Reading Room

Resources & Information

The reading room includes articles and videos of potential interest to consumers and medical professionals. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NC Medical Board, its members, and staff. Note: Some links may require registration or subscription.

Study shows that the COVID infection may ignite dormant cancer in survivors

MedPage Today
July 30, 2025
Common respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu may be able to awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs and promote the development of new metastatic tumors, researchers suggested.

Using findings from a mouse model, this conclusion was corroborated with observational data in humans that showed increases in death and metastatic lung disease among cancer survivors infected with SARS-CoV-2, reported James DeGregori, PhD, of the University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora, and colleagues in Nature.

Big study from finds lifestyle changes after 60 can enhance brain health

NPR
July 28, 2025
Scientists have unveiled the strongest evidence yet that a combination of diet, exercise and brain training can improve thinking and memory in older Americans.

Seeing sick faces may prime the immune system to repel invaders

ScienceNews
July 28, 2025
Our brains might prime our immune system merely by seeing someone who looks sick. A study published July 28 in Nature Neuroscience found that participants who saw sick-looking faces in virtual reality showed changes in brain activity related to personal space monitoring and threat detection. Additionally, the activity of certain immune cells in the blood increased. The study is “unique in demonstrating that people’s immune system can be primed just by the visual recognition that someone looks sick,” says Michael Irwin, a psychoneuroimmunologist at UCLA who was not involved in the work. “That’s really remarkable.”

What can you do if you cannot pay medical bills?

MedicalNewsToday
July 24, 2025
Unpaid medical bills can cause stress and worry. A person may be unaware of the right questions to ask regarding payment. However, various forms of financial assistance can help. Medical billing systems can be complex, and patients may not be aware of the true costs of treatment before receiving it. It is important to get the right help when understanding medical bills to avoid facing late fees, lawsuits regarding unpaid bills, legal issues, and low credit scores.

10,000 daily step count goal debunked by huge study

Medpage Today
July 23, 2025
“Although 10,000 steps per day, an unofficial target for decades without a clear evidence base, was associated with substantially lower risks for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence, cancer mortality, dementia, and depressive symptoms than 7,000 steps per day, the incremental improvement beyond 7,000 steps per day was small, and there was no statistical difference between 7,000 steps per day and a higher step count for all the other outcomes,” the investigators wrote in Lancet Public Health.

Link to study: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00164-1/fulltext

COVID is rising in these 27 states. Will there be a summer surge?

Today
July 23, 2025
The United States appears to be in the beginning of a summer wave of COVID-19, with data showing cases are on the rise in more than half of U.S. states. An uptick in transmission fueled by contagious new variants is causing an increasing number of Americans to come down with sore throats, fevers and other COVID symptoms — just in time for peak summer travel season.

As of July 15, COVID-19 infections are either growing or likely growing in 27 states, declining in one state and unchanged in 17 states, according to forecasting models from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.