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UrduA new study assesses the number of lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia and introduces a novel methodology that will help to get a clearer view of pandemics in the future.
Tag: Public Health
Physicians urged to consider fungal infections as possible cause for lung inflammation
UC Davis Health infectious diseases expert George Thompson warns of the rising threat and apparent spread of disease-causing fungi outside their traditional hot spots. Fungal lung infections are commonly misdiagnosed, leading to delays in treatment and increase in antimicrobial resistance in the community.
Global health researchers use human movement patterns to determine risk of malaria spreading during certain times of day
In a paper recently published in Malaria Journal, global health researchers, Daniel Parker, PhD, assistant professor, and Guiyun Yan, PhD, professor, both from the UCI Program in Public Health, analyzed the movement ecology of humans in two places of heightened importance for Ethiopia’s malaria control and elimination strategies: Gambella and Benishangul-Gumuz (on the international border with Sudan and South Sudan).
More U.S. adults carrying loaded handguns daily, study finds
New research led by the University of Washington finds that the number of U.S. adult handgun owners carrying a loaded handgun on their person doubled from 2015 to 2019, and that a larger proportion of handgun owners carried handguns in states with less restrictive carrying regulations.
To prevent the next pandemic, restore wildlife habitats
Preserving and restoring natural habitats could prevent pathogens that originate in wildlife from spilling over into domesticated animals and humans, according to two new companion studies.
EPA Awards $1 Million to UAlbany Researchers for Community Air Pollution Monitoring Projects
The projects are focused on enhancing air quality monitoring in communities across the U.S. in areas that are underserved, historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.
NIH’s Climate and Health Initiative tackles global health effects associated with a changing climate
Media Availability What: Leaders from the National Institutes of Health discuss the agency’s plan to address the risk to human health posed by a changing climate in a commentary published in The Lancet. As floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and heat…
Low-Cost Air Quality Sensors Deliver Insights on Environmental Injustice
Networks of low-cost air quality sensors are able to detect temporary peaks and “hot spots” in air pollution and could be a better tool for tracking short-term changes in air quality in communities than regulatory sensors. Monitoring fine-scale, real-time changes in air pollution could support efforts to protect public health.
UAlbany Public Health Experts Available to Discuss Surge in RSV Cases
ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 3, 2022) — Children’s hospitals in parts of the U.S. are seeing a surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases, a common respiratory virus that can cause severe breathing problems for babies and older adults. RSV is…
Paxlovid and COVID Rebound – Ochsner Health Experts Available
When Paxlovid became available for wider use earlier this year, multiple reports of COVID rebound in patients who had taken the antiviral treatment soon followed, leading some doctors to reconsider prescribing it for lower-risk patients. However, a new study has…
Study Finds Persistent Disparities in Access to Prenatal Care Among Pregnant People Based on Citizenship Status and Education Level
Findings suggest exclusions to Medicaid because of immigration status may increase risk for maternal health care disparities in some immigrant populations
UCI study finds 53 percent jump in e-waste greenhouse gas emissions between 2014, 2020
Greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere from electronic devices and their associated electronic waste increased by 53 percent between 2014 and 2020, including 580 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020 alone, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.
Study: Concerns over COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness, not general medical mistrust, slowed early uptake in Black, Latinx communities
New research on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Black, Latinx communities could help shape more persuasive messages to boost uptake.
Why do COVID-19 conspiracy theories persist on social media?
IIASA researchers have analyzed the discussion on eight different conspiracy theories that was spread widely on Twitter during the pandemic.
Surgeons on the Frontline of Gun Violence: Media meet and greet with surgeons who treat firearm violence victims
Surgeons who care for victims of firearm violence every day and are involved in advocacy efforts and research on gun safety and violence prevention will be available to talk with members of the media next week in person at the San Diego Convention Center and virtually through the YouTube Live platform.
Needs and Challenges for COVID-19 Boosters and Other Vaccines in the U.S.
FAU researchers and collaborators provide the most updated guidance to health care providers and urge how widespread vaccination with these boosters can now avoid the specter of future and more lethal variants becoming a reality.
Millions of youth are using e-cigarettes. Ochsner Health expert available to discuss immediate health risks
2.5 million middle and high school students are still currently using e-cigarettes, according to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, despite federal efforts to crack down on synthetic, flavored, and often disposable nicotine products that continue to flood the market.…
UCLA-led study finds California’s greenhouse gas reductions could be wiped out by 2020 wildfires
A new analysis led by researchers with the University of California has found the 2020 wildfires in the state, the most disastrous wildfire year on record, put twice as much greenhouse gas emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere as the total reduction in such pollutants in California between 2003-2019.
New Algorithm Can Identify Images of Alcohol in Electronic Media; Potential Tool to Limit Online Exposure to Alcohol Marketing
A new algorithm has been found to identify images of alcohol in electronic media with a high degree of accuracy. Possible applications for this algorithm include public health research to quantify exposure to images of alcohol and mobile or web applications to allow individuals to filter unwanted exposure to online alcohol advertising or alcohol-related content. The development and testing of the algorithm are described in a paper published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. The algorithm has been made publicly available at no charge.
RUSH, Discovery Partners Institute Awarded CDC Contract to Test Wastewater for Antibiotic Resistant Organisms
Under a four-year $2 million contract awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, scientists from RUSH and the Discovery Partners Institute will test wastewater from long-term care facilities to identify antibiotic-resistant organisms.
Australians with obesity unfairly blamed amid ‘lazy’ stigma
Simplistic stereotypes of Australians living with obesity blame the individual and fail to consider the complex causes, according to a blueprint that seeks to overhaul the way the nation deals with obesity.
New survey: 91% of parents say their family is less stressed when they eat together
The American Heart Association releases new survey highlighting mealtime impact on mental well-being and introduces Together Tuesdays™ to help people maximize health benefits of shared meals.
Nutrition journalist and registered dietitian available to comment on benefits of alcohol-free lifestyle
Sober October is a movement to encourage people to go alcohol-free for the month of October. Excessive alcohol consumption can be associated with anxiety, high blood pressure, liver disease and some cancers. Nutrition journalist and registered dietitian, Molly Kimball, leads the…
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health-led research demonstrates the importance of influenza vaccination globally
An international team of researchers has demonstrated that among patients hospitalized for influenza, those who were vaccinated had less severe infections, including reducing the odds for children requiring admittance to an intensive care unit by almost half.
2022 Flu Shots and Kids
Ochsner Health shares advice on the 2022 flu vaccine for kids
First global survey of mayors shows urgent climate, infrastructure, equity challenges
A new global survey of city leaders underscores pressing challenges facing municipalities, including rising inequality, extreme heat and flood risks exacerbated by climate change, and a need to rebalance transportation systems that overly favor private automobiles.
UTHealth Houston study: Lower cancer screening rates differ by region, tied to social vulnerability
Populations in U.S. counties defined as more vulnerable based on social factors including socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic minority status were significantly less likely to receive timely breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings, according to research from UTHealth Houston.
An infusion of public health ethics could have improved COVID policy
Distrust and, at times, outright dismissal of public health’s evolving pandemic guidance might have been minimized by relying more heavily on input and guidance from ethicists, argue the authors of a new perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine.
City-based soda pop taxes don’t effectively reduce sugar consumption
As taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages continue to pop up across the U.S. and abroad, public health experts laud their effect on lowering purchases of the calorie-heavy drinks and encouraging healthier habits. But new research from the University of Georgia suggests many soda taxes might actually not be making much of an impact at all when it comes to improving diets and reducing sugar intake.
Access to paid sick leave linked to lower mortality rate among US adult workers
Access to paid sick leave is linked to a lower rate of mortality among US working age men and women, according to new research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier.
Top 10 Flu Myths in 2022 Revealed
Infectious Disease experts at Ochsner Health in New Orleans reveal the top 10 myths about the flu and flu vaccines in 2022.
UAlbany-led study finds exposure to sun, heat and humidity can exacerbate symptoms of mental disorders
New research links information on New York weather and hospital emergency department visits to assess how summer weather conditions impact people living with mental disorders. Findings can inform strategies to mitigate severe symptoms and improve patient care.
Distress leads to higher COVID vaccine rates, less adherence to distancing guidelines
New research from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences indicates that fear-based messaging may result in mixed effects when it comes to public health.
Why has Polio returned to the U.S.? Author of “Constructing the Outbreak: Epidemics in Media and Collective Memory” Katherine Foss explains.
“For too long, we’ve falsely assumed that polio has been eradicated in the U.S.,” says Katherine Foss, a professor and associate director of the School of Journalism & Strategic Media at Middle Tennessee State University. However, no cases doesn’t mean the virus has been eradicated, especially with polio still existing in the world.
GW Expert: CDC Must Rethink Communications Strategy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a PR problem. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC has been criticized for issuing confusing and contradictory guidance, leading many Americans to simply tune out the nation’s foremost public…
COVID-19 genomic recombination is uncommon but disproportionately occurs in spike protein region
An analysis of millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes finds that recombination of the virus is uncommon, but when it occurs, it is most often in the spike protein region, the area which allows the virus to attach to and infect host cells.
UC San Diego Researchers Add Monkeypox to Wastewater Surveillance
A UC San Diego-led program that monitors wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and which has effectively predicted subsequent surges in COVID-19 cases in San Diego has been expanded to detect the presence of monkeypox.
Prostate Cancer Cases Risk Being Detected Too Late Due to Misleading Focus on Urinary Problems
Men with early, curable stages of prostate cancer are missing opportunities to have their cancer detected because national guidelines and media health campaigns focus on urinary symptoms despite a lack of scientific evidence, say experts at the University of Cambridge.
New Low-cost Device Rapidly, Accurately Detects Hepatitis C Infection
The entire virus detection process is executed inside a uniquely designed, portable, inexpensive, disposable, and self-driven microfluidic chip. The fully automated sample-in–answer-out molecular diagnostic set-up rapidly detects Hepatitis C virus in about 45 minutes and uses relatively inexpensive and reusable equipment costing about $50 for sample processing and disease detection. The disposable microfluidic chip also offers shorter times for a reliable diagnosis and costs about $2.
UT Southwestern informatics center fuels clinical innovation, public health research
Leveraging its broad expertise in biomedical informatics, data sciences, and clinical sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center is aggressively expanding its involvement in clinical informatics, which aims to harness the power of big data to improve patient care and public health.
Friendly skies? Study charts Covid-19 odds for plane flights
What are the chances you will contract Covid-19 on a plane flight? A study led by MIT scholars offers a calculation of that for the period from June 2020 through February 2021.
Disparities in United States COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Health care facilities in Black metropolitan counties, Hispanic rural counties and hardest-hit counties were less likely to administer COVID-19 vaccines during initial rollout, UC San Diego study finds.
Biological Age, Not Birthdate May Reveal Healthy Longevity
UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Study reports that epigenetic age acceleration is associated with lower odds of living to be 90 years old and could be used as a biomarker for healthy longevity and to estimate functional and cognitive aging.
Leadership program prepares professionals to respond to public health crises in Puerto Rico
A program called “Advancing Leadership in Times of Crisis” (ALTC) has helped to increase leadership skills and knowledge among public health professionals in Puerto Rico – preparing them to adapt and respond to the challenges posed by a series of public health emergencies, reports a study in a supplement to the September/October issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Exposure to ‘Forever Chemicals’ Costs U.S. Billions in Health Costs
Daily exposure to a class of chemicals used in the production of many household items may lead to cancer, thyroid disease, and childhood obesity, a new study shows. The resulting economic burden is estimated to cost Americans a minimum of $5.5 billion and as much as $63 billion over the lifetime of the current population.
Study Examines Health Benefits of Affordable Housing-Based Services in NYC
The JPB Foundation has provided a sizeable grant to the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to fund a three-year study examining the impact of social, environmental, and health-related services in affordable housing settings on residents’ health and quality of life.
Post-COVID Lung Disease Shares Origins with Other Scarring Lung Disorders
UC San Diego researchers provide first insights into the fundamental cellular pathologies that drive interstitial lung disease in patients post-COVID.
US youth firearm mortality increases over the past decade; trends differ significantly across states
Not a day goes by without reports of more tragic incidents of gun violence against children. In 2020, firearms were the leading cause of death in children in the United States.
Tracking Daily Movement Patterns May One Day Help Predict Dementia
Researchers found significant differences in movement patterns between participants with normal cognition and those with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.
Where and When Violent Crime Rates Fall, Heart Disease Deaths Fall, Too
A new study of data from Chicago found that the neighborhoods where violent crime fell the most, cardiovascular disease mortality fell sharply, too