuring this biomarker in your blood with a simple blood draw is faster and easier than measuring it in your spinal fluid, which requires a more invasive spinal tap. Our findings are exciting because they show that...

THURSDAY, July 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Safe injection sites for users of illicit drugs such as heroin: They've been tried and legalized in countries such as Canada and the Netherlands, and a new study suggests they might save American lives, too. In the study, published online July 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers analyzed five years of data (2014 to 2019) from an unsanctioned safe drug consumption site in the United States. It's location was not disclosed for privacy reasons. At the site, people were able to inject illicit drugs, such as heroin, under the supervision of staff who were trained to provide counseling, drug overdose intervention, and to also contact emergency medical services, if needed. People using the safe drug site had to be invited, be 18...

THURSDAY, July 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If you have a bad hip and lower back pain, a new study suggests that hip replacement surgery may solve both issues at once. Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City focused on 500 patients who underwent hip replacement surgery and followed up with them one year after the operation. Over 40% reported pain in their lower back prior to hip surgery. Of that group, 82% saw their back pain vanish after surgery. It was "completely gone," said study author Dr. Jonathan Vigdorchik, a hip and knee surgeon at the hospital. He said that experts in his field have studied the connection between the hip and back for years. A hip replacement is a surgical procedure to replace a worn-out or damaged hip joint with an artificial...