THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Whether you have a low or a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity seems to be the driving factor in developing the disease, Danish researchers say. Their new study found that obesity increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by at least six times, no matter what a person's genetic risk was. "Obesity and unfavorable lifestyle are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes irrespective of genetic risk," said study author Hermina Jakupović. She's a doctoral fellow in biomedicine at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. These findings suggest that no matter what your family history might be, maintaining a healthy weight is a key to keeping type 2 diabetes at bay. "Weight management by healthy lifestyle should be...

THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've developed a low-cost swab test that can diagnose COVID-19 infections in about 45 minutes. The CRISPR-based test -- which uses gene-targeting technology and requires no specialized equipment -- could help relieve testing backlogs in the United States as COVID-19 continues to spread, the scientists said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the test, but clinical assessments are being conducted in an effort to fast-track approval. The test is described in a paper published April 16 in the journal Nature Biotechnology. "The introduction and availability of CRISPR technology will accelerate deployment of the next generation of tests to diagnose COVID-19 infection," co-lead developer Dr. Charles Chiu...

THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- "Am I going to die?" It was 11 days since Dr. Vijay Battu's first symptoms, and four days since his admission as a patient to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. And now the ravages of COVID-19 had begun to make breathing nearly impossible. "I asked because I was scared," recalled Battu. "It was horrible. I didn't feel like I was getting enough air. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything. I wanted to call my lawyer, to make a will. But honestly I couldn't even put my finger on my phone to type. I just couldn't. I didn't have the energy." Battu would eventually win his battle against COVID-19. But it was a harrowing journey back to health. For Battu -- an otherwise healthy 52-year-old ophthalmologist and attending surgeon at the New...

THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- With protective gear in short supply, Duke University researchers say they've designed a much-needed respirator for health care workers battling COVID-19. The respirator was created by a medical and engineering team at the university and is being used by Duke Health doctors treating patients with suspected cases of COVID-19. The idea for the protective respirator came from orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Melissa Erickson. "We have these helmets that we wear during arthroplasty surgery [joint repairs] and we started to wonder, 'Can these be repurposed?'" Erikson said in a Duke news release. Under Erickson's guidance, a multidisciplinary team created 3D-printed parts to modify the surgical helmet -- which uses room air -- into a powered...